🔊 Beside the well there was the ruin of an old stone wall. When I came back from my work, the next evening, I saw from some distance away my little prince sitting on top of a wall, with his feet dangling. And I heard him say:

井旁有一道古老石牆的廢墟。當我下班回來,第二天傍晚,從遠處我看到我的小王子坐在牆頂上,雙腳懸空。我聽到他說:

🔊

ruin /ˈruːɪn/

n. 廢墟；毀壞➕

🔊

dangling /ˈdæŋɡlɪŋ/

v. 懸掛；搖晃➕

🔊 "Then you don't remember. This is not the exact spot."

"那麼你不記得了。這不是確切的地點。"

🔊 Another voice must have answered him, for he replied to it: "Yes, yes! It is the right day, but this is not the place."

另一個聲音一定回答了他,因為他回應道:"是的,是的！今天是對的日子,但這不是地方。"

🔊 I continued my walk toward the wall. At no time did I see or hear anyone. The little prince, however, replied once again:

我繼續向牆走去。我從未看到或聽到任何人。然而,小王子再次回應:

🔊 "—Exactly. You will see where my track begins, in the sand. You have nothing to do but wait for me there. I shall be there tonight."

"— exactly. 你會看到我的足跡從哪裡開始,在沙中。你只需要在那裡等我。我今晚會在那裡。"

🔊

track /træk/

n. 軌跡；小徑➕

🔊 I was only twenty metres from the wall, and I still saw nothing.

我離牆只有二十米,但我還是什麼都沒看到。

🔊 After a silence the little prince spoke again:

沉默了一會兒,小王子再次開口:

🔊 "You have good poison? You are sure that it will not make me suffer too long?"

"你有好的毒藥嗎？你確定它不會讓我受苦太久？"

🔊

poison /ˈpɔɪzən/

n. 毒藥➕

🔊 I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did not understand.

我停下腳步,心碎如絞；但我還是不明白。

🔊

torn asunder /tɔːrn əˈsʌndər/

v. phrase. 撕碎；分開➕

🔊 "Now go away," said the little prince. "I want to get down from the wall."

"現在走開," 小王子說。"我想從牆上下來。"

🔊 I dropped my eyes, then, to the foot of the wall—and I leaped into the air. There before me, facing the little prince, was one of those yellow snakes that take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end. Even as I was digging into my pocket to get out my revolver I made a running step back. But, at the noise I made, the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like the dying spray of a fountain, and, in no apparent hurry, disappeared, with a light metallic sound, among the stones.

我垂下眼睛,望向牆腳——然後我跳了起來。在我面前,面對著小王子的,是一條黃色的蛇,這種蛇只需三十秒就能結束你的生命。即使我正在掏口袋拿出手槍,我也向後退了一步。但是,由於我發出的聲音,那條蛇讓自己像噴泉的垂死水花一樣輕鬆地流過沙地,毫不匆忙地消失,伴隨著輕微的金屬聲,消失在石頭中。

🔊

revolver /rɪˈvɒlvər/

n. 左輪手槍➕

🔊

fountain /ˈfaʊntən/

n. 噴泉➕

🔊

metallic /məˈtælɪk/

adj. 金屬的➕

🔊

spray /spreɪ/

n. 噴霧；水花➕

🔊 I reached the wall just in time to catch my little man in my arms; his face was white as snow.

我及時到達牆邊,將我的小人兒抱在懷中；他的臉白如雪。

🔊 "What does this mean?" I demanded. "Why are you talking with snakes?"

"這是什麼意思？"我質問。"你為什麼和蛇說話？"

🔊 I had loosened the golden muffler that he always wore. I had moistened his temples, and had given him some water to drink. And now I did not dare ask him any more questions. He looked at me very gravely, and put his arms around my neck. I felt his heart beating like the heart of a dying bird, shot with someone's rifle ...

我鬆開了他總是戴著的金色圍巾。我濕潤了他的太陽穴,並給了他一些水喝。現在我不敢再問他任何問題。他非常嚴肅地看著我,並用雙臂環繞我的脖子。我感覺到他的心臟像一隻被槍擊中的垂死鳥的心臟一樣跳動...

