🔊 The flowers had always been very simple. They had only one ring of petals; they took up no room at all, and were no trouble to anyone. One morning they would appear in the grass, and by night they would fade peacefully away. But one day, from a seed blown from no one knew where, a new flower had come up; and the little prince had watched very closely over this small sprout which was not like any other small sprouts on his planet. It might, you see, have been a new kind of baobab.

The flowers on his planet had always been very simple. They had only one circle of petals. They didn't take up much space and didn't cause any trouble. They would appear in the grass one morning and fade away peacefully by night. But one day, a seed from somewhere unknown grew into a new flower. The little prince watched this small sprout very closely because it was different from all the other sprouts on his planet. It could have been a new type of baobab tree.

🔊

petals /ˈpetlz/

n. The delicate, often colored, parts of a flower that surround the reproductive organs.

🔊

fade /feɪd/

v. To lose brightness, vividness, or strength gradually; to disappear slowly.

🔊

sprout /spraʊt/

n. A new growth from a plant, such as a shoot or bud.

🔊

baobab /ˈbeɪəʊbæb/

n. A large, thick-trunked tree native to Africa, known for its longevity and distinctive shape.

🔊 The shrub soon stopped growing and began to get ready to produce a flower. The little prince, who was present at the first appearance of a huge bud, felt at once that some sort of miraculous apparition must emerge from it. But the flower was not satisfied to complete the preparations for her beauty in the shelter of her green chamber. She chose her colors with the greatest care. She dressed herself slowly. She adjusted her petals one by one. She did not wish to go out into the world all rumpled, like the field poppies. It was only in the full radiance of her beauty that she wished to appear. Oh, yes! She was a coquettish creature! And her mysterious adornment lasted for days and days.

The plant soon stopped growing and started to prepare to bloom. When the little prince saw the first big bud, he felt sure something amazing would come from it. But the flower wasn't happy to just get ready in the safety of her green room. She carefully picked her colors. She dressed herself slowly. She arranged each petal one by one. She didn't want to come out into the world looking messy, like the wild poppies. She wanted to appear only when she was at her most beautiful. Oh yes! She was a very vain creature! Her secret preparations went on for many days.

🔊

shrub /ʃrʌb/

n. A woody plant smaller than a tree, usually with multiple stems.

🔊

miraculous /mɪˈrækjələs/

adj. Remarkable and seemingly impossible, as if caused by divine intervention.

🔊

apparition /ˌæpəˈrɪʃn/

n. A ghostly figure; a sudden or unusual sight.

🔊

radiance /ˈreɪdiəns/

n. Bright light that shines from something; great happiness or beauty that shows in someone's face.

🔊

coquettish /kɒˈketɪʃ/

adj. Behaving in a playful, flirtatious way to attract attention.

🔊

adornment /əˈdɔːnmənt/

n. Something that decorates or adds beauty; decoration.

🔊 Then one morning, exactly at sunrise, she suddenly showed herself.

Then one morning, right at sunrise, she suddenly showed herself.

🔊 And, after working with all this painstaking precision, she yawned and said:

And after all that careful work, she yawned and said:

🔊

painstaking /ˈpeɪnzteɪkɪŋ/

adj. Done with great care and thoroughness.

🔊

precision /prɪˈsɪʒn/

n. The quality of being exact, accurate, and careful.

🔊 "Ah! I am scarcely awake. I beg that you will excuse me. My petals are still all disarranged ..."

"Ah! I'm hardly awake. Please excuse me. My petals are still all messy..."

🔊

scarcely /ˈskeəsli/

adv. Only just; almost not.

🔊

disarranged /ˌdɪsəˈreɪndʒd/

adj. Not neat or tidy; in a state of disorder.

🔊 But the little prince could not restrain his admiration:

But the little prince couldn't hold back his admiration:

🔊

restrain /rɪˈstreɪn/

v. To prevent someone or something from doing something; to keep under control.

🔊 "Oh! How beautiful you are!"

"Oh! How beautiful you are!"

🔊 "Am I not?" the flower responded, sweetly. "And I was born at the same moment as the sun ..."

"Aren't I?" the flower replied sweetly. "And I was born at the same moment as the sun..."

🔊 The little prince could guess easily enough that she was not any too modest—but how moving—and exciting—she was!

The little prince could easily tell she wasn't very modest—but she was so touching and exciting!

🔊

modest /ˈmɒdɪst/

adj. Not talking much about your own abilities or possessions; not excessive.

🔊 "I think it is time for breakfast," she added an instant later. "If you would have the kindness to think of my needs—"

"I think it's time for breakfast," she added a moment later. "If you would be so kind as to think of what I need—"

🔊 And the little prince, completely abashed, went to look for a sprinkling-can of fresh water. So, he tended the flower.

And the little prince, feeling a bit embarrassed, went to find a watering can with fresh water. So, he took care of the flower.

🔊

abashed /əˈbæʃt/

adj. Embarrassed, ashamed, or disconcerted.

🔊

sprinkling-can /ˈsprɪŋklɪŋ kæn/

n. A container with a perforated nozzle for sprinkling water on plants.

🔊 So, too, she began very quickly to torment him with her vanity—which was, if the truth be known, a little difficult to deal with. One day, for instance, when she was speaking of her four thorns, she said to the little prince:

And so, she quickly began to bother him with her vanity—which, to be honest, was a bit hard to handle. For example, one day when she was talking about her four thorns, she said to the little prince:

🔊

torment /tɔːˈment/

v. To cause severe physical or mental suffering.

