适合大人读的童话书：《小王子》 (第5章)

He looked at it carefully, then he said:“No. This sheep is already very sickly. Make me another.”

他专心地看着，随后又说：“我不要，这只羊已经病得很重了。给我重新画一只。”

 

So I made another drawing.

我又画了起来。

 

My friend smiled gently and indulgently.

我的这位朋友天真可爱地笑了，并且客气地拒绝道：

 

“You see yourself,” he said, “that this is not a sheep. This is a ram. It has horns.”

你看，你画的不是小羊，是头公羊，还有犄角呢。

 

So then I did my drawing over once more.

于是我又重新画了一张。

 

But it was rejected too, just like the others.

这副画同前几副一样又被拒绝了。

 

This one is too old. I want a sheep that will live a long time.

 

这一只太老了。我想要一只能活得长的羊。

 

By this time my patience was exhausted, because I was in a hurry to start taking my engine apart.

我不耐烦了。因为我急于要检修发动机，

 

So I tossed off this drawing. And I threw out an explanation with it.

于是就草草画了这张画，并且匆匆地对他说道：

 

This is only his box. The sheep you asked for is inside.

这是一只箱子，你要的羊就在里面。

 

I was very surprised to see a light break over the face of my young judge:

这时我十分惊奇地看到我的这位小评判员喜笑颜开。他说：

 

That is exactly the way I wanted it! Do you think that this sheep will have to have a great deal of grass?

这正是我想要的，你说这只羊需要很多草吗?

  

Why?

为什么问这个呢?

 

Because where I live everything is very small.

因为我那里地方非常小

 

“There will surely be enough grass for him,” I said. “It is a very small sheep that I have given you.”

我给你画的是一只很小的小羊，地方小也够喂养它的。

 

He bent his head over the drawing:“Not so small that– Look! He has gone to sleep.

他把脑袋靠近这张画。“并不象你说的那么小瞧！它睡着了”

 

And that is how I made the acquaintance of the little prince.

就这样，我认识了小王子。