🔊

muffler /ˈmʌflər/

n. 圍巾；消音器➕

🔊

moistened /ˈmɔɪsənd/

v. 弄濕➕

🔊

temples /ˈtɛmpəlz/

n. 太陽穴➕

🔊

gravely /ˈɡreɪvli/

adv. 嚴肅地；嚴重地➕

🔊

rifle /ˈraɪfəl/

n. 步槍➕

🔊 "I am glad that you have found what was the matter with your engine," he said. "Now you can go back home—"

"我很高興你找到了引擎的問題,"他說。"現在你可以回家了——"

🔊

engine /ˈendʒɪn/

n. 引擎；發動機➕

🔊 "How do you know about that?"

"你怎麼知道這件事？"

🔊 I was just coming to tell him that my work had been successful, beyond anything that I had dared to hope.

我正要告訴他,我的工作成功了,超出了我敢於希望的一切。

🔊

beyond /bɪˈjɒnd/

prep. 超越➕

🔊 He made no answer to my question, but he added: "I, too, am going back home today ..."

他沒有回答我的問題,但補充道:"我今天也要回家了……"

🔊 Then, sadly— "It is much farther ... It is much more difficult..."

然後,悲傷地——"它遠得多……也困難得多……"

🔊 I realized clearly that something extraordinary was happening. I was holding him close in my arms as if he were a little child; and yet it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him ...

我清楚地意識到一些非凡的事情正在發生。我緊緊地抱著他,彷彿他是一個小孩子；然而,在我看來,他正衝向一個深淵,我無法阻止他……

🔊

extraordinary /ɪkˈstrɔːrdənəri/

adj. 非凡的➕

🔊

headlong /ˈhedlɒŋ/

adv. 頭向前地；輕率地➕

🔊

abyss /əˈbɪs/

n. 深淵➕

🔊

restrain /rɪˈstreɪn/

v. 抑制；阻止➕

🔊 His look was very serious, like some one lost far away.

他的表情非常嚴肅,像一個迷失在遠方的人。

🔊 "I have your sheep. And I have the sheep's box. And I have the muzzle ..."

"我有你的羊。我有羊的盒子。我有口套……"

🔊

muzzle /ˈmʌzl/

n. 口套；槍口➕

🔊 And he gave me a sad smile.

他給了我一個悲傷的微笑。

🔊 I waited a long time. I could see that he was reviving little by little.

我等了很久。我能看到他漸漸恢復。

🔊

reviving /rɪˈvaɪvɪŋ/

v. 復甦；恢復➕

🔊 "Dear little man," I said to him, "you are afraid ..."

"親愛的小人兒,"我對他說,"你害怕……"

🔊 He was afraid, there was no doubt about that. But he laughed lightly.

他害怕,這毫無疑問。但他輕輕地笑了。

🔊

doubt /daʊt/

n. 懷疑➕

🔊

lightly /ˈlaɪtli/

adv. 輕微地；輕鬆地➕

🔊 "I shall be much more afraid this evening ..."

"今晚我會更害怕……"

🔊 Once again I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable. And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. For me, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert.

再一次,我因一種無可挽回的感覺而凍結。我知道我無法忍受再也聽不到那笑聲的想法。對我來說,它就像沙漠中的一股清泉。

🔊

frozen /ˈfrəʊzn/

adj. 凍結的；冰冷的➕

🔊

irreparable /ɪˈrepərəbl/

adj. 無法修復的➕

🔊

bear /beə(r)/

v. 忍受；承受➕

🔊

laughter /ˈlɑːftə(r)/

n. 笑聲➕

🔊

spring /sprɪŋ/

n. 泉水➕

🔊

desert /ˈdezət/

n. 沙漠➕

🔊 "Little man," I said, "I want to hear you laugh again."

