the narrator speculates as to which asteroid from which the little prince came I had thus learned a second fact of great importance:
叙述者推测，小王子来自哪颗小行星，于是我获得了第二个重要的事实： —

this was that the planet the little prince came from was scarcely any larger than a house!
这个小王子来自的星球几乎没有比一座房子大多少！ —

But that did not really surprise me much.
但这并没有让我感到太惊讶。 —

I knew very well that in addition to the great planets– such as the Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Venus– to which we have given names, there are also hundreds of others, some of which are so small that one has a hard time seeing them through the telescope.
我非常了解除了我们起名字的大行星——比如地球、木星、火星、金星——还有数以百计的其他行星, 其中有一些非常小，甚至用望远镜都很难看到。 —

When an astronomer discovers one of these he does not give it a name, but only a number.
当一位天文学家发现其中之一时，他并不给它起个名字，只给它编了一个编号。 —

He might call it, for example, “Asteroid 325.” I have serious reason to believe that the planet from which the little prince came is the asteroid known as B-612. This asteroid has only once been seen through the telescope.
例如，他可能称之为“325号小行星”。我有充分的理由相信小王子来的那颗星球就是被称为B-612的小行星。这颗小行星只被望远镜看到过一次。 —

That was by a Turkish astronomer, in 1909.
这是一个土耳其天文学家在1909年发现的。 —

On making his discovery, the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration.
在发现后，天文学家在国际天文学会议上进行了一次盛大的演示。 —

But he was in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe what he said. Grown-ups are like that.
但是他穿着土耳其服装，所以没有人相信他说的话。成年人都是这样的。 —

.. Fortunately, however, for the reputation of Asteroid B-612, a Turkish dictator made a law that his subjects, under pain of death, should change to European costume.
.. 幸运的是，为了保护小行星B-612的声誉，一位土耳其独裁者颁布了一项法律，规定他的臣民必须换上欧洲服装，否则将面临死亡。 —

So in 1920 the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again, dressed with impressive style and elegance.
所以在1920年，这位天文学家以引人注目的风格和优雅的服饰进行了他的演示。 —

And this time everybody accepted his report.
这一次，每个人都接受了他的报告。 —

If I have told you these details about the asteroid, and made a note of its number for you, it is on account of the grown-ups and their ways.
我告诉你这些小行星的细节，还有它的编号，是因为成年人及其行为方式。 —

When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters.
当你告诉他们你交了一个新朋友时，他们从不问你任何关键问题。 —

They never say to you, “What does his voice sound like?
他们从不问你，“他的声音听起来怎么样？ —

What games does he love best?
他最喜欢什么游戏？ —

Does he collect butterflies?” Instead, they demand: “How old is he?
他收集蝴蝶吗？ —

How many brothers has he?
—

How much does he weigh?
他体重多少？ —

How much money does his father make?” Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
他父亲赚多少钱？只有从这些数字中他们才认为他们了解了他。如果你对成年人说：“我看到了一座漂亮的房子，由粉红色的砖头建成，窗户上有天竺葵， —

If you were to say to the grown-ups:
屋顶上有鸽子”，他们根本无法对那座房子有任何想象。 —

“I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof,” they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all.
你必须对他们说：“我看到了一座价值20, 000美元的房子。”然后他们会惊叹道：“哦，这是一座多么漂亮的房子！”就像这样，你可以对他们说： —

You would have to say to them:
“小王子存在的证据是他很迷人， —

“I saw a house that cost $20,000.” Then they would exclaim:
他笑了，他在寻找一只羊。 —

“Oh, what a pretty house that is!” Just so, you might say to them:
如果有人想要一只羊，那就是他存在的证明。” —

“The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming, that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep.
告诉他们这有什么好处呢？他们会耸耸肩，对你像对待一个孩子。但如果你对他们说： —

