小王子 Chapter1

Chapter1

    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. 

    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. "

    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. 

    I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them. 

    But they answered: " Fighten? why should any one be frightened by a hat? "

    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 anderstand 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:

    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.

    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. 

    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 growns-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.

    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 anderstanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:

    " that is a hat. "

    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. 

第一章

    在我六岁那年，我在一本书中看到了一幅精美的图画，那是一本关于原始森林的书，书名叫做《自然界的真实故事》。这幅图展现的是一条大蟒蛇正在吞并一只野兽，这是这幅图的摹本：

    书中写道：“蟒蛇会把猎物整个吞进去，而不用咀嚼。之后蟒蛇便不能移动了，在六个月的时间中，它们会边休眠边消化猎物。”

    随后，我对丛林中的种种历险产生了无限的遐想。我用彩色铅笔做了一番功课后，成功完成了我的处女画作，我的一号图画，就是下面这样的：

    我把我的杰作给大人们看，问他们怕不怕。

    但是他们都回答说：“害怕什么？我为什么会害怕一顶帽子？”

    我的画不是一顶帽子，它描绘的是一条大蟒蛇在消化一头大象。但是因为大人们看不懂我的画，我就又画了一幅：把蟒蛇肚子里的样子画了出来，这样大人们就能看清楚了。大人们总是需要向他们解释很多东西，我的二号图画是下面这样的：

    大人们建议我把敞着肚皮、合着肚皮的画扔一边，把精力放在地理、历史、算数、语法上。这就是为什么，我在六岁的时候放弃了画家这一伟大的职业。一号图画、二号图画的失败使我灰心。大人们自己什么都弄不懂，总要孩子们来给他们解释，真是让孩子们烦恼。

    所以后来我选择了另一项职业，我学会了驾驶飞机。我几乎飞遍了世界各地；地理知识确实给了我很多帮助。我一眼就能分辨出中国和亚利桑那州。如果某个人在晚上迷失航向，这些知识会很有管用。

    在这种生活中，我和很多关心后果的人有很多相遇。我和这些大人一起生活了很久。我近距离的观察过他们。这并没有提高我对他们的看法。

    每当我遇到头脑还算清楚的人，我就拿出一直保存着的一号作品来试探他。我试图弄清（发现）他是否能真正看到这幅画，但是不管是谁，他总会说：

    “这是一顶帽子。”

    然后我便不会再和那个人谈论蟒蛇、原始森林和星空的事了。我会迁就他的水平。我会和他谈论桥牌、高尔夫、政治以及领带。然后这个大人会很高兴遇到了一个懂事（通情达理）的人。

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