Le Petit Prince / The Little Prince — ĐœĐ° Ń„Ń€Đ°ĐœŃ†ŃƒĐ·ŃĐșĐ°Đč і Đ°ĐœĐłĐ»Ń–ĐčсĐșĐ°Đč ĐŒĐŸĐČах. ĐĄŃ‚Đ°Ń€ĐŸĐœĐșĐ° 6

Đ€Ń€Đ°ĐœŃ†ŃƒĐ·ŃĐșĐ°-Đ°ĐœĐłĐ»Ń–ĐčсĐșая ĐșĐœŃ–ĐłĐ°-Đ±Ń–Đ»Ń–ĐœĐłĐČĐ°

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Le Petit Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Little Prince

— Que les volcans soient Ă©teints ou soient Ă©veillĂ©s, ça revient au mĂȘme pour nous autres, dit le gĂ©ographe. Ce qui compte pour nous, c’est la montagne. Elle ne change pas.

“Whether volcanoes are extinct or alive, it comes to the same thing for us,” said the geographer. “The thing that matters to us is the mountain. It does not change.”

— Mais qu’est-ce que signifie «éphĂ©mĂšre»? rĂ©pĂ©ta le petit prince qui, de sa vie, n’avait renoncĂ© Ă  une question, une fois qu’il l’avait posĂ©e.

“But what does that mean — ‘ephemeral’?” repeated the little prince, who never in his life had let go of a question, once he had asked it.

— Ça signifie «qui est menacĂ© de disparition prochaine».

“It means, ‘which is in danger of speedy disappearance.’”

— Ma fleur est menacĂ©e de disparition prochaine?

“Is my flower in danger of speedy disappearance?”

— Bien sĂ»r.

“Certainly it is.”

Ma fleur est Ă©phĂ©mĂšre, se dit le petit prince, et elle n’a que quatre Ă©pines pour se dĂ©fendre contre le monde! Et je l’ai laissĂ©e toute seule chez moi!

“My flower is ephemeral,” the little prince said to himself, “and she has only four thorns to defend herself against the world. And I have left her on my planet, all alone!”

Ce fut lĂ  son premier mouvement de regret. Mais il reprit courage:

That was his first moment of regret. But he took courage once more.

— Que me conseillez-vous d’aller visiter? demanda-t-il.

“What place would you advise me to visit now?” he asked.

— La planĂšte Terre, lui rĂ©pondit le gĂ©ographe. Elle a une bonne rĂ©putation


“The planet Earth,” replied the geographer. “It has a good reputation.”

Et le petit prince s’en fut, songeant à sa fleur.

And the little prince went away, thinking of his flower.

CHAPITRE XVI

XVI

La Terre n’est pas une planùte quelconque!

So then the seventh planet was the Earth.

On y compte cent onze rois (en n’oubliant pas, bien sĂ»r, les rois nĂšgres), sept mille gĂ©ographes, neuf cent mille businessmen, sept millions et demi d’ivrognes, trois cent onze millions de vaniteux, c’est-Ă -dire environ deux milliards de grandes personnes.

The Earth is not just an ordinary planet! One can count, there, 111 kings (not forgetting, to be sure, the Negro kings among them), 7000 geographers, 900,000 businessmen, 7,500,000 tipplers, 311,000,000 conceited men — that is to say, about 2,000,000,000 grown-ups.

Pour vous donner une idĂ©e des dimensions de la Terre je vous dirai qu’avant l’invention de l’électricitĂ© on y devait entretenir, sur l’ensemble des six continents, une vĂ©ritable armĂ©e de quatre cent soixante-deux mille cinq cent onze allumeurs de rĂ©verbĂšres.

To give you an idea of the size of the Earth, I will tell you that before the invention of electricity it was necessary to maintain, over the whole of the six continents, a veritable army of 462,511 lamplighters for the street lamps.

Vu d’un peu loin ça faisait un effet splendide. Les mouvements de cette armĂ©e Ă©taient rĂ©glĂ©s comme ceux d’un ballet d’opĂ©ra.

Seen from a slight distance, that would make a splendid spectacle. The movements of this army would be regulated like those of the ballet in the opera.

D’abord venait le tour des allumeurs de rĂ©verbĂšres de Nouvelle-ZĂ©lande et d’Australie. Puis ceux-ci, ayant allumĂ© leurs lampions, s’en allaient dormir. Alors entraient Ă  leur tour dans la danse les allumeurs de rĂ©verbĂšres de Chine et de SibĂ©rie. Puis eux aussi s’escamotaient dans les coulisses.

