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小王子一来到地球上，没有看见有任何人，心里感到很奇怪。他开始暗暗担心自己跑错了星球。这时，他看到一个银白色环形的动物在沙堆上蠕动。"晚安。"小王子随便顺口地说了一声。"晚安。"对方答应了一声，那是一条蛇。"我落在哪一颗星球上啦？”小王子问道。"你是落在地球上，在非洲。"那蛇答道。 "哦！地球上怎么没有人呢？” "这里是沙漠，沙漠是无人地带。地球可是大着呢。” 那蛇解释说。 小王子在一块石头上坐下，举目望天。"我在想，"他说，"天空的星星亮晶晶的，是不是为了要让地上的每个人，有一天能够找到自己的那一颗。你瞧，我的那颗，正在我们头顶上……它离我们真远呀！” "你那颗星星真美丽，"蛇说，"你来地球上干什么呀？” "我和一朵花儿闹别扭了。"小王子答道。那蛇只应了一声："哦！” 接着，他们都不吱声了。 "地球人在哪儿呢？”小王子终于打破沉默问道， "在沙漠里可真有些孤独啊……” "和地球人在一起，也是孤独的。"蛇说。 小王子盯着蛇看了好一会儿，才发表自己的观感： "你可真是奇怪的动物，身子细得像一根手指……” "但是我可比一个国王的手指头要强大得多。" 蛇说。 小王子微微一笑道："你并不那么强大，你连爪子都没有，你根本就没法去旅行…” 蛇反驳说："我还能带着你去旅行哩，比一艘船驶得更远。" 说着，它缠绕在小王子的脚腕上，好像一只金镯子。它说："我一缠绕上谁，就可以把谁送回他原来那颗星球上去。你完全是天真纯洁的，而且又是天外一颗星星上来的……” 小王子没有接它的话荏。蛇又接着说："你在这个荒凉冷酷的地球上，是多么弱小无助啊，我真怜悯你。如果你有一天思念自己的星球思念得实在受不了，我那时候就会来帮你…” 小王子说："哦，我很明白你说的意思，但为什么你讲起话来就像打谜语似的？” "我会把所有的谜底解答出来的。"蛇答道。 他们又沉默不语了。 When the little prince arrived on the Earth, he was very much surprised not to see any people. He was beginning to be afraid he had come to the wrong planet, when a coil of gold, the color of the moonlight, flashed across the sand. "Good evening," said the little prince courteously. "Good evening," said the snake. "What planet is this on which I have come down?" asked the little prince. "This is the Earth; this is Africa," the snake answered. "Ah! Then there are no people on the Earth?" "This is the desert. There are no people in the desert. The Earth is large," said the snake. The little prince sat down on a stone, and raised his eyes toward the sky. "I wonder," he said, "whether the stars are set alight in heaven so that one day each one of us may find his own again... Look at my planet. It is right there above us. But how far away it is!" "It is beautiful," the snake said. "What has brought you here?" "I have been having some trouble with a flower," said the little prince. "Ah!" said the snake. And they were both silent. "Where are the men?" the little prince at last took up the conversation again. "It is a little lonely in the desert..." "It is also lonely among men," the snake said. The little prince gazed at him for a long time. "You are a funny animal," he said at last. "You are no thicker than a finger..." "But I am more powerful than the finger of a king," said the snake. The little prince smiled. "You are not very powerful. You haven't even any feet. You cannot even travel..." "I can carry you farther than any ship could take you," said the snake. He twined himself around the little prince's ankle, like a golden bracelet. "Whomever I touch, I send back to the earth from whence he came," the snake spoke again. "But you are innocent and true, and you come from a star..." The little prince made no reply. "You move me to pity—you are so weak on this Earth made of granite," the snake said. "I can help you, some day, if you grow too homesick for your own planet. I can—" "Oh! I understand you very well," said the little prince. "But why do you always speak in riddles?" "I solve them all," said the snake. And they were both silent. |
