Chapter 07 正经事

Chapter 07

On the fifth day-- again, as always, it was thanks to the sheep-- the secret of the little prince's life was revealed to me.

第五天，还是羊的事，把小王子的生活秘密向我揭开了。

Abruptly, without anything to lead up to it, and as if the question had been born of long and silent meditation on his problem, he demanded:

好象默默地思索了很长时间以后，得出了什么结果一样，他突然没头没脑地问我：

"A sheep-- if it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too"?

“羊要是吃小灌木的话，那它也要吃花喽？”

"A sheep," I answered, "eats anything it finds in its reach".

“它碰到什么够得着的吃什么。”我回答说。

"Even flowers that have thorns"? "Yes, even flowers that have thorns".

“连有刺的花也吃吗？” “是的，有刺的花也吃！”

"Then the thorns-- what use are they"?

“那么刺有什么用呢？”

I did not know. At that moment I was very busy trying to unscrew a bolt that had got stuck in my engine.

我不知道该怎么回答。那会儿我正忙着要从发动机上卸下一颗拧得太紧的螺丝。

I was very much worried, for it was becoming clear to me that the breakdown of my plane was extremely serious.

我心里很着急，因为越来越清楚地发现机器故障极其严重。

And I had so little drinking water left that I had to fear for the worst.

饮水也快完了，我不得不担心可能发生最坏的情况。

"The thorns-- what use are they"?

“那么刺有什么用呢？”

The little prince never let go of a question, once he had asked it.

小王子一旦提出了问题，从来不会放过。

As for me, I was upset over that bolt.

对我来说，那个该死的螺丝使我很恼火。

And I answered with the first thing that came into my head:

我于是就随便回答了他一句：

"The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite"!

“刺么，什么用都没有，这纯粹是花的恶劣表现。”

"Oh"! There was a moment of complete silence. Then the little prince flashed back at me, with a kind of resentfulness:

沉默了一会儿。小王子忽然转向我，怀着不满的心情冲我说道：

"I don't believe you! Flowers are weak creatures. They are naive.

“我不信！花是弱小的生物，它们是天真的。

They reassure themselves as best they can.

它们尽可能地保护自己。

They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons. . .

它们以为它们的刺是很厉害的武器……”

I did not answer.

我默不作声。

At that instant I was saying to myself: "If this bolt still won't turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer".

我当时想的，如果这个螺丝再不转动的话，我就一锤子敲掉它。

Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts.

小王子又来打搅我的思绪了：

"And you actually believe that the flowers--"

“你真的认为花……”

"Oh, no"! I cried. "No, no no! I don't believe anything.

我喊道：“哦，不！不不不！我什么也不相信！

I answered you with the first thing that came into my head.

我只是想到什么就随便回答你什么。

Don't you see-- I am very busy with matters of consequence"!

你难道没看到我有正经事要做吗！”

He stared at me, thunderstruck. "Matters of consequence"!

他惊讶地盯着我。“正经事？”

He looked at me there, with my hammer in my hand, my fingers black with engine-grease, bending down over an object, which seemed to him extremely ugly.

他瞅着我手拿锤子，手指沾满了油污，伏在一个在他看来丑不可言的机件上。

"You talk just like the grown-ups"! That made me a little ashamed.

“你说话就和那些大人一样！”这话使我有点难堪。

But he went on, relentlessly: "You mix everything up together. . . You confuse everything. . .

可是他又尖刻无情地说道：“你什么都分不清……你把什么都混在一起！”

He was really very angry. He tossed his golden curls in the breeze.

他着实非常恼火。摇动着脑袋，金黄色的头发随风飘动着。

"I know a planet where there is a certain red-faced gentleman.

“我知道有一个星球上面住着一位红脸先生。

He has never smelled a flower.

他从来没闻过一朵花。

He has never looked at a star.

他从来没有看过一颗星星。

He has never loved any one.

他什么人也没有喜欢过。

He has never done anything in his life but add up figures.

除了算帐以外，他什么也没有做过。

And all day he says over and over, just like you: 'I am busy with matters of consequence! ' And that makes him swell up with pride.

他整天同你一样老是说：‘我有正经事要忙’，这使他傲气十足。

But he is not a man-- he is a mushroom"!

他简直不象是个人，他是个蘑菇。”

"A what"?

“是个什么？”

"A mushroom"!

“是个蘑菇！”

The little prince was now white with rage.

小王子当时气得脸色发白。

"The flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years.

“几百万年以来花儿都在制造着刺。

For millions of years the sheep have been eating them just the same.

几百万年以来羊仍然在吃花。

And is it not a matter of consequence to try to understand why the flowers go to so much trouble to grow thorns, which are never of any use to them?

要搞清楚为什么花儿费那么大劲给自己制造没有什么用的刺，这难道不是正经事？

Is the warfare between the sheep and the flowers not important?

难道羊和花之间的战争不重要？

Is this not of more consequence than a fat red-faced gentleman's sums?

这难道不比那个大胖子红脸先生的帐目更重要？

And if I know-- I, myself-- one flower which is unique in the world, which grows nowhere but on my planet, but which one little sheep can destroy in a single bite some morning, without even noticing what he is doing-- Oh! You think that is not important"!

如果我自己认识一朵人世间唯一的花，只有我的星球上有它，别的地方都不存在，而一只小羊胡里胡涂就这样把它一下子毁掉了，哦！你觉得这不重要？”

His face turned from white to red as he continued:

他的脸气得由白变红，然后又接着说道：

"If some one loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars.

“如果有人爱上了在这亿万颗星星中独一无二的一株花，当他看着这些星星的时候，这就足以使他感到幸福。

He can say to himself, 'Somewhere, my flower is there. . . 'But if the sheep eats the flower, in one moment all his stars will be darkened. . . And you think that is not important"!

他可以自言自语地说：‘我的那朵花就在其中的一颗星星上……’，但是如果羊吃掉了这朵花，对他来说，好象所有的星星一下子全都熄灭了一样！你也觉得这不重要？！”

He could not say anything more. His words were choked by sobbing. The night had fallen.

他无法再说下去了，突然泣不成声。夜幕已经降临。

I had let my tools drop from my hands.

我放下手中的工具。

Of what moment now was my hammer, my bolt, or thirst, or death?

我把锤子、螺钉、饥渴、死亡，全都抛在脑后。

On one star, one planet, my planet, the Earth, there was a little prince to be comforted.

在一颗星上，在一颗行星上，在我的行星上，地球上有一个小王子需要安慰！

I took him in my arms, and rocked him. I said to him:

我把他抱在怀里。我摇着他，对他说：

"The flower that you love is not in danger.

“你爱的那朵花没有危险……

I will draw you a muzzle for your sheep.

我给你的小羊画了一个口套……

I will draw you a railing to put around your flower. I will".

我给你的花画一个栅栏……我会的。”

I did not know what to say to him. I felt awkward and blundering.

我也不太知道该对他说些什么。我觉得自己尴尬又笨拙。

I did not know how I could reach him, where I could overtake him and go on hand in hand with him once more.

我不知道怎样才能达到他的境界，怎样才能赶上他再进入他的境界……

It is such a secret place, the land of tears.

唉，泪水的世界是多么神秘啊！