"小人兒,"我說,"我想再聽你笑。"

🔊 But he said to me:

但他對我說:

🔊 "Tonight, it will be a year ... My star, then, can be found right above the place where I came to the Earth, a year ago ..."

"今晚,將是一年……我的星星,那麼,可以正好在我一年前來到地球的地方上方找到……"

🔊 "Little man," I said, "tell me that it is only a bad dream—this affair of the snake, and the meeting-place, and the star..."

"小人兒,"我說,"告訴我這只是一個噩夢——關於蛇、會面地點和星星的這件事……"

🔊

affair /əˈfeə(r)/

n. 事件；事務➕

🔊 But he did not answer my plea. He said to me, instead: "The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen ..."

但他沒有回答我的懇求。相反,他對我說:"重要的東西是看不見的……"

🔊

plea /pliː/

n. 懇求；請求➕

🔊 "Yes, I know ..."

"是的,我知道……"

🔊 "It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers ..."

"就像花一樣。如果你愛上一朵住在星星上的花,晚上看天空是甜蜜的。所有的星星都開滿了花……"

🔊

a-bloom /əˈbluːm/

adj. 盛開的➕

🔊 "Yes, I know ..."

"是的,我知道……"

🔊 "It is just as it is with the water. Because of the pulley, and the rope, what you gave me to drink was like music. You remember—how good it was."

"就像水一樣。因為滑輪和繩子,你給我喝的水就像音樂。你記得——它有多好。"

🔊

pulley /ˈpʊli/

n. 滑輪➕

🔊 "Yes, I know..."

"是的,我知道……"

🔊 "And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens ... they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to make you a present..."

"晚上你會抬頭看星星。我住的地方一切都那麼小,以至於我無法告訴你我的星星在哪裡。這樣更好。對你來說,我的星星只是眾多星星中的一顆。所以你會喜歡看天上的所有星星……它們都會成為你的朋友。而且,我要送你一份禮物……"

🔊

heavens /ˈhevənz/

n. 天空；天堂➕

🔊

present /ˈpreznt/

n. 禮物➕

🔊 He laughed again.

他又笑了。

🔊 "Ah, little prince, dear little prince! I love to hear that laughter!"

"啊,小王子,親愛的小王子！我愛聽那笑聲！"

🔊 "That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the water ..."

"那就是我的禮物。僅此而已。它會像我們喝水時一樣……"

🔊 "What are you trying to say?"

"你想說什麼？"

🔊 "All men have the stars," he answered, "but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You—you alone—will have the stars as no one else has them—"

"所有人都有星星,"他回答,"但它們對不同的人來說不是同一回事。對於一些旅行者來說,星星是指南。對於其他人,它們不過是天空中的小光點。對於學者,它們是問題。對於我的商人,它們是財富。但所有這些星星都是沉默的。你——只有你——會擁有星星,就像沒有其他人擁有它們一樣——"

🔊

travelers /ˈtrævələrz/

n. 旅行者➕

🔊

guides /ɡaɪdz/

n. 嚮導➕

🔊

scholars /ˈskɑːlərz/

n. 學者➕

🔊

wealth /welθ/

n. 財富➕

🔊

silent /ˈsaɪlənt/

adj. 沉默的➕

🔊 "What are you trying to say?"

"你想說什麼？"

🔊 "In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night... You—only you—will have stars that can laugh!"

"我將住在其中一顆星星上。我將在其中一顆星星上笑。所以當你晚上看天空時,就好像所有的星星都在笑……你——只有你——會擁有會笑的星星！"

🔊 And he laughed again.

他又笑了。

🔊 "And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure ... And your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, \"Yes, the stars always make me laugh!\" And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you ..."

