My Fragile Treasure (Excerpt)
Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
As the little prince dropped off to sleep, I took him in my arms and set out walking once more. I felt deeply moved, and stirred. It seemed to me that I was carrying a very fragile treasure.
It seemed to me, even, that there was nothing more fragile on all Earth.
In the moonlight I looked at his pale forehead, his closed eyes, his locks of hair thattrembled in the wind, and I said to myself: " what I see here is nothing but a shell.
what is more important is invisible...."As his lips opened slightly with the suspicious of a half-smile, I said to myself,again, " what movesme so deeply, about this little prince who is sleeping here is his loyalty to a flower, the imageof rose that shines through his whole being like the flame of a lamp. Even when he is asleep...'
And I felt him to be more fragile still.
I felt the need of protecting him.
As he himself, was a flame that might be extinguished by a little puff of wind. |