Chapter 9
I believe that for his escape he took advantage of the migration of a flock of wild birds. On the morning of his departure he put his planet in perfect order. He carefully cleaned out his active volcanoes. He possessed two active volcanoes; and they were very convenient for heating his breakfast in the morning. He also had one volcano that was extinct. But, as he said, "One never knows!" So he cleaned out the extinct volcano, too. If they are well cleaned out, volcanoes burn slowly and steadily, without any eruptions. Volcanic eruptions are like fires in a chimney.
On our earth we are obviously much too small to clean out our volcanoes. That is why they bring no end of trouble upon us.
The little prince also pulled up, with a certain sense of dejection, the last little shoots of the baobabs. He believed that he would never want to return. But on this last morning all these familiar tasks seemed very precious to him. And when he watered the flower for the last time, and prepared to place her under the shelter of her glass globe, he realised that he was very close to tears.
"Goodbye," he said to the flower.
But she made no answer.
"Goodbye," he said again.
The flower coughed. But it was not because she had a cold.
"I have been silly," she said to him, at last. "I ask your forgiveness. Try to be happy..."
He was surprised by this absence of reproaches. He stood there all bewildered, the glass globe held arrested in mid-air. He did not understand this quiet sweetness.
"Of course I love you," the flower said to him. "It is my fault that you have not known it all the while. That is of no importance. But you-- you have been just as foolish as I. Try to be happy... let the glass globe be. I don't want it any more."
"But the wind--"
"My cold is not so bad as all that... the cool night air will do me good. I am a flower."
"But the animals--"
"Well, I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies. It seems that they are very beautiful. And if not the butterflies-- and the caterpillars-- who will call upon me? You will be far away... as for the large animals-- I am not at all afraid of any of them. I have my claws."
And, na飗ely, she showed her four thorns. Then she added:
"Don't linger like this. You have decided to go away. Now go!"
For she did not want him to see her crying. She was such a proud flower...
? ? 我想小王子大概是利用一群候鳥遷徙的機(jī)會(huì)跑出來(lái)的。在他出發(fā)的那天早上檐盟，他把他的星球收拾得整整齊齊贱傀，把它上頭的活火山打掃得干干凈凈∨扒兀——他有兩個(gè)活火山平酿，早上熱早點(diǎn)很方便。他還有一座死火山悦陋，他也把它打掃干凈蜈彼。他想，說(shuō)不定它還會(huì)活動(dòng)呢俺驶！打掃干凈了幸逆，它們就可以慢慢地有規(guī)律地燃燒，而不會(huì)突然爆發(fā)痒钝”牛火山爆發(fā)就象煙囪里的火焰一樣。當(dāng)然送矩，在我們地球上我們?nèi)颂〔仙荒艽驋呋鹕剑曰鹕浇o我們帶來(lái)很多很多麻煩栋荸。
? ? 小王子還把剩下的最后幾顆猴面包樹苗全拔了菇怀。他有點(diǎn)憂傷。他以為他再也不會(huì)回來(lái)了晌块。這天爱沟，這些家常活使他感到特別親切匆背。當(dāng)他最后一次澆花時(shí)呼伸，準(zhǔn)備把她好好珍藏起來(lái)。他發(fā)覺(jué)自己要哭出來(lái)钝尸。
? ? “再見(jiàn)了括享。”他對(duì)花兒說(shuō)道珍促。? ?
? ? 可是花兒沒(méi)有回答他铃辖。
? ? “再見(jiàn)了≈硇穑”他又說(shuō)了一遍娇斩。
? ? 花兒咳嗽了一陣。但并不是由于感冒穴翩。
? ? 她終于對(duì)他說(shuō)道：“我方才真蠢犬第。請(qǐng)你原諒我。希望你能幸福芒帕∏干ぃ”
? ? 花兒對(duì)他毫不抱怨，他感到很驚訝副签。他舉著罩子遥椿，不知所措地佇立在那里。他不明白她為什么會(huì)這樣溫柔恬靜淆储。
? ? “的確冠场，我愛(ài)你”九椋”花兒對(duì)他說(shuō)道：“但由于我的過(guò)錯(cuò)碴裙，你一點(diǎn)也沒(méi)有理會(huì)。這絲毫不重要点额。不過(guò)舔株，你也和我一樣的蠢。希望你今后能幸福还棱。把罩子放在一邊吧载慈，我用不著它了≌涫郑”
? ? “要是風(fēng)來(lái)了怎么辦办铡？”
? ? “我的感冒并不那么重…夜晚的涼風(fēng)對(duì)我倒有好處。我是一朵花琳要」丫撸”
? ? “要是有蟲子野獸呢？…”
? ? “我要是想認(rèn)識(shí)蝴蝶稚补，經(jīng)不起兩三只尺蠖是不行的童叠。據(jù)說(shuō)這是很美的。不然還有誰(shuí)來(lái)看我呢课幕？你就要到遠(yuǎn)處去了厦坛。至于說(shuō)大動(dòng)物，我并不怕撰豺，我有爪子粪般。”
? ? 于是污桦，她天真地顯露出她那四根刺亩歹，隨后又說(shuō)道：
? ? “別這么磨蹭了。真煩人凡橱！你既然決定離開這兒小作，那么，快走吧稼钩！”
? ? 她是怕小王子看見(jiàn)她在哭顾稀。她是一朵非常驕傲的花…
