Chapter 24-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《小王子The Little Prince》

24 It was now the eighth day since I had had my accident in the desert. and I had listened to the story of the merchant as I was drinking the last drop of my water supply. “Ah," I said to the little prince, "these memories of yours are very charming{}; but I have not yet succeeded in repairing my plane; I have nothing more to drink; and I, too, should be very happy if I could walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water!" “My friend the fox-" the little prince said to me “My dear little man, this is no longer a matter that has anything to do with the fox!" “Why not?" "Because I am about to die of②thirst.." He did not follow my reasoning, and he answered me, "It is a good thing to have had a friend, even if one is about to die. I, for instance, am very glad to have had a fox as a friend..." "He has no way of guessing{③} the danger," I said to myself. "He has never been either hungry or④ thirsty. A little sunshine is all he needs..” 136. 24 今天距我在沙漠中飞机失事,已经是第八天了。 就在我倾听这个商人的故事时,我喝下了仅剩的最 后一滴水。 “呀!”我对小王子说,“你的故事很吸引人,可 ①charming /tfa:mn a 迷人 我还是没有修好我的飞机,水也喝完了。假如我 的,娇媚的:有吸引力的 可以优哉游哉地走向一道清泉,我将会非常高 兴的!” “我的狐狸朋友--”小王子对我说。 “我亲爱的小朋友,这事和狐狸没有什么关 系呢!” “为什么?” “因为我快要渴死了.....” ②die of 因....而死 他没有理解我的话,反而回答说; “即使生命危在旦夕,能有一位朋友总是好事。 就像我一样,能有一只狐狸当朋友我高兴极了....” “他还是不了解这件事的严重性。”我想,“他从 ③guess /qes/v. 猜测,推测, 来不知道什么是饥饿或是口渴。他只需要些许阳光 了解 而已....” ④either...or 不是......就 是...........或..... 他深沉地看着我,像是看穿了我的心事似的; ·137· The fittfe Prince But he looked at me steadily①, and replied to my thought "I am thirsty, too. Let us look for a well②..." I made a gesture③} of weariness④}. It is absurd to look for a well, at random, in the immensity of the desert. But nevertheless we started walking. When we had trudged*} along for several hours, in silence, the darkness fell, and the stars began to come out. Thirst had made me a little feverish^{}, and I looked at them as if I were in a dream. The little prince's last words came reeling③back into my memory, “Then you are thirsty, too?" I demanded. But he did not reply to my question. He merely said to me. “Water may also be good for the heart..." I did not understand this answer, but I said nothing. I knew very well that it was impossible to cross-examine{} him. He was tired. He sat down. I sat down beside him, And, after a little silence, he spoke again. "The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen." I replied, "Yes, that is so."And, without saying anything more, I looked across the ridges of sand that were stretched out before us in the moonlight. "The desert is beautiful,"the little prince added. And that was true. I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune{, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs^{, and gleams^{.. “What makes the desert beautiful,"said the little prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well.." I was astonished} by a sudden understanding of that mysterious radiation{} of the sands. When I was a little boy I lived in an old house. 138. 