"當你的悲傷得到安慰（時間能撫平所有悲傷）時,你會因為認識我而感到滿足。你永遠是我的朋友。你會想和我一起笑。你有時會打開窗戶,就這樣,為了那種快樂……你的朋友會很驚訝地看到你仰望天空時笑！然後你會對他們說,\"是的,星星總是讓我笑！\"他們會認為你瘋了。我將對你玩了一個非常卑鄙的把戲……"

🔊

sorrow /ˈsɒroʊ/

n. 悲傷➕

🔊

comforted /ˈkʌmfərtɪd/

v. 安慰➕

🔊

soothes /suːðz/

v. 舒緩➕

🔊

content /kənˈtent/

adj. 滿足的➕

🔊

properly /ˈprɒpərli/

adv. 適當地➕

🔊

astonished /əˈstɒnɪʃt/

adj. 驚訝的➕

🔊

crazy /ˈkreɪzi/

adj. 瘋狂的➕

🔊

shabby /ˈʃæbi/

adj. 破舊的；卑鄙的➕

🔊

trick /trɪk/

n. 把戲➕

🔊 And he laughed again.

他又笑了。

🔊 "It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh ..."

"就好像,我給了你許多會笑的小鈴鐺,而不是星星……"

🔊 And he laughed again. Then he quickly became serious: "Tonight—you know ... Do not come."

他又笑了。然後他迅速變得嚴肅:"今晚——你知道……不要來。"

🔊 "I shall not leave you," I said.

"我不會離開你,"我說。

🔊 "I shall look as if I were suffering. I shall look a little as if I were dying. It is like that. Do not come to see that. It is not worth the trouble ..."

"我看起來會像在受苦。我看起來會有點像要死了。就是這樣。不要來看。不值得麻煩……"

🔊

suffering /ˈsʌfərɪŋ/

v. 受苦➕

🔊

worth /wɜːrθ/

adj. 值得的➕

🔊

trouble /ˈtrʌbl/

n. 麻煩➕

🔊 "I shall not leave you."

"我不會離開你。"

🔊 But he was worried.

但他很擔心。

🔊 "I tell you—it is also because of the snake. He must not bite you. Snakes —they are malicious creatures. This one might bite you just for fun ..."

"我告訴你——這也是因為蛇。他不能咬你。蛇——它們是惡意的生物。這條蛇可能只是為了好玩而咬你……"

🔊

malicious /məˈlɪʃəs/

adj. 惡意的➕

🔊

creatures /ˈkriːtʃərz/

n. 生物➕

🔊 "I shall not leave you."

"我不會離開你。"

🔊 But a thought came to reassure him:

但一個念頭讓他安心:

🔊

reassure /ˌriːəˈʃʊr/

v. 使安心➕

🔊 "It is true that they have no more poison for a second bite."

"確實,它們沒有多餘的毒液進行第二次咬噬。"

🔊 That night I did not see him set out on his way. He got away from me without making a sound. When I succeeded in catching up with him he was walking along with a quick and resolute step. He said to me merely:

那晚我沒有看到他出發。他無聲無息地離開了我。當我成功追上他時,他正以快速而堅定的步伐行走。他僅對我說:

🔊

set out /set aʊt/

v. phrase. 出發➕

🔊

succeeded /səkˈsiːdɪd/

v. 成功➕

🔊

catching up /ˈkætʃɪŋ ʌp/

v. phrase. 趕上➕

🔊

resolute /ˈrezəluːt/

adj. 堅決的➕

🔊

merely /ˈmɪərli/

adv. 僅僅➕

🔊 "Ah! You are there ..."

"啊！你在那裡……"

🔊 And he took me by the hand. But he was still worrying.

他握住我的手。但他仍然擔心。

🔊 "It was wrong of you to come. You will suffer. I shall look as if I were dead; and that will not be true ..."

"你來是錯的。你會受苦。我看起來會像死了一樣；但那不是真的……"

🔊 I said nothing.

我什麼也沒說。

🔊 "You understand ... it is too far. I cannot carry this body with me. It is too heavy."

"你明白……太遠了。我無法帶著這個身體。它太重了。"

🔊 I said nothing.

我什麼也沒說。

🔊 "But it will be like an old abandoned shell. There is nothing sad about old shells ..."

"但它會像一個被遺棄的舊殼。舊殼沒有什麼可悲的……"

🔊

abandoned /əˈbændənd/

adj. 被遺棄的➕

🔊 I said nothing.

