第7章
- 小王子(英漢雙語)
- 圣·埃克蘇佩里
- 2390字
- 2021-11-24 22:05:27
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!
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.
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.
Grown-ups are like that…
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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
They are like that. One must not hold it against them. Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.
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.
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…
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 little 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.
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.
我掌握了第二個十分重要的真相,那便是:他的那個星球只比一座房子稍微大一點。
這并不使我過分吃驚。我知道,地球、木星、火星、金星都是我們地球人給它們命名的,除此之外,還有千萬顆別的星球,它們實在太小了,用望遠鏡都很難觀測到。一旦天文學家發現了其中的某一顆,就會給它編個號碼當作它的名字,比方說,把它稱為“325號小行星”。
我有充分的理由堅信,小王子那顆星球就是“B-612號小行星”,這個星星只在1909年被一位土耳其天文學家從望遠鏡里觀察到一次。
于是,他在國際天文學的一次會議上,鄭重其事地宣布了他的這一發現。然而,因為他穿的土耳其服裝與眾不同,在場的沒有人相信他說的話。
成年人總是這副樣子。
幸虧,土耳其一個獨裁者下令臣民改穿歐式服裝,不執行者以死罪論處。這才使得“B-612號小行星”聞名遐邇。1920年的那一次會上,那位土耳其天文學家穿著一身漂亮時髦的西服,再次論證了他的發現。這一回,全體與會者都一致同意他的觀點。
我之所以向你們小讀者講述以上關于“B-612號小行星”的細節,并指出其編號,完全是為了成年人。成年人喜歡數字。當你跟他們說起一位新朋友的時候,他們從來不問你最本質的特征。比方說,他們從來不問:“他的嗓音怎么樣?他愛玩什么游戲?他是不是愛搜集蝴蝶標本?”他們只問你:“他多大歲數?他有幾個兄弟?他的父親掙多少錢?”問清楚這些問題,他們就以為了解這個人了。
你如果對成年人說:“我看見了一幢漂亮的紅磚小房子,窗上爬滿了天竺葵,屋頂上憩著鴿子……”他們是想象不出這房子是什么模樣的。但是,如果對他們說:“我看見了一幢價值十萬法郎的房子。”他們就會高聲嚷嚷:“那是多么漂亮啊!”
因此,如果你對成年人說:“的的確確有過一位小王子,他很招人喜歡,他老咯咯發笑,他還向人要過一只綿羊。既然要過一只綿羊,那就證明這個小王子確有其人。”他們聽了會聳聳肩膀,把你當作一個小孩子看待!但是,如果你對成年人說:“小王子來自另一個星球,就是B-612號小行星。”那他們就信服了,就不會沒完沒了地用他們那些問題來煩你了。
成年人總是這副樣子。不能強求他們變成另一種樣子,小孩應當對大人盡量寬容一些。
當然了,我們這些真正理解生活的人,才不會去在乎數字呢!我多愿意像講神話故事那樣去講小王子的故事,多愿意這么來講:“從前,有一個小王子,他住的那顆星球比他本人大不了多少,他需要找一個朋友……”
對于那些理解生活的人來說,這種講法就顯得真實自然得多。
因為我不喜歡人家并不嚴肅認真地來讀我寫的書。我講述以上這些回憶時,是頗感憂傷的。我的那位小朋友和他的綿羊一道離去已經有六個年頭了。我試著在這里描述他,是為了不忘記他。忘記一個朋友是很可悲的事。很多人從來就沒有一個朋友,何況我也可能變得和那些成年人一模一樣,只對數字感興趣。
正是為了不忘記他,我才買了一盒水彩與幾支鉛筆。到了我現在這個歲數,要重新拾起繪畫是很難很難的,特別是我只在小小六歲的時候畫過一條蟒蛇的整體圖與剖面圖,此外就從沒有試過畫點別的什么!當然了,我會盡最大的努力畫好我那位小朋友。但能否做得到,我是沒有多大把握的。這一幅畫得還可以,另一幅畫得就不像了。在畫他的身材高矮時,我也常常出錯。這一幅把他畫得太高大,那一幅又畫得太矮小。至于他衣服的顏色,我常猶豫不決。于是,我就這么試試,那么試試,勉勉強強,湊湊合合。
最后,在某些重要的細節上,我也常常弄錯。對此,大家應該原諒我。我那位小朋友從來不給我解釋這解釋那。他也許以為,我和他同源同種,非常相像。但是,其實我跟他不同,我又不能透視萬物,比如透過箱子看到里面那只綿羊。也許,我有點像那些成年人了。我一定是老了。