小王子啊,就这样,我逐渐了解了你那充满忧伤的生活。原来在过去很长的时间里,你唯一的乐趣就是静默地观赏那夕阳西下的温柔晚景。这个新的细节是我在第四天早晨知道的。当时你对我说:“我喜欢日落。我们一起去看日落吧……”
“可是我们需要等待……”
“等什么?”
“等太阳落山。”
开始,你显得很惊讶,随后你笑自己的糊涂,然后说:“我总以为是在自己的星球呢!”
确实,大家都知道,美国的正午时分在法国正夕阳西下,只要在一分钟内赶到法国就可看到日落。可惜法国是那么的遥远。而在你那样的小行星上,我的小王子,你只要把你的椅子挪动几步就行了。这样,你便可随时看到你想看的夕阳余晖……
Chapter 6
Oh, little prince! Bit by bit I came to understand the secrets of your sad little life... For a long time you had found your only entertainment in the quiet pleasure of looking at the sunset. I learned that new detail on the morning of the fourth day, when you said to me: "I am very fond of sunsets. Come, let us go look at a sunset now.""But we must wait." I said.
"Wait For what"
"For the sunset. We must wait until it is time."At first you seemed to be very much surprised. And then you laughed to yourself. You said to me:"I am always thinking that I am at home!"Just so. Everybody knows that when it is noon in the United States the sun is setting over France.
If you could fly to France in one minute, you could go straight into the sunset, right from noon. Unfortunately, France is too far away for that. But on your tiny planet, my little prince, all you need do is move your chair a few steps. You can see the day end and the twilight falling whenever you like...
"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-three times!"And a little later you added:
"You know— one loves the sunset, when one is so sad...""Were you so sad, then" I asked, "on the day of the forty-three sunsets"But the little prince made no reply.