小王子 第36期:有趣的地理學(xué)家

The sixth planet was ten times larger than the last one.

第六顆行星則要大十倍。

It was inhabited by an old gentleman who wrote voluminous books.

上面住著一位老先生，他在寫(xiě)作大部頭的書(shū)。

"Oh, look! Here is an explorer!" he exclaimed to himself when he saw the little prince coming.

“瞧!來(lái)了一位探險(xiǎn)家。”老先生看到小王子時(shí)，叫了起來(lái)。

The little prince sat down on the table and panted a little.

小王子在桌旁坐下，有點(diǎn)氣喘吁吁。

He had already traveled so much and so far!

他跑了多少路啊!

"Where do you come from?" the old gentleman said to him.

“你從哪里來(lái)的呀?”老先生問(wèn)小王子。

"What is that big book?" said the little prince. "What are you doing?"

“這一大本是什么書(shū)?你在這里干什么?”小王子問(wèn)道。

"I am a geographer," the old gentleman said to him.

“我是地理學(xué)家。”老先生答道。

"What is a geographer?" asked the little prince.

“什么是地理學(xué)家?”小王子問(wèn)。

A geographer is a scholar who knows the location of all the seas, rivers,towns, mountains, and deserts.

地理學(xué)家，就是一種學(xué)者，他知道哪里有海洋，哪里有江河、城市、山脈、沙漠。

"That is very interesting," said the little prince. "Here at last is a man who has a real profession!"

“這倒挺有意思。”小王子說(shuō)。“這才是一種真正的行當(dāng)。”

And he cast a look around him at the planet of the geographer.

他朝四周圍看了看這位地理學(xué)家的星球。

It was the most magnificent and stately planet that he had ever seen.

他還從來(lái)沒(méi)有見(jiàn)過(guò)一顆如此壯觀的行星。

"Your planet is very beautiful," he said. "Has it any oceans?"

“您的星球真美呀。上面有海洋嗎?”他說(shuō)。

"I couldn't tell you," said the geographer.

“這我沒(méi)法知道。”地理學(xué)家說(shuō)。

"Ah!" The little prince was disappointed. "Has it any mountains?"

“啊!”小王子大失所望。“那么，山脈呢?”

"I couldn't tell you," said the geographer.

“這，我沒(méi)法知道。”地理學(xué)家說(shuō)。

"And towns, and rivers, and deserts?"

“那么，有城市、河流、沙漠嗎?”

I couldn't tell you that, either.

這，我也沒(méi)法知道。

But you are a geographer!

可您還是地理學(xué)家呢!

"Exactly," the geographer said.

“一點(diǎn)不錯(cuò)，”地理學(xué)家說(shuō)，

But I am not an explorer. I haven't a single explorer on my planet.

但是我不是探察家。我手下一個(gè)探察家都沒(méi)有。

It is not the geographer who goes out to count the towns, the rivers, the mountains, the seas, the oceans, and the deserts.

地理學(xué)家是不去計(jì)算城市、河流、山脈、海洋、沙漠的。

The geographer is much too important to go loafing about.

地理學(xué)家很重要，不能到處跑。

He does not leave his desk.

他不能離開(kāi)他的辦公室。

But he receives the explorers in his study.

但他可以在辦公室里接見(jiàn)探察家。