The Little Prince
[ 法] 安东尼·圣埃克苏佩里 （Antoine de saint-Exupery）
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 prey whole，
without chewing it. After that they are not able to move，and
they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion.”
I pondered 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 tiresome 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 distinguish 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.
我6 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。页面上就是那幅画的摹本。
这本书中写道：“这些蟒蛇把它们的猎物不加咀嚼地囫囵吞
下，尔后就不能再动弹了；然后在长达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幅图画，也是我的第一号作品。
我把这幅杰作拿给大人们看，我问他们，我的画是不是很
可怕。他们说：“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。
这是我的第二号作品。
大人们劝我把这些画着开着肚皮的，或合上肚皮的蟒蛇的
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6 岁那年，我就放弃了当画家这一美好的理想。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，还得不断地给他们做解释。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，
但这并没有让我对他们的看法有多大改变。
当我遇到一个看起来头脑稍微清楚的大人时，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”。要是这样，
我就不和他谈巨蟒呀，原始森林呀，或者星星之类的事了。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。于是大人们就很高兴能认识我这样一个通情达理
的人。
作者介绍
安东尼·德·圣埃克苏佩里（1900-1944）他的家庭属于古高卢人
榆树勇士部族的后裔。他的母亲是普罗旺斯人，因此他具有普罗旺斯人
的血统。他的大部分作品都取材于他个人的经历。他的一部脍炙人口的
儿童文学作品《小王子》深受全世界儿童的喜爱。在第二次世界大战期
间的一次飞行任务中，他驾驶着飞机失踪，就再也没有回来。
单词注解
primeval [prai5mi：vEl] adj. 初期的；太古的；原始的
advise [Ed5vaiz] v. 劝告，忠告
tiresome [5taiEsEm] adj. 使人疲劳的；令人厌倦的
encounter [in5kauntE] v. 遭遇；遇到
sensible [5sensEbl] adj. 明智的；合情理的
名句大搜索
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。
要是夜里迷失了航向，这是很有用的。
我遇到一个看起来头脑稍微清楚的大人时，我就拿出一直保存着的我那
第一号作品来测试他。
实战提升
