小王子 第32期:了不起的正經(jīng)事

The little prince was still not satisfied.

小王子仍然還不滿足，

"If I owned a silk scarf," he said,

他說，對(duì)我來說，如果我有一條圍巾，

I could put it around my neck and takeit away with me.

我可以用它來圍著我的脖子，并且能帶走它。

If I owned a flower, I could pluck that flower and take it away with me.

我有一朵花的話，我就可以摘下我的花，并且把它帶走。

But you cannot pluck the stars from heaven.

可你卻不能摘下這些星星呀!

No. But I can put them in the bank.

我不能摘，但我可以把它們存在銀行里。

Whatever does that mean?

這是什么意思呢?

That means that I write the number of my stars on a little paper.

這就是說，我把星星的數(shù)目寫在一片小紙頭上，

And then I put this paper in a drawer and lock it with a key.

然后把這片紙頭鎖在一個(gè)抽屜里。

And that is all?

這就算完事了嗎?

"That is enough," said the businessman.

“這樣就行了。”商人說。

"It is entertaining," thought the little prince. "It is rather poetic. But it is of no great consequence."

小王子想道：“真好玩。這倒蠻有詩意，可是，并不算是了不起的正經(jīng)事。”

On matters of consequence, the little prince had ideas which were very different from those of the grown-ups.

關(guān)于什么是正經(jīng)事，小王子的看法和大人們的看法非常不同。

I myself own a flower, he continued his conversation with the businessman, which I water every day.

我有一朵花，我每天都給她澆水。

I own three volcanoes, which I clean out every week (for I also clean out the one that isextinct; one never knows.

我還有三座火山，我每星期把它們?nèi)即驋咭槐?。連死火山也打掃。誰知道它會(huì)不會(huì)再復(fù)活。

It is of some use to my volcanoes, and it is of some use to my flower, that I own them.

我擁有火山和花，這對(duì)我的火山有益處，對(duì)我的花也有益處。

But you are of no use to the stars...

但是你對(duì)星星并沒有用處…

The businessman opened his mouth, but he found nothing to say in answer.

實(shí)業(yè)家張口結(jié)舌無言以對(duì)。

And the little prince went away.

于是小王子就走了。

"The grown-ups are certainly altogether extraordinary," he said simply, talking to himself as he continued on his journey.

在旅途中，小王子只是自言自語地說了一句：“這些大人們真是奇怪極了。”