The little prince——Chapter 17 of part 1

When one wishes two 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. 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.

当你试着要诙谐点时，有时候你会发现你自己会撒点无关紧要的小谎。我并没有诚实告诉你车夫的的故事。我可能会让那些不清楚现状的人，产生错误的印象。人们在地球上所占据的空间很小，如果地球上二十亿人成排紧密的站在一起，就像参加聚会一样，他们很容易就挤进一个边长二十英里的正方形广场。你可能把全部人类，都挤进一个太平洋的小岛上。

The grown-ups, to be sure, will not believe you when you tell them that. They imagine that they fill a great deal of spece. They fancy themselves as important as the baobabs. You should advise them, then ,to make their own calculations. They adore fig ures, 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.

大人们当然不会相信这件事。他们会觉得自己占了很大空间，他们以为自己跟巴欧巴树一样重要，你可以告诉他们的事就是计算必要的数字。他们喜欢数字，也会因而乐在其中。但可别浪费时间做这件事，这一点也没有必要。你可以相信我。

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.

小王子到达地球时，心中感到很惊讶，因为他没有看见任何人。当一个月光色的环状物在沙间移动时，他已经开始猜想：自己是不是走错星球了。

"Good evening," said the little prince courteously.

“晚安。”小王子并不指望得到回答。

"Good evening," said the snake.

“晚安。”蛇说。

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

“我在哪一个星球上？”小王子问。

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

“在地球上，这里是非洲，”蛇回答。

"Ah! Then there are no people on the Earth?"

"哦！地球上难道没有人吗？“

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

”这是沙漠，沙漠中是没有人的。地球可是很大的。“蛇说。

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

小王子在一块石头上坐下来，仰望天空。

"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!"

”我在想，星星闪闪发亮是不是为了要让每一个人找到回家的路，”他说，“看看我的星球，它就在头上，却距离如此遥远！”

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

“真是个美丽的星球，”蛇说，“你为什么会来这里？”

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

“我和一朵花之间有一点小问题，”小王子说。

"Ah!" said the snake.

“哦！”蛇说。

And they were both silent.

他们俩沉默了一会儿。