the little prince visits the geographer The sixth planet was ten times larger than the last one.
小王子拜访了地理学家。第六颗行星的大小是上一个的十倍大。 —

It was inhabited by an old gentleman who wrote voluminous books.
那是一个住着一位老绅士的星球，他写了许多厚重的书。 —

“Oh, look! Here is an explorer!” he exclaimed to himself when he saw the little prince coming.
“哦，看！这里来了一位探险家！”他看到小王子走过来时自言自语道。 —

The little prince sat down on the table and panted a little.
小王子坐在桌子上，稍微喘了口气。 —

He had already traveled so much and so far! “Where do you come from?” the old gentleman said to him.
他已经旅行了这么多地方，走了这么远！“你来自哪里？”老绅士问他。 —

“What is that big book?” said the little prince.
“那本大书是什么？”小王子问道。 —

“What are you doing?” “I am a geographer,” the old gentleman said to him.
“你在做什么？”“我是一名地理学家，”老绅士对他说。 —

“What is a geographer?” asked the little prince.
“什么是地理学家？”小王子问道。 —

“A geographer is a scholar who knows the location of all the seas, rivers, towns, mountains, and deserts.” “That is very interesting,” said the little prince.
“地理学家是一位学者，知道所有海洋、河流、城镇、山脉和沙漠的位置。”“这很有趣，”小王子说。 —

“Here at last is a man who has a real profession!” And he cast a look around him at the planet of the geographer.
“终于遇到了一个真正有职业的人！”他环顾四周看着地理学家的星球。 —

It was the most magnificent and stately planet that he had ever seen.
那是他见过的最壮丽庄重的星球。 —

“Your planet is very beautiful,” he said.
“你的星球非常美丽，”他说。 —

“Has it any oceans?” “I couldn’t tell you,” said the geographer.
“有海洋吗？”“我无法告诉你，”地理学家说。“啊！ —

“Ah!” The little prince was disappointed.
”小王子感到失望。 —

“Has it any mountains?” “I couldn’t tell you,” said the geographer.
“有山吗？”“我也不知道，”地理学家说。 —

“And towns, and rivers, and deserts?” “I couldn’t tell you that, either.” “But you are a geographer!” “Exactly,” the geographer said.
“还有城镇、河流和沙漠吗？”“我也不能告诉你。”“但是你是地理学家！”“确实如此，”地理学家说。 —

“But I am not an explorer.
“但我不是探险家。 —

I haven’t a single explorer on my planet.
我在我的星球上一个探险家都没有。” —

It is not the geographer who goes out to count the towns, the rivers, the mountains, the seas, the oceans, and the deserts.
“去数城镇、河流、山脉、海洋和沙漠的不是地理学家。 —

The geographer is much too important to go loafing about.
地理学家太重要了，不能四处闲逛。 —

He does not leave his desk.
他不离开他的书桌。 —

But he receives the explorers in his study.
但是他在他的研究中接待探险家。 —

He asks them questions, and he notes down what they recall of their travels.
他询问他们问题，并记下他们关于旅行的回忆。 —

And if the recollections of any one among them seem interesting to him, the geographer orders an inquiry into that explorer’s moral character.” “Why is that?” “Because an explorer who told lies would bring disaster on the books of the geographer.
如果其中某个探险家的回忆对他来说很有趣，地理学家会对该探险家的品格进行调查。”“为什么呢？ 因为一个撒谎的探险家会给地理学家的书籍带来灾难。 —

So would an explorer who drank too much.” “Why is that?” asked the little prince.
饮酒过量的探险家也会如此。” 小王子问，“为什么？” —

“Because intoxicated men see double.
因为醉酒的人会看到两个相同的事物。 —

Then the geographer would note down two mountains in a place where there was only one.” “I know some one,” said the little prince, “who would make a bad explorer.” “That is possible.
地理学家会把实际只有一个的山记为两座山。“我认识一个人，”小王子说，“他会成为一个糟糕的探险家。” —

Then, when the moral character of the explorer is shown to be good, an inquiry is ordered into his discovery.” “One goes to see it?” “No. That would be too complicated.
“那是有可能的。然后，当探险家的品德良好时，就会进行调查。”“然后大家都会去看吗？” “不，那会太复杂了。” —

