小王子-1-蛇吞象

- we are introduced to the narrator, a pilot, and his ideas about grown-ups

我们认识了叙述者，一个飞行员，以及他对成年人的看法

Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.

在我六岁的时候，有一次我在一本叫做《大自然的真实故事》的书中看到了一幅关于原始森林的壮丽图画。画的是一条蟒蛇正在吞食一只动物。这是那幅画的副本。

In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."

书中写道:“蟒蛇把猎物囫囵吞下，不加咀嚼。在那之后，它们就不能移动了，它们在消化所需的六个月时间里都在睡觉。

I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this:

于是，我对丛林中的冒险经历进行了深刻的思考。我用彩色铅笔画出了我的第一幅画。我的第一号作品。它是这样的

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.我把我的杰作拿给大人们看，问他们这幅画是否使他们害怕。

But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?"

但他们回答说:“害怕?为什么有人会被一顶帽子吓到呢?

My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

我画的不是一顶帽子。画的是一条大蟒蛇正在消化一头大象。但因为大人们看不懂，我又画了一幅:我画了大蟒蛇的内部，这样大人们就能看得清楚。他们总是需要解释。我的第二幅画是这样的:

The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

这一次，大人们的反应是建议我放下画巨蟒的画，不管是从肚子里画还是从肚子里画，专心研究地理、历史、算术和语法。这就是为什么在我六岁的时候，我放弃了可能是一个辉煌的职业——画家。第一号和第二号作品的失败让我心灰意冷。成年人自己什么也搞不懂，孩子们总是没完没了地向他们解释事情，真是烦死了。

So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.

于是我选择了另一个职业，学会了驾驶飞机。我几乎飞遍了世界各地;地理的确对我很有用。我一眼就能把中国和亚利桑那州区分开。如果一个人在夜里迷路了，这样的知识是很有价值的。

In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.

在我的一生中，我遇到过许许多多的人，他们都关心重要的事情。我在成年人中间生活了很长时间。我曾近距离观察过它们。但这并没有改变我对他们的看法。

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:

每当我遇到一个在我看来头脑还算清醒的人，我就试着把我一直保存着的第一号作品拿给他看。我会试着弄清楚，这个人是不是真正的善解人意。但是，不管是谁，他或她总是说:

"That is a hat."“那是一顶帽子。”

Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

那我就永远不会和那个人谈论大蟒蛇、原始森林或星星。我会把自己降低到他的水平。我会和他谈论桥牌、高尔夫、政治和领带。成年人会非常高兴能遇到这样一个明智的人。