🔊

vanity /ˈvænəti/

n. Excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements.

🔊 "Let the tigers come with their claws!"

"Let the tigers come with their claws!"

🔊 "There are no tigers on my planet," the little prince objected. "And, anyway, tigers do not eat weeds."

"There are no tigers on my planet," the little prince replied. "And anyway, tigers don't eat weeds."

🔊

objected /əbˈdʒektɪd/

v. Expressed disapproval or opposition.

🔊 "I am not a weed," the flower replied, sweetly. "Please excuse me ..."

"I am not a weed," the flower said sweetly. "Please excuse me..."

🔊 "I am not at all afraid of tigers," she went on, "but I have a horror of drafts. I suppose you wouldn't have a screen for me?"

"I'm not afraid of tigers at all," she continued, "but I really hate drafts. I suppose you don't have a screen for me?"

🔊

horror /ˈhɒrə(r)/

n. An intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.

🔊

drafts /drɑːfts/

n. Currents of cool air in a room or other enclosed space.

🔊

screen /skriːn/

n. A device used to shelter, protect, or conceal something.

🔊 "A horror of drafts—that is bad luck, for a plant," remarked the little prince, and added to himself, "This flower is a very complex creature ..."

"A fear of drafts—that's bad luck for a plant," the little prince said, and thought to himself, "This flower is a very complicated creature..."

🔊

complex /ˈkɒmpleks/

adj. Consisting of many different and connected parts; not easy to understand.

🔊 "At night I want you to put me under a glass globe. It is very cold where you live. In the place I came from—"

"At night I want you to put me under a glass cover. It's very cold where you live. In the place I came from—"

🔊

globe /ɡləʊb/

n. A spherical object; in this context, a protective glass cover.

🔊 But she interrupted herself at that point. She had come in the form of a seed. She could not have known anything of any other worlds. Embarrassed over having let herself be caught on the verge of such a naive untruth, she coughed two or three times, in order to put the little prince in the wrong.

But she stopped herself there. She had arrived as a seed. She couldn't have known anything about other worlds. Feeling embarrassed that she was caught almost telling a silly lie, she coughed two or three times to make the little prince feel he was wrong.

🔊

interrupted /ˌɪntəˈrʌptɪd/

v. Stopped the continuous progress of an activity or process.

🔊

verge /vɜːdʒ/

n. The edge or border of something; the point where something is about to happen.

🔊

naive /naɪˈiːv/

adj. Lacking experience, wisdom, or judgment; innocent and simple.

🔊

untruth /ʌnˈtruːθ/

n. A lie; a statement that is not true.

🔊 "The screen?"

"The screen?"

🔊 "I was just going to look for it when you spoke to me ..."

"I was just about to look for it when you spoke to me..."

🔊 Then she forced her cough a little more so that he should suffer from remorse just the same.

Then she forced her cough a bit more so he would feel guilty anyway.

🔊

remorse /rɪˈmɔːs/

n. Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.

🔊 So the little prince, in spite of all the good will that was inseparable from his love, had soon come to doubt her. He had taken seriously words which were without importance, and it made him very unhappy.

So the little prince, despite all the good feelings that came with his love, soon began to doubt her. He had taken her unimportant words seriously, and it made him very unhappy.

🔊

inseparable /ɪnˈsepərəbl/

adj. Unable to be separated or treated separately.

🔊 "I ought not to have listened to her," he confided to me one day. "One never ought to listen to the flowers. One should simply look at them and breathe their fragrance. Mine perfumed all my planet. But I did not know how to take pleasure in all her grace. This tale of claws, which disturbed me so much, should only have filled my heart with tenderness and pity."

"I shouldn't have listened to her," he told me one day. "You should never listen to the flowers. You should just look at them and smell their scent. Mine made my whole planet smell nice. But I didn't know how to enjoy all her beauty. That story about claws, which upset me so much, should have only made me feel tender and sorry for her."

🔊

confided /kənˈfaɪdɪd/

v. Told someone a secret or private matter while trusting them not to repeat it.

🔊

fragrance /ˈfreɪɡrəns/

n. A pleasant, sweet smell.

🔊

perfumed /pəˈfjuːmd/

v. Filled the air with a pleasant smell.

🔊

grace /ɡreɪs/

n. Simple elegance or refinement of movement; courteous goodwill.

🔊

tenderness /ˈtendənəs/

n. Gentleness and kindness; sensitivity to pain.

🔊

pity /ˈpɪti/

n. The feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering of others.

🔊 And he continued his confidences:

And he went on sharing his thoughts:

🔊

confidences /ˈkɒnfɪdənsɪz/

n. Secrets or private matters entrusted to someone.

🔊 "The fact is that I did not know how to understand anything! I ought to have judged by deeds and not by words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I ought never to have run away from her... I ought to have guessed all the affection that lay behind her poor little stratagems."

"The truth is, I didn't know how to understand anything! I should have judged by actions, not by words. She filled my life with her scent and her light. I should never have run away from her... I should have guessed all the love behind her little tricks."

🔊

stratagems /ˈstrætədʒəmz/

n. Careful plans or schemes, especially for deceiving an enemy or achieving a goal.

Chapter VIII