他专心地看着,随后又说:“我不要,这只羊已经病得很重了。给我重新画一只。”
He looked at it carefully, then he said:“No. This sheep is already very sickly. Make me another.”
我又画了起来。
So I made another drawing.
我的这位朋友天真可爱地笑了,并且客气地拒绝道:
My friend smiled gently and indulgently.
你看,你画的不是小羊,是头公羊,还有犄角呢。
“You see yourself,” he said, “that this is not a sheep. This is a ram. It has horns.”
于是我又重新画了一张。
So then I did my drawing over once more.
这副画同前几副一样又被拒绝了。
But it was rejected too, just like the others.
这一只太老了。我想要一只能活得很长的羊。
This one is too old. I want a sheep that will live a long time.
我不耐烦了。因为我急于要检修发动机,
By this time my patience was exhausted, because I was in a hurry to start taking my engine apart.
于是就草草画了这张画,并且匆匆地对他说道:
So I tossed off this drawing. And I threw out an explanation with it.
这是一只箱子,你要的羊就在里面。
This is only his box. The sheep you asked for is inside.
这时我十分惊奇地看到我的这位小评判员喜笑颜开。他说:
I was very surprised to see a light break over the face of my young judge:
这正是我想要的,你说这只羊需要很多草吗?
That is exactly the way I wanted it! Do you think that this sheep will have to have a great deal of grass?
为什么问这个呢?
Why?
因为我那里地方非常小
Because where I live everything is very small.
我给你画的是一只很小的小羊,地方小也够喂养它的。
“There will surely be enough grass for him,” I said. “It is a very small sheep that I have given you.”
他把脑袋靠近这张画。“并不像你说的那么小。瞧!它睡着了”
He bent his head over the drawing:“Not so small that– Look! He has gone to sleep.
就这样,我认识了小王子。
And that is how I made the acquaintance of the little prince.