【英文小说】小王子 Chapter 1

I ask the indulgence of the children who may read this book for dedicating1 it to a grown-up. I have a serious reason: he is the best friend I have in the world. I have another reason: this grown-up understands everything, even books about children. I have a third reason: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. He needs cheering up. If all these reasons are not enough, I will dedicate2 the book to the child from whom this grown-up grew. All grown-ups were once children– although few of them remember it. And so I correct my dedication3:

To Leon Werth

when he was a little boy

Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.

In the book it said: “Boa constrictors swallow their prey4 whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion5.”

I pondered6 deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this:

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.

But they answered: “Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?”

My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

The grown-ups’ response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome7 for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish8 China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.

In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn’t much improved my opinion of them.

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:

“That is a hat.” Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

请孩子们原谅我把这本书献给了一个大人。我有一个正当的理由:这个大人是我在世界上最好的朋友。我还有另一个理由:这个大人什么都懂;即使儿童读物也懂。我还有第三个理由:这个大人住在法国,他在那里忍冻挨饿。他很需要有人安慰。要是这些理由还不够充分,我就把这本书献给这个大人曾经做过的孩子。每人大人都是从做孩子开始的。(然而,记得这事的又有几个呢?)因此,我把我的献词改为:

献给还是小男孩时的莱翁·维尔特

当我还只有六岁的时候,在一本描写原始森林的名叫《真实的故事》的书中,看到了一副精彩的插画,画的是一条蟒蛇正在吞食一只大野兽。页头上就是那副画的摹本。

这本书中写道:“这些蟒蛇把它们的猎获物不加咀嚼地囫囵吞下,尔后就不能再动弹了;它们就在长长的六个月的睡眠中消化这些食物。”

当时,我对丛林中的奇遇想得很多,于是,我也用彩色铅笔画出了我的第一 副图画。我的第一号作品。它是这样的:

我把我的这副杰作拿给大人看,我问他们我的画是不是叫他们害怕。

他们回答我说:“一顶帽子有什么可怕的?”

我画的不是帽子,是一条巨蟒在消化着一头大象。于是我又把巨蟒肚子里的情况画了出来,以便让大人们能够看懂。这些大人总是需要解释。我的第二号作品是这样的:

大人们劝我把这些画着开着肚皮的,或闭上肚皮的蟒蛇的图画放在一边,还是把兴趣放在地理、历史、算术、语法上。就这样,在六岁的那年,我就放弃了当画家这一美好的职业。我的第一号、第二号作品的不成功,使我泄了气。这些大人们,靠他们自己什么也弄不懂,还得老是不断地给他们作解释。这真叫孩子们腻味。

后来,我只好选择了另外一个职业,我学会了开飞机,世界各地差不多都飞到过。的确,地理学帮了我很大的忙。我一眼就能分辨出中国和亚里桑那。要是夜里迷失了航向,这是很有用的。

这样,在我的生活中,我跟许多严肃的人有过很多的接触。我在大人们中间生活过很长时间。我仔细地观察过他们,但这并没有使我对他们的看法有多大的改变。

当我遇到一个头脑看来稍微清楚的大人时,我就拿出一直保存着的我那第一号作品来测试测试他。我想知道他是否真的有理解能力。可是,得到的回答总是:

“这是顶帽子。”我就不和他谈巨蟒呀,原始森林呀,或者星星之类的事。我只得迁就他们的水平,和他们谈些桥牌呀,高尔夫球呀,政治呀,领带呀这些。于是大人们就十分高兴能认识我这样一个通情达理的人。

英语网址大全

1 dedicating

v.奉献( dedicate的现在分词 );(为表示感情或敬意将著作、乐曲、艺术作品等)题献给(某人、某事业等)(to);(在书、音乐或作品的前部)题献辞;以…供奉
参考例句:
With confidence, you will find pleasure in serious dedicating life. 有了信心,你就会在严肃的献身生活中找到乐趣。 来自互联网
The Beauty Queen spends her time dedicating parks and bursing homes. 她为自己的事业贡献了毕生的精力。 来自互联网
2 dedicate Lxcxa
vt.献身,致力于,把(时间、精力等)用于
参考例句:
She vowed to herself that she would dedicate her life to scientific studies.她默默地发誓要献身于科学研究。
To my father I dedicate this volume in token of affection and gratitude.我谨以此书献给我的父亲,以表示对他的爱戴和感激之情。
3 dedication pxMx9
n.奉献,献身,致力,题献,献辞
参考例句:
We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。
4 prey g1czH
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨
参考例句:
Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
5 digestion il6zj
n.消化,吸收
参考例句:
This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。
6 pondered 1a6c48627cecaa2388b702fa33d751ff
考虑( ponder的过去式和过去分词 ); 深思熟虑; 沉思; 琢磨
参考例句:
She pondered over his words. 她反复琢磨他的话。
She pondered his marriage proposal for weeks. 几个星期以来她认真地考虑着他的求婚。
7 tiresome Kgty9
adj.令人疲劳的,令人厌倦的
参考例句:
His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜,令人生厌。
8 distinguish GlWzV
vt.区别,辩明,识别,辨认出;vi.区别,辨别,识别
参考例句:
It is not easy to distinguish cultured pearls from genuine pearls.辨别真正的珍珠与养殖的珍珠不容易。
Some people find it difficult to distinguish right from wrong.一些人认为很难辨对与错。

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该日志由 1zanxin 于2018年04月10日发表在 杂谈 分类下,
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