But one requires the explorer to furnish proofs.
“但是要求探险家提供证据。 —

For example, if the discovery in question is that of a large mountain, one requires that large stones be brought back from it.” The geographer was suddenly stirred to excitement.
比如，如果发现的是一座大山，就要求从那里带回一些大石头。” 地理学家突然兴奋起来。 —

“But you– you come from far away!
“但是你–你来自很远的地方！ —

You are an explorer!
你是个探险家！ —

You shall describe your planet to me!” And, having opened his big register, the geographer sharpened his pencil.
你要向我描述你的星球！”说完后，地理学家打开他那一大本册子，磨尖了铅笔。 —

The recitals of explorers are put down first in pencil.
探险家的记录首先用铅笔写下来。在探险家提供证据之前， —

One waits until the explorer has furnished proofs, before putting them down in ink.
我们会等待一段时间，然后用墨水将它们记录下来。 —

“Well?” said the geographer expectantly.
“怎么样？”地理学家满怀期待地问道。 —

“Oh, where I live,” said the little prince, “it is not very interesting.
“哦，在我居住的地方，没什么有趣的。都很小。 —

It is all so small.
”小王子说道。 —

I have three volcanoes.
我有三座火山。 —

Two volcanoes are active and the other is extinct.
两座是活火山，另一座是死火山。 —

But one never knows.” “One never knows,” said the geographer.
但人们永远不会知道。“人们永远不会知道，”地理学家说道， —

“I have also a flower.” “We do not record flowers,” said the geographer.
“我也有一朵花。” “我们不记录花朵。”地理学家说道。 —

“Why is that? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!” “We do not record them,” said the geographer, “because they are ephemeral.” “What does that mean– ‘ephemeral’?” “Geographies,” said the geographer, “are the books which, of all books, are most concerned with matters of consequence.
“为什么呢？花朵是我星球上最美的事物！”“我们不记录它们，”地理学家说道，“因为它们是短暂的。” “什么叫做‘短暂’？”“地理学，”地理学家说道，“是关于最重要的事情的书籍中，最关注的书籍。” —

They never become old-fashioned.
“它们永远不会过时。” —

It is very rarely that a mountain changes its position.
山峰很少改变位置。 —

It is very rarely that an ocean empties itself of its waters.
海洋很少排空。 —

We write of eternal things.” “But extinct volcanoes may come to life again,” the little prince interrupted.
我们写关于永恒的事物。” “但是灭绝的火山可能再次活跃起来，”小王子插话道。 —

“What does that mean– ‘ephemeral’?” “Whether volcanoes are extinct or alive, it comes to the same thing for us,” said the geographer.
“那是什么意思 - ‘短暂’?””对于我们来说，火山是灭绝还是活跃，都一样，” 地理学家说。 —

“The thing that matters to us is the mountain.
“对我们来说重要的是这座山。 —

It does not change.” “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.
它不会改变。” “但是 ‘短暂’ 是什么意思?” 小王子重复道，他一生中从不放下一个问题，一旦他问过。 —

“It means, ‘which is in danger of speedy disappearance.’ ” “Is my flower in danger of speedy disappearance?” “Certainly it is.” “My flower is ephemeral,” the little prince said to himself, “and she has only four thorns to defend herself against the world.
“它的意思是‘可能迅速消失的’。”“我的花会迅速消失吗？”“当然会。”小王子自言自语地说：“我的花是短暂的，只有四根刺来保护她自己免受世界的伤害。” —

And I have left her on my planet, all alone!” That was his first moment of regret.
我把她孤单地留在我的星球上！”那是他第一次感到后悔。 —

But he took courage once more.
但他再次鼓起勇气。 —

“What place would you advise me to visit now?” he asked.
“你建议我现在去哪个地方参观？”他问道。 —

“The planet Earth,” replied the geographer.
地理学家回答道：“地球这个星球。 —

“It has a good reputation.” And the little prince went away, thinking of his flower.
它有良好的声誉。”小王子离去了，心里想着他的花朵。