Chapter 15 地理学家

Chapter 15

The sixth planet was ten times larger than the last one.

第六颗行星比上一个要大十倍。

It was inhabited by an old gentleman who wrote voluminous books.

上面住着一位老先生，他在写作大部头的书。

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

“噢，瞧！来了一位探险家。”老先生看到小王子来时，对自己大叫起来。

The little prince sat down on the table and panted a little.

小王子在桌旁坐下，有点气喘吁吁。

He had already travelled so much and so far!

他已经走了那么多路，那么远。

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

“你从哪里来的呀？”老先生对小王子说。

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

“那本大书是什么？”小王子说，“你在这里干什么？”

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

“我是地理学家。”老先生对他说。

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

“什么是地理学家？”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，就是一种学者，他知道哪里有海洋，哪里有江河、城市、山脉、沙漠。”

"That is very interesting," said the little prince.

“这倒挺有意思。”小王子说。

"Here at last is a man who has a real profession"!

“这里终于有一个人有真正的职业。”

And he cast a look around him at the planet of the geographer.

他朝四周围看了看这位地理学家的星球。

It was the most magnificent and stately planet that he had ever seen.

它是他见过的最宏伟最庄严的行星。

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

“您的星球真美呀，”他说，“上面有海洋吗？”

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

“我没法告诉你。”地理学家说。

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

“啊！”小王子大失所望。“它有山脉吗？”

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

“我没法告诉你。”地理学家说。

"And towns, and rivers, and deserts"?

“那么城市、河流、沙漠呢？”

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

“我也没法告诉你。”

"But you are a geographer"!

“但您是个地理学家呢！”

"Exactly," the geographer said. "But I am not an explorer. I haven't a single explorer on my planet.

“一点不错，”地理学家说，“但是我不是探察家。我的行星上一个探察家都没有。

It is not the geographer who goes out to count the towns, the rivers, the mountains, the seas, the oceans, and the deserts.

不是地理学家去计算城市、河流、山脉、海洋、沙漠的。

The geographer is much too important to go loafing about. He does not leave his desk.

地理学家太重要而不能到处跑。他不会离开他的办公桌。

But he receives the explorers in his study.

但他在书房接见探察家。

He asks them questions, and he notes down what they recall of their travels.

他问他们问题，然后他记下他们旅行的回忆。

And if the recollections of any one among them seem interesting to him, the geographer orders an inquiry into that explorer's moral character".

如果他们中任何一个人的回忆对他来说是有趣的，那么地理学家就对那个探察家的品德做一番调查。”

"Why is that"?

“那是为什么呢？”

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

“因为一个说谎话的探察家会给地理学家的书带来灾难。一个喝酒太多的探察家也一样。”

"Why is that"? asked the little prince.

“那又是为什么？”小王子说。

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

“因为喝醉的人会看重影。然后地理学家就会把只有一座山的地方写成两座山。”

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

“我认识一个人，“小王子说，“他会是个糟糕的探险家。”

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

“那是可能的。因此，如果探察家的品德被证明不错，就对他的发现进行调查。”

"One goes to see it"?

“有人去看一看吗？”

"No. That would be too complicated. But one requires the explorer to furnish proofs.

“不。那太复杂了。但是会要求探察家提供证据。

For example, if the discovery in question is that of a large mountain, one requires that large stones be brought back from it".

例如，如果正在考虑的发现是一座大山，有人会要求从它那里带回大石头。”

The geographer was suddenly stirred to excitement.

地理学家忽然激动起来。

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

“但是你，你是从老远来的！你是个探察家！你来给我介绍一下你的星球吧！”

And, having opened his big register, the geographer sharpened his pencil.

于是，打开了他的大记录，地理学家削起他的铅笔来。

There citals of explorers are put down first in pencil.

探险家的叙述最先是用铅笔写下来的。

One waits until the explorer has furnished proofs, before putting them down in ink.

等到探察家提出了证据以后，再用墨水笔记下来。

"Well"? said the geographer expectantly.

“怎么样？”地理学家期待地说道。

"Oh, where I live," said the little prince, "it is not very interesting. It is all so small.

“哦，我住的地方，”小王子说，“不是很有趣。那儿很小。

I have three volcanoes. Two volcanoes are active and the other is extinct. But one never knows".

我有三座火山，两座是活的，一座是死的。但是也很难说。”

"One never knows," said the geographer.

“很难说。”地理学家说道。

"I have also a flower".

“我还有一朵花。”

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

“我们是不记载花朵的。”地理学家说。

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

“那是为什么？花是我的行星上最美丽的东西。”

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

“我们不记录它们，”地理学家说，“因为它们是短暂的。”

"What does that mean-- 'ephemeral'"?

“什么叫短暂？”

"Geographies," said the geographer, "are the books which, of all books, are most concerned with matters of consequence. They never become old-fashioned.

“地理学书籍，”地理学家说，“是所有书中，最关心重要的事情的。它们永远不会过时。

It is very rarely that a mountain changes its position.

很少会发生一座山变换了位置。

It is very rarely that an ocean empties itself of its waters.

很少会出现一个海洋干涸的现象。

We write of eternal things".

我们要写永恒的东西。”

"But extinct volcanoes may come to life again," the little prince interrupted.

“但是死火山也可能会再复苏的。”小王子打断了地理学家。

"What does that mean -- 'ephemeral'"?

“什么叫短暂？”

"Whether volcanoes are extinct or alive, it comes to the same thing for us," said the geographer.

“火山是死的也好，活的也好，这对我们这些人来讲都是一回事。” 地理学家说。

"The thing that matters to us is the mountain. It does not change".

“对我们来说，重要的是山。它不会改变。”

"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.

“但是，‘短暂’是什么意思？”小王子重复道，他一旦提出一个问题是从不放过的。

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

“意思就是，有很快就会消失的危险。”

"Is my flower in danger of speedy disappearance"?

“我的花有迅速消失的危险吗？”

"Certainly it is".

“那当然。”

"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"!

“我的花是短暂的，”小王子自言自语地说，“而且她只有四根刺来防御世界！可我还把她独自留在我的行星上！”

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

那是他第一刻感到后悔。但他又重新振作起来。

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

“您现在建议我去拜访什么地方？”他问道。

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

“地球这颗行星，”地理学家回答他说，“它有好的名声。”

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

于是小王子就走了，想着他的花。