First would come the turn of the lamplighters of New Zealand and Australia. Having set their lamps alight, these would go off to sleep. Next, the lamplighters of China and Siberia would enter for their steps in the dance, and then they too would be waved back into the wings.

Alors venait le tour des allumeurs de rĂ©verbĂšres de Russie et des Indes. Puis de ceux d’Afrique et d’Europe. Puis de ceux d’AmĂ©rique du Sud. Puis de ceux d’AmĂ©rique du Nord.

After that would come the turn of the lamplighters of Russia and the Indies; then those of Africa and Europe; then those of South America; then those of South America; then those of North America.

Et jamais ils ne se trompaient dans leur ordre d’entrĂ©e en scĂšne. C’était grandiose.

And never would they make a mistake in the order of their entry upon the stage. It would be magnificent.

Seuls, l’allumeur de l’unique rĂ©verbĂšre du pĂŽle Nord, et son confrĂšre de l’unique rĂ©verbĂšre du pĂŽle Sud, menaient des vies d’oisivetĂ© et de nonchalance: ils travaillaient deux fois par an.

Only the man who was in charge of the single lamp at the North Pole, and his colleague who was responsible for the single lamp at the South Pole — only these two would live free from toil and care: they would be busy twice a year.

CHAPITRE XVII

Đ„VII

Quand on veut faire de l’esprit, il arrive que l’on mente un peu. Je n’ai pas Ă©tĂ© trĂšs honnĂȘte en vous parlant des allumeurs de rĂ©verbĂšres. Je risque de donner une fausse idĂ©e de notre planĂšte Ă  ceux qui ne la connaissent pas. Les hommes occupent trĂšs peu de place sur la terre.

When one wishes to play the wit, he sometimes wanders a little from the truth. I have not been altogether honest in what I have told you about the lamplighters. And I realize that I run the risk of giving a false idea of our planet to those who do not know it. Men occupy a very small place upon the Earth.

Si les deux milliards d’habitants qui peuplent la terre se tenaient debout et un peu serrĂ©s, comme pour un meeting, ils logeraient aisĂ©ment sur une place publique de vingt milles de long sur vingt milles de large. On pourrait entasser l’humanitĂ© sur le moindre petit Ăźlot du Pacifique.

If the two billion inhabitants who people its surface were all to stand upright and somewhat crowded together, as they do for some big public assembly, they could easily be put into one public square twenty miles long and twenty miles wide. All humanity could be piled up on a small Pacific islet.

Les grandes personnes, bien sĂ»r, ne vous croiront pas. Elles s’imaginent tenir beaucoup de place. Elles se voient importantes comme des baobabs. Vous leur conseillerez donc de faire le calcul. Elles adorent les chiffres: ça leur plaira. Mais ne perdez pas votre temps Ă  ce pensum. C’est inutile. Vous avez confiance en moi.

The grown-ups, to be sure, will not believe you when you tell them that. They imagine that they fill a great deal of space. They fancy themselves as important as the baobabs. You should advise them, then, to make their own calculations. They adore figures, and that will please them. But do not waste your time on this extra task. It is unnecessary. You have, I know, confidence in me.

Le petit prince, une fois sur terre, fut donc bien surpris de ne voir personne. Il avait dĂ©jĂ  peur de s’ĂȘtre trompĂ© de planĂšte, quand un anneau couleur de lune remua dans le sable.

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.

— Bonne nuit, fit le petit prince à tout hasard.

“Good evening,” said the little prince courteously.

— Bonne nuit, fit le serpent.

“Good evening,” said the snake.

— Sur quelle planĂšte suis-je tombĂ©? demanda le petit prince.

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

— Sur la Terre, en Afrique, rĂ©pondit le serpent.

“This is the Earth; this is Africa,” the snake answered.

— Ah!
 Il n’y a donc personne sur la Terre?

“Ah! Then there are no people on the Earth?”

— Ici c’est le dĂ©sert. Il n’y a personne dans les dĂ©serts. La Terre est grande, dit le serpent.

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

Le petit prince s’assit sur une pierre et leva les yeux vers le ciel:

The little prince sat down on a stone, and raised his eyes toward the sky.

— Je me demande, dit-il, si les Ă©toiles sont Ă©clairĂ©es afin que chacun puisse un jour retrouver la sienne. Regarde ma planĂšte. Elle est juste au-dessus de nous
 Mais comme elle est loin!

“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!”

— Elle est belle, dit le serpent. Que viens-tu faire ici?

“It is beautiful,” the snake said. “What has brought you here?”

