小王子 15 | 地理学家

The sixth planet was ten times larger than the last one. It was inhabited by an old gentleman who wrote voluminous books.

第六个星球比上一个大十倍，住着一位老先生，撰写大部头的书。

"Oh, look! Here is an explorer!" he exclaimed to himself when he saw the little prince coming.

“哦，瞧啊！来了一个探险者！” 他看见小王子来了，招呼着。

The little prince sat down on the table and panted a little. He had already traveled so much and so far!

小王子在桌边坐下，气喘吁吁，风尘仆仆。

"Where do you come from?" the old gentleman said to him.

“你是打哪儿来啊？”老先生对他说。

"What is that big book?" said the little prince,"What are you doing?"

“这本大书是什么书？”小王子说，“您在干什么啊？”

"I am a geographer," the old gentleman said to him.

“我是个地理学家，”老先生对他说。

"What is a geographer?" asked the little prince.

“地理学家是干什么的？”小王子问。

"A geographer is a scholar who knows the location of all the seas, rivers, towns, mountains,and deserts."

“地理学家是位学者，他知道所有大海、河流、城镇、山脉还有沙漠的地理位置。”

"That is very interesting," said the little prince," Here last is a man who has a real profession!" And he cast a look around him at the planet of the geographer. It was the most magnificent and stately planet  that he had ever seen.

“这真有趣! 终于遇到了一个真正的专家！”，小王子边说边环顾四周。这是他见过的最“雄伟”、“壮观”的星球！

"Your planet is very beautiful," he said." Has it any oceans?"

“你的星球真漂亮，”他说，“这儿有大海吗？”

"I couldn't tell you," said the geographer.

“无可奉告，”地理学家说。

"Ah!" The little prince was disappointed," Has it mountains?"

“哦!" 小王子有点儿遗憾，”有山脉吗？”

"I couldn't tel you," said the geographer.

“无可奉告，”地理学家说。

"Any towns, and rivers, and deserts?"

“那有城镇、河流还有沙漠吗？”

"I couldn't tell you that, either."

“同样无可奉告。”

"But you are a geographer!"

“你可是个地理学家啊！”

"Exactly," the geographer said," But I am not an explorer. I haven't a single explorer on my planet. It is not the geographer who goes out to count the towns, the rivers, the mountains, the seas, the oceans, and the desert. The geographer is much too important to go loafing in his study. He does not leave his desk. But he receives the explorers in his study. He asks them questions, and he notes down what they recall of their travels. And if the recollections of any one among them seem interesting to him, the geographer orders an inquiry into that explorer's moral character."

“一点儿没错，” 地理学家说，“可我不是个探险者。我这儿一个探险者也没有。地理学家不会外出，去数数有多少城镇、多少河流、多少山脉、多少大海、还有沙漠。地理学家太重要了，在做学问的时候不会乱逛的。他不离开办工作，但会会见探险者。如果某个探险者的见闻让他感兴趣，他会对探险者的人品作一番调查。”

" Why is that?"

“为什么呢？”

"Because an explorer who told lies would bring disaster on the books of the geographer. So would an explorer who drank too much."

“因为，如果探险者说谎，会给地理学家的著作带来大麻烦的。喝高了的探险者也是如此。”

"Why is that?"

“为什么呢？”

"Because intoxicated men see double. Then the geographer would note down two mountains in a place where there was only one."

“因为喝醉的人斗眼。其结果就是地理学家把一座山标成了两座山。”

"I know some one," said the little prince," who would make a bad explorer."

“我认识一个人，”小王子说，“ 他肯定是个糟糕的探险者。”

"That is possible. Then, when the moral character of the explorer is shown to be good, an inquiry is ordered into his discovery."

“有可能的。然后，如果探险者的人品没问题，还需要调查一下他的发现。”

"One goes to see it?"

“找人去现场调查吗？”

"No. That would be too complicated. But one requires the explorer to furnish proofs. For example, if the discovery in question is that of a large mountain, one requires that large stones be brought back from it."

“不，那样太复杂了。但需要探险者提供者证据。例如，如果探险者发现的是座大山，那就需要他提供带回来的大块石头。”

The geographer was suddenly stirred to excitement.

地理学家突然有点兴奋。

"But you ... you come from far away! You are an explorer! You shall describe your planet to me!"

”你可是 ... 你来自远方！你就是个探险者！ 你应该给我描述一下你的星球！”

And, having opened his big register, the geographer sharpened his pencil. The recitals of explorers are put down first in pencil. One waits until the explorer has furnished proofs, before putting then down in ink.

地理学家一边说着，一边打开厚厚的登记簿，削了削铅笔。

"Well?" said the geographer expectantly.

“那么...?" 地理学家有点期待地说。

"Oh, where I live," said the little prince, "It is not very interesting. It is all so small. I have three volcanoes. Two volcanoes are active and the other is extinct. But one never knows."

”哦，我住的地方没什么意思，”小王子说，“什么东西都很小。我有三座火山。两座活火山；另外一个是死火山，但谁也说不准。”

"One never knows," said the geographer.

“是说不准，”地理学家说。

"I also have a flower."

“我还有一棵花。”

"We do not record flowers." said the geographer.

“我们不记录花。”地理学家说。

"Why is that? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!"

“为什么？这花儿可是我那儿最漂亮的东西！”

"We do not record them,"said the geographer, "because they are ephemeral."

"我们不记录花草，” 地理学家说，“因为它们是短暂的。”

"What does that mean - ‘ephemeral'?"

“短暂？是什么意思？”

"Geographies," said the geographer," are the books which, of all books, are most concerned with matters of consequence. They never become old-fashioned. It is very rarely that a mountain changes its position. It is very rarely that an ocean empties itself of its water. We write of eternal things."

“在所有种类的书中，地理是最关心重大事物的。它们从不过时。山移地动、海枯石烂，这都是非常罕见的。我们只记录永恒的事物。”

"But extinct volcanoes may come to life again," the little prince interrupted. "What does that mean - 'ephemeral'?"

“可是死火山有可能复活的，”小王子插嘴说，“ 短暂的- 到底是什么意思？”

"Whether volcanoes are extinct or alive, it comes to the same thing for us," said the geographer."The thing that matters to us is the mountain. It does not change."

“不管火山是死的还是活的，对我们而言是一样的，”地理学家说，“我们关心的是山体本身，山体是不会动的。”

"But what does that mean - 'ephemeral'?" repeated the little prince, who never in his life had let go of a question, once he had asked it.

“可那个‘短暂的’到底是什么意思啊？”小王子重复着，总是打破砂锅问到底。

"It means, 'which is in danger of speedy disappearance.'"

“意思是，有很快消失的危险。”

"Is my flower in danger of speedy disappearance?"

“我的花儿就是有很快消失的危险喽？”

"Certainly it is."

“那是当然。”

"My flower is ephemeral," the little prince said to himself," and she has only four thorns to defend herself against the world. And I have left her on my planet, all alone!"

“我的花儿是短暂的，” 小王子自言自语，“她只有四根刺来保卫自己。而我却扔下了她，孤独地留在那里。”

That was his first moment of regret. But he took courage once more.

这是他第一次感到后悔了，但他还是鼓起了勇气。

"What place would you advise me to visit now?" he asked.

“您建议我现在去访问什么地方呢？” 他问。

"The planet Earth," replied the geographer." It has a good reputation."

“地球！” 地理学家回答，“地球的口碑不错。”

And the little prince went away, thinking of his flower.

于是，小王子上路了，边走边思念着他的花儿。