小王子 第3期:無煙的沙漠

So I lived my life alone, without anyone that I could really talk to, until I hadan accident with my plane in the Desert of Sahara, six years ago.

我就這樣孤獨地生活著，沒有一個能真正談得來的人，一直到六年前在撒哈拉沙漠上發(fā)生了那次故障。

Something was broken in my engine.

我的發(fā)動機(jī)里有個東西損壞了。

And as I had with me neither a mechanic nor any passengers, I set myself to attempt the difficult repairs all alone.

當(dāng)時由于我既沒有帶機(jī)械師也沒有帶旅客，我就試圖獨自完成這個困難的維修工作。

It was a question of life or death for me: I had scarcely enough drinking water to last a week.

這對我來說是個生與死的問題。我隨身帶的水只夠飲用一星期。

The first night, then, I went to sleep on the sand, a thousand miles from any human habitation.

第一天晚上我就睡在這遠(yuǎn)離人間煙火的大沙漠上。

I was more isolated than a shipwrecked sailor on a raft in the middle of the ocean.

我比大海中伏在小木排上的遇難者還要孤獨得多。

Thus you can imagine my amazement, at sunrise,when I was awakened by an odd little voice.

而在第二天拂曉，當(dāng)一個奇怪的小聲音叫醒我的時候，你們可以想見我當(dāng)時是多么吃驚。

It said:"If you please– draw me a sheep!”

這小小的聲音說道：“請你給我畫一只羊，好嗎?”

What!

啊!

Draw me a sheep!

給我畫一只羊…

I jumped to my feet, completely thunderstruck. I blinked my eyes hard.

我象是受到驚雷轟擊一般，一下子就站立起來。

I looked carefully all around me.

我使勁地揉了揉眼睛，仔細(xì)地看了看。

And I saw a most extraordinary small person,who stood there examining me with great seriousness.

我看見一個十分奇怪的小家伙嚴(yán)肅地朝我凝眸望著。

Here you may see the best portrait that, later, I was able to make of him.

這是后來我給他畫出來的最好的一副畫像。

But my drawing is certainly very much less charming than its model.

可是，我的畫當(dāng)然要比他本人的模樣遜色得多。

That, however, is not my fault.

這不是我的過錯。

The grown-ups discouraged me in my painter’s career when I was six years old, and I never learned to draw anything,

六歲時，大人們使我對我的畫家生涯失去了勇氣，

except boas from the outside and boas from the inside.

除了畫過開著肚皮和閉著肚皮的蟒蛇，后來再沒有學(xué)過畫。

Now I stared at this sudden apparition with my eyes fairly starting out of my head inastonishment.

我驚奇地睜大著眼睛看著這突然出現(xiàn)的小家伙。