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正在这时，来了一只狐狸。"你好。"狐狸向他问候。 "你好。"小王子彬彬有礼地答道，他转过头去，但是什么也没有看见。 "我在这里，就在苹果树下……”那声音说。 "你是谁呀？"小王子看见了它说，"你真漂亮……” "我是一只狐狸。" "来跟我玩玩吧，"小王子诚恳相邀，"我现在正伤心着昵……” "我不能跟你一道玩，"狐狸说，"我不是温驯的动物。" "哦！我不了解你，对不起。"小王子说。但是，他稍作思索后，问道： "什么叫'温驯’呀？” "看来你不是本地人，"狐狸说,"你来这里干什么？” "我在找地球人，"小王子又追问，“‘温驯’是什么意思呀？” "地球人呀，"狐狸说，"他们有枪，他们经常打猎。这可危害不小！他们还饲养母鸡，那是他们唯一有意思的地方。你要找母鸡吗？” "不找，"小王子说，"我要找朋友，你说的温驯， 是什么意思？” 狐狸开始作出解释："这是一件好事，可惜已经被忘得一干二净了，'温驯'意味着建立和谐的关系……” "建立和谐的关系？”小王子不明白。"当然是这个意思，"狐狸接着解释，"就我而言， 你只是一个小男孩，和成千上万的小男孩完全一样。我并不需要你，你也不需要我。对你而言，我只是一只狐狸，和成千上万的狐狸没有两样。但是，如果你使我温驯了，我们两者之间的关系就变得互相依存依恋。那么一来，对我而言，你就是这世上的唯一，而对你而言，我也就是这世上的唯一……” “我开始懂得了，"小王子说，"我拥有那么一朵花儿…我想，可以说她使我温驯了……”“完全是可能的，"狐狸说，"在地球上.可以看到形形色色、无奇不有的事情……” “唉！我跟我那朵花儿的事，并不是在地球上呀。" 狐狸显得很诧异，问道："难道是在别的星球上吗？，' "是的。” "在你那个星球上有猎人吗？”"没有。" "这可太好啦！那么，有母鸡吃吗？” "没有。” "这可有些美中不足！”狐狸悲叹了一声。 但狐狸又回到它原来的话题，说："我的生活单调乏味。我猎食母鸡，地球人则猎杀我。母鸡全是一个样子，所有人类也都一个样。我对这一切都感到有点膩味了，但如果你使得我温驯了， 我的生活就会充满了阳光，变得温暖。我对人类的脚步声就会有全然不同的感受。我一听到其他陌生人的脚步声，就会赶紧逃进地洞。你的脚步声，却会把我从地洞里召唤出来，有音乐一般的奇效。还有，你看，你看见那边的麦田了吗？我是不吃面包的，小麦对我毫无用处。麦田不会引起我任何回忆。当然，这也是很可惜的事！但是，你有一头金发，于是，一旦你驯服了我，事情将变得妙不可言，那金色的小麦就会使我回想起你，而我，也就会爱上那风儿掠过麦田所发出的声音……” 狐狸停了下来，久久地注视着小王子，又说："求求你……把我收下来吧，驯养我吧。" "我很乐意这样做，"小王子答道，"可是我没有多少时间，我还得去结识好多朋友，去了解很多事情。" "只有那些被人驯服了的东西，才能被人理解，" 狐狸说，"地球人是不会再有时间去认识什么啦，他们都是从商人那里购买一切成品。但因为世上的商人绝不会成为朋友，地球人也就没有朋友了，如果你想要一个朋友，那就请驯养我吧！” "该怎么驯养呢？”小王子问道。 "必须很有耐心，"狐狸答道，"你先坐在草地上，要离我稍远一点，就像现在这样。我嘛，我斜眼盯着你，你什么话也别说。语言是造成隔阂与误解的根由。但是，你可以每天坐得越来越靠近我一些……” It was then that the fox appeared. "Good morning," said the fox. "Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing. "I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree." "Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at." "I am a fox," said the fox. "Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy." "I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed." "Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince. But, after some thought, he added: "What does that mean—'tame'?" "You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?" "I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean— 'tame'?" "Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?" "No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean—'tame'?" "It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties." '"To establish ties'?" "Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..." "I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..." "It is possible," said the fox. "On the Earth one sees all sorts of things." "Oh, but this is not on the Earth!" said the little prince. The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious. "On another planet?" "Yes." "Are there hunters on this planet?" "No." "Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?" "No." "Nothing is perfect," sighed the fox. But he came back to his idea. "My life is very monotonous," the fox said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat..." "One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me..." "What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince. "You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me—like that—in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..." |
