第五天,还是羊的事,把小王子的生活秘密向我揭开了。
On the fifth day again, as always, it was thanks to the sheep–the secret of the little prince's life was revealed to me.
好像默默地思索了很长时间以后,得出了什么结果一样,他突然没头没脑地问我:
Abruptly, without anything to lead up to it, and as if the question had been born of long and silent meditation on his problem, he demanded:
羊,要是吃小灌木,它也要吃花罗?
A sheep–if it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too?
“它碰到什么就吃什么”,我说。
"A sheep," I answered, "eats anything it finds in its reach."
连有刺的花也吃吗?
Even flowers that have thorns?
有刺的也吃!
Yes, even flowers that have thorns.
那么刺有什么用呢?
Then the thorns–what use are they?
我不知道该怎么回答。
I did not know.
那会儿我正忙着要从发动机上卸下一颗拧得太紧的螺丝。
At that moment, I was very busy trying to unscrew a bolt that had got stuck in my engine.
心里很着急,我发现机器故障似乎很严重,
I was very much worried, for it was becoming clear to me that the breakdown of my plane was extremely serious.
饮水也快完了,担心可能发生最坏的情况,
And I had so little drinking-water left that I had to fear for the worst.
那么刺有什么用呢?
The thorns–what use are they?
小王子一旦提出了问题,从来不会放过。
这个该死的螺丝使我很恼火,
我于是就随便回答了他一句:“刺么,什么用都没有,这纯粹是花的恶劣表现。”
And I answered with the first thing that came into my head: "The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite!"
噢!
Oh!
可是他沉默了一会儿之后,
There was a moment of complete silence.
怀着不满的心情冲我说:“我不信!”
Then the little prince flashed back at me, with a kind of resentfulness: "I don't believe you!"
花是弱小的、淳朴的,它们总是设法保护自己,
Flowers are weak creatures. They are naive. They reassure themselves as best they can.
以为有了刺就可以显出自己的厉害。
They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons.
我默不作声。
I did not answer.
我当时想的,“如果这个螺丝再和我作对,我就一锤子敲掉它。”
At that instant I was saying to myself: "If this bolt still won't turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer."
小王子又来打搅我的思绪了。
Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts.
你却认为花…
“嗷,不,”我哭着说,“算了吧,算了吧!我什么也不认为!”
我是随便回答你的。
I answered you with the first thing that came into my head.
我可有正经事要做。
Don't you see–I am very busy with matters of consequence!