— J’ai des difficultĂ©s avec une fleur, dit le petit prince.

“I have been having some trouble with a flower,” said the little prince.

— Ah! fit le serpent.

“Ah!” said the snake.

Et ils se turent.

And they were both silent.

— OĂč sont les hommes? reprit enfin le petit prince. On est un peu seul dans le dĂ©sert


“Where are the men?” the little prince at last took up the conversation again. “It is a little lonely in the desert
”

— On est seul aussi chez les hommes, dit le serpent.

“It is also lonely among men,” the snake said.

Le petit prince le regarda longtemps:

The little prince gazed at him for a long time.

— Tu es une drĂŽle de bĂȘte, lui dit-il enfin, mince comme un doigt


“You are a funny animal,” he said at last. “You are no thicker than a finger
”

— Mais je suis plus puissant que le doigt d’un roi, dit le serpent.

“But I am more powerful than the finger of a king,” said the snake.

Le petit prince eut un sourire:

The little prince smiled.

— Tu n’es pas bien puissant
 tu n’as mĂȘme pas de pattes
 tu ne peux mĂȘme pas voyager


“You are not very powerful. You haven’t even any feet. You cannot even travel
”

— Je puis t’emporter plus loin qu’un navire, dit le serpent.

“I can carry you farther than any ship could take you,” said the snake.

Il s’enroula autour de la cheville du petit prince, comme un bracelet d’or:

He twined himself around the little prince’s ankle, like a golden bracelet.

— Celui que je touche, je le rends Ă  la terre dont il est sorti, dit-il encore. Mais tu es pur et tu viens d’une Ă©toile


“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
”

Le petit prince ne répondit rien.

The little prince made no reply.

— Tu me fais pitiĂ©, toi si faible, sur cette Terre de granit. Je puis t’aider un jour si tu regrettes trop ta planĂšte. Je puis


“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! J’ai trĂšs bien compris, fit le petit prince, mais pourquoi parles-tu toujours par Ă©nigmes?

“Oh! I understand you very well,” said the little prince. “But why do you always speak in riddles?”

— Je les rĂ©sous toutes, dit le serpent.

“I solve them all,” said the snake.

Et ils se turent.

And they were both silent.

CHAPITRE XVIII

XVIII

Le petit prince traversa le dĂ©sert et ne rencontra qu’une fleur. Une fleur Ă  trois pĂ©tales, une fleur de rien du tout


The little prince crossed the desert and met with only one flower. It was a flower with three petals, a flower of no account at all.

— Bonjour, dit le petit prince.

“Good morning,” said the little prince.

— Bonjour, dit la fleur.

“Good morning,” said the flower.

— OĂč sont les hommes? demanda poliment le petit prince.

“Where are the men?” the little prince asked, politely.

La fleur, un jour, avait vu passer une caravane:

The flower had once seen a caravan passing.

— Les hommes? Il en existe, je crois, six ou sept. Je les ai aperçus il y a des annĂ©es. Mais on ne sait jamais oĂč les trouver. Le vent les promĂšne. Ils manquent de racines, ça les gĂȘne beaucoup.

“Men?” she echoed. “I think there are six or seven of them in existence. I saw them, several years ago. But one never knows where to find them. The wind blows them away. They have no roots, and that makes their life very difficult.”

— Adieu, fit le petit prince.

“Goodbye,” said the little prince.

— Adieu, dit la fleur.

“Goodbye,” said the flower.

CHAPITRE XIX

XIX

Le petit prince fit l’ascension d’une haute montagne. Les seules montagnes qu’il eĂ»t jamais connues Ă©taient les trois volcans qui lui arrivaient au genou. Et il se servait du volcan Ă©teint comme d’un tabouret. «D’une montagne haute comme celle-ci, se dit-il donc, j’apercevrai d’un coup toute la planĂšte et tous les hommes » Mais il n’aperçut rien que des aiguilles de roc bien aiguisĂ©es.

After that, the little prince climbed a high mountain. The only mountains he had ever known were the three volcanoes, which came up to his knees. And he used the extinct volcano as a footstool. “From a mountain as high as this one,” he said to himself, “I shall be able to see the whole planet at one glance, and all the people
” But he saw nothing, save peaks of rock that were sharpened like needles.

— Bonjour, dit-il à tout hasard.

“Good morning,” he said courteously.

— Bonjour
 Bonjour
 Bonjour
 rĂ©pondit l’écho.

“Good morning — Good morning — Good morning,” answered the echo.

— Qui ĂȘtes-vous? dit le petit prince.

“Who are you?” said the little prince.