If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists.” And what good would it do to tell them that?
“我看到了一座由粉红色的砖头建造的漂亮房子，窗户上有天竺葵，屋顶上有鸽子”，他们根本无法对那座房子有任何想象。你必须对他们说：“我看到了一座价值20,000美元的房子。 —

They would shrug their shoulders, and treat you like a child.
”然后他们会惊叹道：“哦，这是一座多么漂亮的房子！”就像这样， —

But if you said to them:
你可以对他们说： —

“The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612,” then they would be convinced, and leave you in peace from their questions.
他来自的星球是B-612小行星，他们会被说服，并停止对你的问题纠缠。 —

They are like that. One must not hold it against them.
他们就是这样，我们不能对他们怀恨在心。 —

Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.
孩子们应该对成年人始终表现出极大的忍耐。 —

But certainly, for us who understand life, figures are a matter of indifference.
但对于了解生活的我们来说，数字并不重要。 —

I should have liked to begin this story in the fashion of the fairy-tales.
我应该想用童话的方式开始这个故事。 —

I should have like to say:
我应该像这样说： —

“Once upon a time there was a little prince who lived on a planet that was scarcely any bigger than himself, and who had need of a sheep.
“从前有一个小王子，他住在一个几乎和他本人一样小的星球上，他需要一只绵羊。 —

..” To those who understand life, that would have given a much greater air of truth to my story.
。。对于那些了解生活的人来说，这会给我的故事增添更多真实感。 —

For I do not want any one to read my book carelessly.
因为我不希望任何人漫不经心地阅读我的书。 —

I have suffered too much grief in setting down these memories.
在记录这些回忆时，我受到了太多的痛苦。 —

Six years have already passed since my friend went away from me, with his sheep.
自从我的朋友带着他的绵羊离开我已经过去了六年。 —

If I try to describe him here, it is to make sure that I shall not forget him.
如果我试图在这里描述他，那是为了确保我不会忘记他。 —

To forget a friend is sad.
忘记一个朋友是悲伤的。 —

Not every one has had a friend.
不是每个人都拥有朋友。 —

And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures.
而且，如果我忘记他，我可能会变得像那些只对数字感兴趣的成年人一样。 —

.. It is for that purpose, again, that I have bought a box of paints and some pencils.
..这也是为了这个目的，我买了一盒颜料和一些铅笔。 —

It is hard to take up drawing again at my age, when I have never made any pictures except those of the boa constrictor from the outside and the boa constrictor from the inside, since I was six.
在我这个年纪重新开始画画很难，因为除了六岁时画的外观和内脏的蟒蛇以外，我从来没有画过其他的图片。 —

I shall certainly try to make my portraits as true to life as possible.
我一定会尽量让我的肖像尽可能真实。 —

But I am not at all sure of success.
但我并不确定是否会成功。 —

One drawing goes along all right, and another has no resemblance to its subject.
一个画画进行得不错，而另一个却与主题毫无相似之处。 —

I make some errors, too, in the little prince’s height:
我还在小王子的身高上犯了一些错误：在一个地方他太高， —

in one place he is too tall and in another too short.
在另一个地方又太矮。 —

And I feel some doubts about the color of his costume.
我对他的服装颜色也有些疑虑。 —

So I fumble along as best I can, now good, now bad, and I hope generally fair-to-middling.
所以我尽力挣扎着进行，有时好，有时坏，希望通常还算中等偏上。 —

In certain more important details I shall make mistakes, also. But that is something that will not be my fault.
在某些更重要的细节上，我也会犯错。但那将不是我的错。 —

My friend never explained anything to me.
我的朋友从未向我解释过任何事情。 —

He thought, perhaps, that I was like himself.
或许，他认为我和他一样。 —

But I, alas, do not know how to see sheep through the walls of boxes.
但是，唉，我不知道如何透过盒子的墙壁看到绵羊。 —

Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups.
或许我有点像大人了。 —

I have had to grow old.
我不得不变老。