第四章

如果我给你们讲关于小行星B-612的这些细节，并且奉告你们它的编号，这是因为这些大人和他们行动体例的原因。大人们喜好数字。当你对他们说你交了一个新朋友时，他们向来不向你提出本色性的题目。他们向来不讲：“他说话声音像甚么？他最爱好甚么样的游戏？他是否汇集胡蝶标本？”相反，他们会问你：“他多大年纪呀？弟兄几个呀？体重多少磅呀？他父亲挣多少钱呀？”只要从这些数字信息，他们才感觉他们体味了他。如果你对大人们说：“我看到一幢用玫瑰色的砖盖成的标致的屋子，窗台上摆着天竺葵，屋顶上另有鸽子……”他们没法对这个屋子有任何感受。如果你如许对他们说：“我瞥见了一幢代价十万法郎的屋子。”那么他们就惊叫道：“多么标致的屋子啊！”

这倒并没有使我感到太奇特。我晓得除地球、木星、火星、金星这几个驰称呼的大行星以外，还稀有以百计别的星球，它们有的小得很，就是用望远镜也很丢脸见。当一个天文学者发明了此中一个星球，他不会给它一个名字，而是给它编上一个号码，比方把它称做“325小行星”。

In certain more important details I shall make mistakes, also. But that is something that will not be my fault. My friend never explained anything to me. He thought, perhaps, that I was like himself. But I, alas, do not know how to see sheep through t he walls of boxes. Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I have had to grow old.

They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like What games does he love best Does he collect butterflies"Instead, they demand: "How old is he How many brothers has he How much does he weigh How much money does his father make" Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.

Grown-ups are like that...

就像如许，如果你对他们说：“小王子存在的证据就是他非常标致，他笑着，想要一只羊。如果有人想要一只绵羊，那就是他存在的证明。”如许奉告他们的成果是甚么呢？他们必然会耸耸肩膀，不觉得然，把你当作小孩子对待。但是，如果你对他们说“小王子来自的星球就是小行星B-612”，那么他们就非常佩服，就不会提出一大堆题目来和你胶葛。

Chapter 4

幸亏，为了小行星B-612的名誉，土耳其的一个统治者，制定法律迫使他的群众都要穿欧式打扮，不然就处以极刑。1920年，这位天文学家穿了一身非常高雅的打扮，又在大会上重新做了一次论证。这一次统统的人都接管他的观点。

For I do not want any one to read my book carelessly. I have suffered too much grief in setting down these memories. Six years have already passed since my friend went away from me, with his sheep. If I try to describe him here, it is to make sure that I shall not forget him. To forget a friend is sad. Not every one has had a friend. And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures...

也恰是因为这个原因，我买了一盒颜料和一些铅笔。现在，重新再来画画，真困难啊！像我如许年纪的人，并且除了六岁时画过闭着肚皮的和敞开肚皮的巨蟒外，别的甚么也没有尝试过。当然，我必然要把这些画尽量地画得逼真，但我本身也没有掌控胜利。一张画得还能够，另一张就不像了。另有身材比例大小，我画得有点不精确。在这个处所小王子画得大了些，另一个处所又画得小了些。对他衣服的色彩我也拿不准。因而我就摸索着尝尝这改改那，归正我就这么笨手笨脚地画了大抵。我很能够在某些首要的细节上画错了。这就得请大师谅解我了。因为我的这个朋友向来也不加申明解释。他以为我同他一样。但是，我却不晓得如何透过盒子瞥见小绵羊。我大抵有点像大人们了。我必定本身变老了。

他们就是如许的。必然不要因为如许去进犯他们，小孩子们对大人们应当刻薄些。

But that did not really surprise me much. I knew very well that in addition to the great planets― such as the Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Venus― to which we have given names, there are also hundreds of others, some of which are so small that one has a hard time seeing them through the telescope. When an astronomer discovers one of these he does not give it a name, but only a number. He might call it, for example, "Asteroid 325."I have serious reason to believe that the planet from which the little prince came is the asteroid known as B-612. This asteroid has only once been seen through the telescope. That was by a Turkish astronomer, in 1909.

But certainly, for us who understand life, figures are a matter of indifference. I should have liked to begin this story in the fashion of the fairy-tales. I should have like to say: "Once upon a time there was a little prince who lived on a planet that was scarcely any bigger than himself, and who had need of a sheep..."To those who understand life, that would have given a much greater air of truth to my story.

我有来由信赖小王子地点的阿谁星球是小行星B-612。这颗小行星仅仅在1909年被一个土耳其天文学家用望远镜瞥见过一次。

It is for that purpose, again, that I have bought a box of paints and some pencils. It is hard to take up drawing again at my age, when I have never made any pictures except those of the boa constrictor from the outside and the boa constrictor from the inside, since I was six. I shall certainly try to make my portraits as true to life as possible. But I am not at all sure of success. One drawing goes along all right, and another has no resemblance to its subject. I make some errors, too, in the littl e prince’s height: in one place he is too tall and in another too short. And I feel some doubts about the color of his costume. So I fumble along as best I can, now good, now bad, and I hope generally fair-to-middling.

当然，对我们这些晓得糊口的人来讲，我们才不在乎那些编号呢！我真情愿像讲童话那样来开端这个故事，我真想如许开首：“畴前，有一个小王子，他住在一个和他身材差未几大的星球上，他巴望具有一个朋友……”对晓得糊口的人来讲，如许说便能够显得更加实在。

I had thus learned a second fact of great importance: this was that the planet the little prince came from was scarcely any larger than a house!

They are like that. One must not hold it against them. Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.

But if you said to them: "The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612," then they would be convinced, and leave you in peace from their questions.

If I have told you these details about the asteroid, and made a note of its number for you, it is on account of the grown-ups and their ways. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters.

我可不但愿人们漫不经心肠读我的书。在报告这些旧事时，我已接受了太多哀痛。我的朋友带着他的小绵羊已经拜别六年了。我之以是在这里极力把他描述出来，就是为了不要健忘他。健忘一个朋友，这太叫人哀痛了。并不是统统的人都有过一个朋友。再说，如果我健忘他，我也能够变成那些大人那样，只对数字感兴趣。

Fortunately, however, for the reputation of Asteroid B-612, a Turkish dictator made a law that his subjects, under pain of death, should change to European costume. So in 1920 the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again, dressed with impressive style and elegance. And this time everybody accepted his report.

我还体味到第二件首要的事，就是小王子地点的阿谁星球比一座屋子大不了多少。

On making his discovery, the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration. But he was in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe what he said.

If you were to say to the grown-ups: "I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof," they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all. You would have to say to them: "I saw a house that cost $20,000." Then they would exclaim: "Oh, what a pretty house that is!"Just so, you might say to them: "The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming, that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep. If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists." And what good would it do to tell them that They would shrug their shoulders, and treat you like a child.

随后，他在一次国际天文学家代表大会上对他的发明做了首要的论证。但因为他所穿衣服是土耳其的打扮，以是没有人信赖他。那些大人们就是如许。