— Qui ĂȘtes-vous
 qui ĂȘtes-vous
 qui ĂȘtes-vous
 rĂ©pondit l’écho.

“Who are you — Who are you — Who are you?” answered the echo.

— Soyez mes amis, je suis seul, dit-il.

“Be my friends. I am all alone,” he said.

— Je suis seul
 je suis seul
 je suis seul
 rĂ©pondit l’écho.

“I am all alone — all alone — all alone,” answered the echo.

«Quelle drÎle de planÚte! pensa-t-il alors. Elle est toute sÚche, et toute pointue et toute salée.

“What a queer planet!” he thought. “It is altogether dry, and altogether pointed, and altogether harsh and forbidding.

Et les hommes manquent d’imagination. Ils rĂ©pĂštent ce qu’on leur dit
 Chez moi j’avais une fleur: elle parlait toujours la premiĂšre »

And the people have no imagination. They repeat whatever one says to them
 On my planet I had a flower; she always was the first to speak
”

CHAPITRE XX

Đ„X

Mais il arriva que le petit prince, ayant longtemps marché à travers les sables, les rocs et les neiges, découvrit enfin une route. Et les routes vont toutes chez les hommes.

ce at last came upon a road. And all roads lead to the abodes of men.

— Bonjour, dit-il.

“Good morning,” he said.

C’était un jardin fleuri de roses.

He was standing before a garden, all a-bloom with roses.

— Bonjour, dirent les roses.

“Good morning,” said the roses.

Le petit prince les regarda. Elles ressemblaient toutes Ă  sa fleur.

The little prince gazed at them. They all looked like his flower.

— Qui ĂȘtes-vous? leur demanda-t-il, stupĂ©fait.

“Who are you?” he demanded, thunderstruck.

— Nous sommes des roses, dirent les roses.

“We are roses,” the roses said.

— Ah! fit le petit prince



Et il se sentit trĂšs malheureux. Sa fleur lui avait racontĂ© qu’elle Ă©tait seule de son espĂšce dans l’univers. Et voici qu’il en Ă©tait cinq mille, toutes semblables, dans un seul jardin!

And he was overcome with sadness. His flower had told him that she was the only one of her kind in all the universe. And here were five thousand of them, all alike, in one single garden!

«Elle serait bien vexĂ©e, se dit-il, si elle voyait ça
 elle tousserait Ă©normĂ©ment et ferait semblant de mourir pour Ă©chapper au ridicule. Et je serais bien obligĂ© de faire semblant de la soigner, car, sinon, pour m’humilier moi aussi, elle se laisserait vraiment mourir »

“She would be very much annoyed,” he said to himself, “if she should see that
 She would cough most dreadfully, and she would pretend that she was dying, to avoid being laughed at. And I should be obliged to pretend that I was nursing her back to life — for if I did not do that, to humble myself also, she would really allow herself to die
”

Puis il se dit encore: «Je me croyais riche d’une fleur unique, et je ne possĂšde qu’une rose ordinaire. Ça et mes trois volcans qui m’arrivent au genou, et dont l’un, peut-ĂȘtre, est Ă©teint pour toujours, ça ne fait pas de moi un bien grand prince »

Then he went on with his reflections: “I thought that I was rich, with a flower that was unique in all the world; and all I had was a common rose. A common rose, and three volcanoes that come up to my knees — and one of them perhaps extinct forever
 That doesn’t make me a very great prince
”

Et, couchĂ© dans l’herbe, il pleura.

And he lay down in the grass and cried.

CHAPITRE XXI

XXI

C’est alors qu’apparut le renard:

It was then that the fox appeared.

— Bonjour, dit le renard.

“Good morning,” said the fox.

— Bonjour, rĂ©pondit poliment le petit prince, qui se retourna mais ne vit rien.

“Good morning,” the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.

— Je suis là, dit la voix, sous le pommier.

“I am right here,” the voice said, “under the apple tree.”

— Qui es-tu? dit le petit prince. Tu es bien joli


“Who are you?” asked the little prince, and added, “You are very pretty to look at.”

— Je suis un renard, dit le renard.

“I am a fox,” the fox said.

— Viens jouer avec moi, lui proposa le petit prince. Je suis tellement triste


“Come and play with me,” proposed the little prince. “I am so unhappy.”

— Je ne puis pas jouer avec toi, dit le renard. Je ne suis pas apprivoisĂ©.

“I cannot play with you,” the fox said. “I am not tamed.”

— Ah! pardon, fit le petit prince.

“Ah! Please excuse me,” said the little prince.

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