Explore Chapter 25 of 'The Little Prince' with the original English text, English translation, detailed IELTS vocabulary and explanations, and audio of the English original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
They don't know what they're looking for. Then they run around, get excited, and spin in circles...
The wells in the Sahara are just holes dug in the sand. This one was like a village well. But there was no village here, and I thought I must be dreaming.
The pulley, the bucket, the rope...
The pulley creaked, like an old weathervane that the wind has long forgotten.
I was happy, even though I was tired, because of what I had done. The sound of the pulley was still in my ears, and I could see the sunlight sparkle in the water that was still shaking.
"I am thirsty for this water..." And I understood what he had been searching for.
Like a special holiday treat. This water was truly different from regular food or drink. Its sweetness came from the walk under the stars, the sound of the pulley, and the effort of my arms. It was good for the heart, like a gift. When I was a child, the lights on the Christmas tree, the music from the midnight church service, and the kindness of smiling faces used to make up the brightness of the gifts I got.
"The people where you live," said the little prince, "grow five thousand roses in one garden—and they don't find what they're looking for in it."
"But what they're looking for could be found in just one rose, or in a little water."
"But eyes can't see everything. You have to look with your heart..."
I had drunk the water. I breathed easily. At sunrise, the sand is honey-colored. And that honey color made me happy, too. So why did I feel sad?
"You know—a muzzle for my sheep... I am responsible for this flower..."
"Your baobabs—they look a bit like cabbages."
"Your fox—his ears look a bit like horns, and they're too long."
"Anything except boa constrictors from the outside and boa constrictors from the inside."
"Oh, that's fine," he said, "children understand."
My heart was broken. "You have plans that I don't know about," I said. But he didn't answer.
"Anniversary." Then, after a pause, he continued: "I landed very close to here." And he blushed.
And again, without knowing why, I felt a strange sadness.
"A week ago—you were walking like that, all alone, far from any people?"
And I added, hesitantly:
But I wasn't comforted. I remembered the fox. You risk crying a little if you let yourself be tamed...