The Little Prince Chapter 4

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!

我还了解到另外一件非常重要的事，就是他住的那个星球，其实比一座房子大不了多少。

But that did not really surprise me much.

这倒并没有使我感到有多意外。

I knew very well that in addition to the great planets—— such as the Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Venus——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 telescope.

我知道除了地球、木星、火星、金星这几个有名字的大行星以外，还有许许多多其他的星球，它们有的很小很小，用望远镜也很难看见。

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 3251".

当一个天文学者发现了其中一个星星，不会给它起名字，而只会编上一个号码，例如把它称作“3251小行星”。

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 1909.

我有足够的理由相信，小王子居住的那个星球是小行星B612。这颗小行星只在1909年，被一个土耳其天文学家用望远镜看到过一次。

On making his discovery, the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration. But he was in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe what he said. 

当时他曾经在一次国际天文学家代表大会上，对他的发现作了重要的论证。但是因为他穿着土耳其服装，没有人相信他说的话。

Grown-ups are like that…

大人们就是这样......

Fortunately, however, for the reputation of Asteroid B-612, a Turkish dictator made a law that his subjects, under pain of death, should change to European costume.

令人庆幸的是，为了小行星B612的声誉，土耳其的独裁者命令他的人民都要穿欧式服装，否则就处以死刑。

So in 1920 the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again, dressed with impressive style and elegance. And this time everybody accepted his report.

于是，1920年，这位天文学家穿了一身非常庄重气派的服装， 重新作了一次论证。这一次所有的人都接受了他的看法。

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.

我给你们讲关于小行星B612的这么多琐事，还告诉你们它的编号，都是这些大人的缘故。

Grown-ups love figures. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters.

这些大人们就爱数字。当你对大人们讲起你的一个新朋友时， 他们从来不向你提出实质性的问题。

They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?"

他们从来不讲：“他说话声音是什么样的啊？他喜欢玩什么样的游戏啊？他喜不喜欢收集蝴蝶标本啊？”

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.

他们只会问你：“他多大呀？ 有几个兄弟呀？多重呀？他父亲挣多少钱呀？”他们觉得只有这样才能了解朋友。

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.

同样地，如果你对大人们说：“我看到一幢用玫瑰色的砖盖成的漂亮的房子，它的窗户上有天竺葵，屋顶上还有鸽子……”他们根本想象不出这种房子有多么好。

You would have to say to them: "I saw a house that cost $20,000." Then they would exclaim: "Oh, what a pretty house that is!"

你必须跟他们说：“我看见了一幢价值十万法郎的房子。”那么他们就会惊呼：“多么漂亮的房子啊！”

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 looking for a sheep. If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists."

要是你对他们说：“小王子存在的证据就是他很招人喜欢，他喜欢笑，他在找一只羊。他想要一只小羊，这就证明了他的存在。”

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-612," then they would be convinced, and leave you in peace from their questions.

他们一定会耸耸肩膀，把你当作孩子看待！但是，如果你对他们说：“小王子来自的星球就是小行星B612”，那么他们就会相信，就不会提出一大堆问题来和你纠缠。他们就是这样的。

They are like that. One must not hold it against them. Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.

大人们就是这样的。小孩子们对大人们应该大度些，不要埋怨他们。

But certainly, for us who understand life, figures are a matter of indifference. I should have liked to begin this story in the fashion of the fairy-tales. I should have like to say:

当然，对我们这些懂得生活的人来说，我们才不在乎那些编号呢！我真愿意像讲童话那样来开始这个故事，我真想这样说：

"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…"

“从前呀，有一个小王子，他住在一个和他差不多大小的星球上，他希望有一只小羊当他的朋友……”

To those who understand life, that would have given a much greater air of truth to my story.‍

对懂得生活的人来说，这样说就显得真实很多。

For I do not want any one to read my book carelessly. I have suffered too much grief in setting down these memories.

我可不喜欢人们漫不经心地读我的书。我在讲述这些往事时心情是很难过的。

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.

我的朋友带着他的小羊离开已经有六年了。我之所以在这里尽力把他描写出来，就是为了不要忘记他。

To forget a friend is sad. Not everyone 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…

忘记一个朋友，这太叫人悲伤了。并不是所有的人都有过一个 朋友。再说，我也可能变成那些大人那样，只对数字感兴趣。

It is for that purpose, again, that I have bought a box of paints and some pencils.

也正是因为这个原因，我买了一盒颜料和一些铅笔。

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.

像我这样年纪的人，而且除了六岁时画过敞着肚皮的和合着肚皮的巨蟒之外，别的什么也没有尝试过，现在，重新再来画画，真不容易啊！

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 has no resemblance to its subject.

当然，我一定要尽量地画得逼真一点，但我自己也没有把握能画好。往往一张画得还可以，另一张就不像了。

I make some errors, too, in the little prince's height: in one place he is too tall and in another too short.

对于小王子的身高我也经常犯错：这个地方小王子画得太大了些，另一个地方又画得太小了些。

And I feel some doubts about the color of his costume. So I fumble along as best I can, now good, now bad, and I hope generally fair-to-middling.

对他衣服的颜色我也拿不准。 于是我就摸索着这么试试那么改改，大体上应该还过得去吧。

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.

我很有可能在某些重要的细节上也画错了。但请大家原谅我了。因为我的这个朋友，从来也不跟我解释。

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.

可能他以为我跟他一样吧。但是，很遗憾，我却不能透过盒子看见小羊。我大概和大人们差不多了。我一定是变老了。