Chapter 4-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《小王子The Little Prince》

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^②, Venus③-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 telescope④. 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 19o9 On making his discovery, the astronomer had 1 presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration{}. But he was in Turkish costume{⑧}, and so nobody would believe what he said. Grown-ups are like that... 022. 4 由此,我得到第二个很重要的信息:小王子居 住的星球不过一栋房子大小 这个事实并未让我感到特别 意外。我很清楚,除了地球、 木星、金星、火星等已经被命 ① Jupiter /d3u:pita/ n. 木星 ② Mars /ma:z/ n. 火星 名的大行星之外,还有其他无 ③Venus /vi:nas/ n. 金星 数不胜枚举的小行星,有些行 ④ telescope /teliskoop/ n. 望 远镜 星小到即使用望远镜也难窥其 astronomer 貌。一旦有某位天文学家发现某个小行星,他并不 /a'stronamo(r)/n. 天文学 会为它命名,通常只会给它一个编号。比如,他可 者:天文学家 asteroid / aestaroid/ n. 小 能会用“小行星325号”来表示。 游星,小行星 我有充分的理由相信小王子是来自小行星B- 612。 这个小行星只让人用望远镜发现过一次。那是 1909年一位土耳其天文学家发现的 该天文学家把这个发现在国际天文学大会上提 demonstration ldemans'treifon/n. 证明 交,还提供了大量证明。然而,因为他穿着土耳其 示范 传统服饰,所以并没有人愿意相信他的话。 ⑧ costume /'kpstiu:m/ n. 服 大人们总是如此..... 装,装束 · 023· The Cittfe Prince #佬人 Fortunately, however, for the reputation^{①} of Asteroid B-612,a Turkish dictator② made a law that his subjects, under pain of death, should change to European costume. So in 192o the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again, dressed with impressive③ style and elegance{④. 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. Grown-ups love figures. 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,ooo." Ther 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 .024· 小王子1 幸运的是,为了小行星B-612的声望,土耳其的 一位独裁君主颁布了一项法律,规定每一位臣民必须 改穿欧洲服饰,违令者死。于是在1920年,那位天文 学家身着优雅的欧式服装,再度发表他的意见。而这 一次大家都相信他的报告了。 ①reputation /repiu:)'tefann 名誉, 名声,声望 ② dictater /dik'teita/ n. 独裁 者 ③impressive /tm'presrv/ a. 给 人深刻印象的,威严的 我给你们讲这颗小行星的细节,还告诉你们它 ④elegance /eliaansl n. 高滩 典雅,优雅,雅致 的编号,此举完全是为了迎合大人们以及他们的习 on account of 由于 惯。大人们喜欢数字。假使你告诉他们自已结识了 一位新朋友,他们从不会问你一些实质性的问题。 essential /'senfal/ a. 本质 他们绝对不会说:“他的声音如何?他最喜欢玩哪 的,实质的,基本的 些游戏?他搜集蝴蝶吗?”相反,他们会问你:“他 多大了?有几个兄弟?他体重多少?他的父亲挣多 少钱?”好像只有透过这些数字,他们才能对他有 基本的认识。 倘若你对大人说:“我看到一憧玫瑰色砖砌成的 漂亮房子,窗台上开满了天竿葵,屋顶上有鸽子栖 息。”他们根本无法想象这憧房子到底有多么美。 rosy/rouzua. 玫瑰红的 ⑧ geranium /d3r'reinjam/ n 如果你告诉他们说:“我看见一憧价值两万块钱的 天_葵 房子。”他们一定会惊叹道:“噢,那该是多么美丽 的房子啊!” exclaim /ik'sklem/y. 惊叫 呼喊 同样,你也许会对他们说:“小王子是存在的 他很迷人,也会笑,而且他正在寻找一只绵羊。如果 有人想要一只绵羊的话,那就表示他真实地存在着。” · 025· The Cittfe Prince 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-6l2," then they would be convinced② and leave you in peace from their questions They are like that. One must not hold it against them. Children should always show great forbearance③ toward grown-up people. But certainly, for us who understand life, figures are a matter of indifference④. I should have liked to begin this story in the fashion of the fairy-tales}. I should have liked 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 .026. 小王子1 但是跟他们说这些又有什么用呢?他们只会耸耸肩 ①shrug /frag/v. 耸肩(以表 把你当作小孩子。你若是这样对他们说:“他是从小 示冷淡,怀疑等) 行星B-612来的。”如此一来,他们就会信以为真, ②convince /kan'vins/ y 使信 并且不会再对你提出任何问题了。 服,说服 大人们就是这样。我们用不着对他们苛求太多 小孩子对大人们应该要更宽容一些才是。 ③ forhearance /fo:bearans 事实上,对我们这些懂得生命本质的人来说。 自制,忍耐:容忍 数字根本就是微不足道的东西。我曾经想用童话的 方式作为这个故事的开场白。我想如此叙述:“很 ④ indifference /in'drfrans/ a 漠不关心 久以前,有一个小王子住在一个比自已大不了多少 fairy-tale 童话故事 的小行星上,他想要一只绵羊......” 对一些了解生命是怎么一回事的人而言,这样 的开场白,会让我的故事显得更加真实 可是,我却不希望有人只是随意翻阅我的书, 而不把它当一回事。因为这些都是我强忍伤悲写下 carelessly /'keolslr/ ad. 不 来的回忆。我的朋友带着他的绵羊离开我,至今已 注意地,粗心地:不专心地 有六年了。我在这里努力地去描述他,为的是证明 grief /qritf/n. 忧伤,伤心 事 我并没有将他遗忘。忘记朋友是令人心痛的。况目 并不是每一个人都能找到真正的朋友。我若是把他 给忘记了,那么我就可能变得跟大人们一样,只对 数字感兴趣。 正因为如此,我才又买了一盒颜料和几支铅笔。 到了我这个年纪才重拾画笔是很难的,何况我除了 在只有六岁的时候,画过看得见和看不见大攀蛇内 部的两幅画之外,就再也没画过其他的东西。我当 然会尽力把肖像画得传神些,但是却没有十足的把 握。或许这一幅画成功了,那么下一幅就可能画得 ⑧ portrait /po:trit/ n. 肖像. 不顺利。而小王子的高度又时常出现误差,有时太 人像 高了,有时又太矮了。至于他衣服的颜色,我并不 ·027· The Cittfe Prince has no resemblance^{ to its subject. I make some errors, too, in the little prince's height②: 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 fumble③ along as best as I can, now good, now bad, and I hope generally fair-to- middling④. 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 the walls of boxes. Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I have had to grow old. .028. 小王子1 ① resemblance 能十分确定。于是我摸索着尽力而为,时好时坏, /rr'zemblans/ n.类同之 只希望不会有太大的出入。 处 ②height /hait/n. 高度,海 我也可能在一些重要的细节上出现差错,但是 拔 这可不能怪我。我的小朋友从来没对我说明过什 ③ fumble /fAmbl/ v. 摸索 么。或许他认定--我和他是一样的。但是,天 ④fair-to-middling 过得去. 马马虎虎 啊!我真的不知道如何透过箱子板看到里面的绵 羊。或许我已经有些像大人了。我一定是老了。 ·029·