我什麼也沒說。

🔊 He was a little discouraged. But he made one more effort:

他有點沮喪。但他再努力一次:

🔊

discouraged /dɪsˈkɜːrɪdʒd/

adj. 氣餒的,沮喪的➕

🔊

effort /ˈefərt/

n. 努力➕

🔊 "You know, it will be very nice. I, too, shall look at the stars. All the stars will be wells with a rusty pulley. All the stars will pour out fresh water for me to drink ..."

"你知道,那會很好。我也會看星星。所有的星星都會是有生鏽滑輪的井。所有的星星都會為我湧出清水喝……"

🔊

rusty /ˈrʌsti/

adj. 生鏽的➕

🔊 I said nothing.

我什麼也沒說。

🔊 "That will be so amusing! You will have five hundred million little bells, and I shall have five hundred million springs of fresh water ..."

"那會多有趣！你會有五億個小鈴鐺,我會有五億股清泉……"

🔊

amusing /əˈmjuːzɪŋ/

adj. 有趣的,好笑的➕

🔊

springs /sprɪŋz/

n. 泉水➕

🔊 And he too said nothing more, because he was crying ...

他也沒再說話,因為他在哭……

🔊 "Here it is. Let me go on by myself."

"就是這裡。讓我自己繼續。"

🔊 And he sat down, because he was afraid. Then he said, again:

他坐下來,因為他害怕。然後他又說:

🔊 "You know—my flower ... I am responsible for her. And she is so weak! She is so naive! She has four thorns, of no use at all, to protect herself against all the world ..."

"你知道——我的花……我對她負責。她是那麼脆弱！她是那麼天真！她有四根刺,完全沒用,來保護自己對抗整個世界……"

🔊

responsible /rɪˈspɒnsəbl/

adj. 有責任的➕

🔊

naive /naɪˈiːv/

adj. 天真的,幼稚的➕

🔊

thorns /θɔːrnz/

n. 刺（植物）➕

🔊 I too sat down, because I was not able to stand up any longer.

我也坐下來,因為我再也站不起來了。

🔊 "There now—that is all..."

"現在——就這樣了……"

🔊 He still hesitated a little; then he got up. He took one step. I could not move.

他仍然猶豫了一下；然後他站起來。他走了一步。我無法動彈。

🔊

hesitated /ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/

v. 猶豫➕

🔊 There was nothing but a flash of yellow close to his ankle. He remained motionless for an instant. He did not cry out. He fell as gently as a tree falls. There was not even any sound, because of the sand.

只有一道黃色閃光靠近他的腳踝。他靜止了片刻。他沒有叫喊。他像樹一樣輕輕倒下。甚至沒有任何聲音,因為沙的緣故。

🔊

flash /flæʃ/

n. 閃光➕

🔊

motionless /ˈməʊʃnləs/

adj. 不動的➕

🔊

instant /ˈɪnstənt/

n. 瞬間➕

🔊

gently /ˈdʒentli/

adv. 溫柔地,輕輕地➕

🔊 And when I lightened my heart a little the next morning, I found that I could once more look at the stars. But I was not able to find his star. Perhaps it is just as well. For I shall always think of him as I saw him that first time, when he asked me to draw him a sheep. And I shall always hear his laughter, like a little bell. But I am not sure that I want to hear it. For I have grown to love that laughter.

第二天早上,當我心情稍輕時,我發現我可以再次看星星。但我找不到他的星星。或許這樣也好。因為我總會想起我第一次見到他時的樣子,當他要求我畫一隻羊給他。我總會聽到他的笑聲,像一個小鈴鐺。但我不確定我想聽它。因為我已經愛上了那笑聲。

🔊

lightened /ˈlaɪtənd/

v. 使減輕；使明亮➕

🔊

Perhaps /pərˈhæps/

adv. 或許；可能➕

🔊

just as well /dʒʌst əz wel/

phr. 幸好；也好➕

Chapter twenty-six (第二十六章)