小王子 第40期:人类的位置

 When one wishes to play the wit, he sometimes wanders a little from the truth.

当人们想要说得俏皮些的时候，说话就可能会不大实在。

I have not been altogether honest in what I have told you about the lamplighters.

在给你们讲点灯人的时候，我就不那么忠实，

And I realize that I run the risk of giving a false idea of our planet to those who do not know it.

很可能给不了解我们这个星球的人们造成一个错误的概念。

Men occupy a very small place upon the Earth.

在地球上，人们所占的位置非常小。

If the two billion inhabitants who people its surface were all to stand upright and somewhat crowded together,

如果住在地球上的二十亿居民全站着，并且象开大会一样靠得紧些，

as they do for some big public assembly, they could easily be put into one public square twenty miles long and twenty miles wide.

那么就可以从容地站在一个二十海里见方的广场上。

All humanity could be piled up on a small Pacific islet.

也就是说可以把整个人类集中在太平洋中一个最小的岛屿上。

The grown-ups, to be sure, will not believe you when you tell them that.

当然，大人们是不会相信你们的。

They imagine that they fill a great deal of space.

他们自以为要占很大地方，

They fancy themselves as important as the baobabs.

他们把自己看得象猴面包树那样大得了不起。

You should advise them, then, to make their own calculations.

你们可以建议他们计算一下。这样会使他们很高兴，

They adore figures, and that will please them.

因为他们非常喜欢数目字。

But do not waste your time on this extra task. It is unnecessary.

可是你们无须浪费时间去做这种乏味的连篇累牍的演算。这没有必要。

You have, I know, confidence in me.

你们可以完全相信我。

When the little prince arrived on the Earth, he was very much surprised not to see any people.

小王子到了地球上感到非常奇怪，他一个人也没有看到，

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.

他正担心自己跑错了星球。这时，在沙地上有一个月光色的圆环在蠕动。

"Good evening," said the little prince courteously¹.

小王子毫无把握地随便说了声：“晚安。”

"Good evening," said the snake.

“晚安。”蛇说道。

"What planet is this on which I have come down?" asked the little prince.

“我落在什么行星上？”小王子问道。

"This is the Earth; this is Africa," the snake answered.

“在地球上，在非洲。”蛇回答道。

Ah! Then there are no people on the Earth?

啊！…怎么，难道说地球上没有人吗？

"This is the desert. There are no people in the desert. The Earth is large,"said the snake.

“这里是沙漠，沙漠中没有人。地球是很大的。”蛇说。

1 courteously   

adv.有礼貌地，亲切地

参考例句：

• He courteously opened the door for me.他谦恭有礼地为我开门。
• Presently he rose courteously and released her.过了一会，他就很客气地站起来，让她走开。