Chapter 27

- the narrator's afterthoughts   
And now six years have already gone by...
I have never yet told this story. The companions who met me on my return were well content to see me alive. I was sad, but I told them: "I am tired."
Now my sorrow is comforted a little. That is to say-- not entirely¹. But I know that he did go back to his planet², because I did not find his body at daybreak. It was not such a heavy body... and at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells...
But there is one extraordinary thing... when I drew the muzzle³ for the little prince, I forgot to add the leather strap⁴ to it. He will never have been able to fasten it on his sheep. So now I keep wondering: what is happening on his planet? Perhaps the sheep has eaten the flower...
At one time I say to myself: "Surely not! The little prince shuts his flower under her glass globe every night, and he watches over his sheep very carefully..." Then I am happy. And there is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars.
But at another time I say to myself: "At some moment or other one is absent-minded⁵, and that is enough! On some one evening he forgot the glass globe, or the sheep got out, without making any noise, in the night..." And then the little bells are changed to tears...
Here, then, is a great mystery. For you who also love the little prince, and for me, nothing in the universe can be the same if somewhere, we do not know where, a sheep that we never saw has-- yes or no?-- eaten a rose...
Look up at the sky. Ask yourselves: is it yes or no? Has the sheep eaten the flower? And you will see how everything changes...
And no grown-up will ever understand that this is a matter of so much importance!
This is, to me, the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. It is the same as that on the preceding⁶ page, but I have drawn⁷ it again to impress it on your memory. It is here that the little prince appeared on Earth, and disappeared.
Look at it carefully so that you will be sure to recognise it in case you travel some day to the African desert. And, if you should come upon this spot, please do not hurry on. Wait for a time, exactly under the star. Then, if a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions, you will know who he is. If this should happen, please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back.

    到现在，一点不错，已经有六年了…我还从未讲过这个故事。同伴们重新见到了我，都为能看见我活着回来而高兴。我却很悲伤。我告诉他们：“这是因为疲劳的缘故…”   
    现在，我稍微得到了些安慰。就是说…还没有完全平静下来。可我知道他已经回到了他的星球上。因为那天黎明，我没有再见到他的身躯。他的身躯并不那么重…从此，我就喜欢在夜间倾听着星星，好象是倾听着五亿个铃铛…   
    可是，现在却又发生了不寻常的事。我给小王子画的羊嘴套上，忘了画皮带！他再也不可能把它套在羊嘴上。于是，我思忖着：“他的星球上发生了什么事呢？大概小羊把花吃掉了吧…”
    有时我又对自己说，“绝对不会的！小王子每天夜里都用玻璃罩子罩住他的花，而且他会把羊看管好的…”想到这里，我就非常高兴。这时，所有的星星都在柔情地轻声笑着。   
    忽而我又对自己说：“人们有时总免不了会疏忽的，那就够戗！某一天晚上他忘了玻璃罩子，或者小羊夜里不声不响地跑出来…”想到这里，小铃铛都变成泪珠了！   
    这真是一个很大的奥秘。对你们这些喜欢小王子的人来说，就象对于我来说一样，无论什么地方，凡是某处，如果一只羊（尽管我们并不认识它），吃了一朵玫瑰花，或是没有吃掉一朵玫瑰花，那么宇宙的面貌就全然不同。   
    你们望着天空。你们想一想：羊究竟是吃了还是没有吃掉花？那么你们就会看到一切都变了样…   
    任何一个大人将永远不会明白这个问题竟如此重要！

对我来说，这是世界上最美也是最凄凉的地方。它与前一页画的是同一个地方。我再一次将它画出来，为的是好让你们看清楚。

就是在这里，小王子出现在地球上，后来，也正是在这里消失了的。

请你们仔细看看这个地方，以便你们有一天去非洲沙漠上旅行的时候，能够准确地辨认出这个地方。

如果，你们有机会经过这个地方，我请求你们不要匆匆而过，请你们就在那颗星星底下等一等！

如果这时，有个小孩子向你走来，如果他笑着，他有金黄色的头发，如果当你问他问题时他不回答，你一定会猜得出他是谁。

那就请你们帮个忙，不要让我这么忧伤：赶快写信告诉我，他又回来了。

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

3 muzzle   

n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默

参考例句：

• He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.他把手枪的枪口放在牙齿中间。
• The President wanted to muzzle the press.总统企图遏制新闻自由。

4 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

5 absent-minded   

adj.心不在焉的

参考例句：

• You are really absent-minded.你真是心不在焉！
• He had an absent-minded manner.他表现出心不在焉的样子。

6 preceding   

adj.在先的，在前的，前面的

参考例句：

• Each generation surpasses the preceding one.一代更比一代强。
• This point has been dealt with in the preceding paragraph.这一点在前面一段里已经交代过了。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。