小王子1 ① steadily /stedtlr/ ad. 稳定 “我也口渴了。我们去找一口井吧.....” 地,有规则地 我做了个疲倦的动作。想想在一望无际的沙漠 ②well/wel/ n. 井 ③ gesture /d3estfa/ n. 姿态. 之中,漫无目的地要找到一口井,可真是难上加 手势 难。话虽如此,我们还是出发了。 ④ weariness /'wlarinas n. 疫 夜暮低垂,星星也出来了,我们沉默不语地已 倦,厌烦,疲劳 5 absurd /5b'sa:d/ a. 荒谬的 走了好几个小时。口渴使我有点发热,仰望星空, 可笑的 仿佛置身在梦中一般。我脑海中不禁又浮现小王子 trudge /trAd/ v. 跋涉 最后所说的话。 feverish/fi:varif a. 发烧 的,热病的,狂热 “你也口渴了吗?”我问 Breel/ritl 满地走:旋 他并没有回答我的问题 转;浮现 只是对我说:“水对心灵是有好 处的..... 我无法明白这话的含意。 ② cross-examine 于是就沉默不语。心里明白, krpsIozaemn盘诘,反 继续探穷下去也得不到答案。 复询问 他累了,坐下来,我也挨着他坐下。沉默片刻, 他又说: “星星真美,因为有一朵看不见的花。” 我回答说:“嗯!的确是。”我没往下说下去, 只是眺望这片月光下一望无际的沙漠。 “沙漠真美。”小王子说。 这是真的。我一向热爱沙漠。一个人静坐在沙漠 o dune /dju:n/ n. 沙F 中的沙丘上,对周围视而不见,听而不闻。可是这宁 throb/rpbv 悸动,抽动 静的周围,都有东西在跳跃,在闪光-- 跳跃 ogleam/glitm/v 闪烁,隐 “沙漠之所以美丽,”小王子说,“是因为在沙漠 约地闪现 的某个角落隐藏着一口井.....” B astonish /os'tpnfv. 使惊 订 我惊讶不已,恍然明白沙漠中那股神奇的色彩 B radiation /reidr'eifon/n 发 小时候,我曾住在一嶂古屋里,人们遥传其中藏有 散:发光:发热 宝物。诚然,从来没有人知道寻宝的方法,也许从 ·139· The fittfe Prince and legend{①} told us that a treasure was buried there. To be sure, no one had ever known how to find it; perhaps no one had ever even looked for it. But it cast an enchantment② over that house. My home was hiding a secret in the depths of its heart... “Yes,"I said to the little prince. "The house, the stars, the desert- what gives them their beauty is something that is invisible!" "I am glad,"he said,"that you agree with my fox." As the little prince dropped off③ to sleep, I took him in my arms and set out walking once more. I felt deeply moved, and stirred. It seemed to me that I was carrying a very fragile treasure. It seemed to me, even, that there was nothing more fragile on all the Earth. In the moonlight I looked at his pale forehead, his closed eyes, his locks of hair that trembled in the wind, and I said to myself, "What I see here is nothing but a shel. What is most important is invisible..." As his lips opened slightly with the suspicionof a half-smile, I said to myself, again, “What moves me so deeply, about this little prince who is sleeping here, is his loyalty* to a flower-the image of a rose that shines through his whole being like the flame of a lamp, even when he is asleep..."And I felt him to be more fragile still I felt the need of protecting him, as if he himself were a flame that might be extinguished{}by a little puff{③}of wind... And, as I walked on so, I found the well, at daybreak{}. 140: 小王子) ① legend /led3ond/ n. 传说 来不曾有人找过它。可是这嶂古屋早已蒙上一层神 ② enchantment 秘的面纱;在我家最深处理藏着一个不为人知的秘 ntfaintmant/ n. 迷惑:福 秘:魔法 密..... ③drop off 不知不觉地睡着 ④ fragile /fraedsail/ a. 易碎 的,脆的 “是的,”我对小王子说,“古屋、星星和沙 漠--赋予它们美丽的是某种无法看见的东西。” “我非常高兴,”他说,“你和我的狐狸朋友的理 念一致。” 小王子不知不觉地睡着之后,我把他抱在怀里 继续走着。我感动不已,心绪涌动。我仿佛抱着一 suspicion /sos'pufon/ n. 些 许,一点儿 件脆弱易碎的宝贝,而且对我来说,这世上再也找 不到比他更为脆弱的东西。月光之下,我凝视他那 lovalty /loiolti/ n. 忠诚 苍白的额头、紧闭的眼晔,以及那随风飘扬的鬓 忠心 发。我告诉自己:“我眼前所见的不过是一个躯壳 extinguish /iks'tingwJ/ v. 而已。最重要的东西是瞧不见的......” 熄灭;消灭 当他微启的唇边泛着浅浅的微笑时,我又告诉 ③ puff /pAf/n. -阵风吹 9 daybreak/deibrerk/ n. 浆 自己:“这个熟睡的小王子最叫我感动的地方是,他 明,排晓 对一朵玫瑰的感情--甚至他睡着了,那朵玫瑰花 的影子,仍像灯光一样照亮他的生命......”于是, 我更强烈地觉得他很脆弱,心中升起一股想保护他的 念头,好似他就是一道火苗,风一吹就会熄了...... 就这样一直走着,破晓时分,我找到了一口井。 ·141·