第二十六章
在水井旁边，有一面倾塌残缺的石墙。第二天晚上，我做完事情回来的时候，远远地看到小王子轻轻晃着双腿坐在墙上。我听见他说：“你怎么不记得了呢？”他说，“绝不是在这儿啊！”
大概还有另一个声音在回答他，因为他又说：“没错，没错，日子是对的，但地点不是这里……”
我继续朝石墙走去。我还是看不到人，也听不见任何声音。可是小王子又回答道：“当然。到时你会看到我在沙地上留的脚印。你在那里等着我就行了。今天晚上我会过去的。”
我离墙约有二十米远，可我依然什么也没有看见。
小王子沉默了一会儿又说：
“你的毒液管用吗？你保证不会让我痛苦很长时间吗？”
我停下脚步，心已碎，但我仍然不明白是怎么回事。
“现在你去吧，我要从墙上下来了！”小王子说。
于是，我也朝墙脚下看去，一下子就被吓到了。就在那里，有一条黄蛇正仰头冲着小王子。这种黄蛇半分钟就能结果人的性命。我一面赶紧掏口袋，拔出手枪，同时后退一步准备跑过去。可是一听到我出的声音，蛇却像落地的水柱一样，慢慢钻进沙里去。它不慌不忙地在石头的缝隙中钻动着，出轻轻的金属般的响声，从容地消失在石头之间。
我飞快到达墙边，正好用怀抱接住我的这位小王子。他的脸色雪一样苍白。
“怎么回事？你竟然和蛇也说起话来了！”
我解开他一直戴着的金黄色的围脖，用水浸湿他的太阳穴，让他喝了点水。此时，我什么也不敢再问他。他严肃地凝视着我，双手搂着我的脖子。我感到他的心就像一只被枪弹击中而濒于死亡的鸟一样在跳动着。他说：“我很高兴，你终于修好了飞机。你不久就可以回家去了……”
“你怎么知道的？”
我正是来告诉他，在没有任何希望的情况下，我成功地完成了修理工作。
他没有回答我的问题，接着说：
“我也一样，今天，要回家去了……”
然后，他忧伤地说：
“我回家要远得多……要难得多……”
我清楚地感到生了某种不寻常的事。我把他当作小孩一样紧紧抱在怀里，仿佛他径直地向着一个无底深渊坠下去，我想要拉住他，却什么也做不了……他的眼神很严肃，望着遥远的地方。
“我有你画的绵羊、羊的箱子和羊的嘴套子……”
他带着忧伤的神情微笑了。
我等了很长时间，才觉得他身子渐渐恢复过来。
“小家伙，你受惊了……”
他害怕了，这是无疑的！他却轻轻地笑着说：“今天晚上，我会更加害怕的……”
再一次，我因为感到一些不可挽回的事情而后背凉。这时我才明白：一想到再也不能听到这笑声，我就不能忍受。这笑声对我来说，就好像是沙漠中的甘泉一样。
“小家伙，我还想再听听你笑……”
但他对我说：
“今天夜里，正好是一年了。我的星球今晚会出现在我去年降落的那个地方的上空……”
“小家伙，这蛇的事、约会的事，还有星星，这全是一场噩梦吧？”
但他并不回答我的问题。他对我说：“重要的事，是看不见的……”
“是的，我懂……”
“就像那一朵花。如果你爱上了一朵生长在某颗星星上的花，每当你看着夜空就感到甜蜜愉快，仿佛所有的星星上都开着花。”
“是的，我懂……”
“这也就像水一样，由于那辘轳和绳子，你给我喝的水好像音乐一样美妙……你记得吗？这水非常好喝……”
“是的，我懂……”
“夜晚，你可以抬头看看星星。我的那颗太小了，我无法给你指出我的那颗星星是在哪里。这样倒更好。我的那颗星星就在这些星星之中。那么，所有的星星，你都会喜欢看的……这些星星都将成为你的朋友。而且，我还要给你一件礼物……”
他又笑了。
“啊！小家伙，小家伙，我喜欢听你这笑声！”
“这正好是我给你的礼物，这就好像水那样。”
“你到底想说什么？”
“所有的人都拥有星星。对旅行的人来说，星星是向导。对有的人来说，星星只是些小亮光。对学者来说，星星就是他们探讨的课题。对我遇见的那个商人来说，星星是财富。但对这些人来说，所有这些星星都不会说话。只有你的那些星星将是任何人都不曾有过的……”
“你到底想说什么？”
“夜晚，当你望着天空的时候，既然我就住在其中一颗星星上，既然我在其中一颗星星上笑着，那么对你来说，就好像所有的星星都在笑，那么你将拥有的星星就是会笑的星星！”
这时，他又笑了。
“那么，在你的悲伤得到慰藉时（时间会抚平一些伤痛），你就会因为认识我而感到满足。你将永远是我的朋友。你会同我一起笑。有时，你会为了那样的快乐而不知不觉地打开窗户。你的朋友们会奇怪地看着你傻笑着仰望天空。那时，你就可以对他们说：‘是的，星星总是让我笑！’他们会以为你疯了。这将是一个我在你身上玩的非常蹩脚的把戏……”
这时，他又笑了。
“这就好像我已经给你一大堆会笑出声来的小铃铛，而不是星星……”
他又笑了。随后他变得严肃起来：“今天夜里……你知道……不要来了。”
“我不会离开你的。”
“到时，我会看起来很痛苦……有点像正在死去。就是这么回事，你就别来看这些了，没有必要。”
“我不会离开你的。”
他担心起来。
“我叫你别来……这也是因为蛇的缘故。别让它咬了你……蛇是有剧毒的，这条蛇可能会咬你来取乐……”
“我不会离开你的。”
他似乎想到了什么，有点放心了：“对了，它咬第二口的时候就没有毒了……”
那天晚上，我没有看到他起程。他悄悄地离开了。当我终于赶上他的时候，他正坚定地快步走着。他只是对我说：“啊，你来了……”
他拉着我的手。但是他仍然很担心：“你不该来。你会难受的。到时我会像是死去一样，但这不会是真的……”
我无法开口。
“你明白，路很远。我不能带着这副身躯走。它太重了。”
我依然不语。
“但是，这就好像剥落的旧树皮一样。旧的树皮，并没有什么可悲的。”
我还是沉默不语。
他有些泄气了，但仍试着再次劝说我：“一切都会好起来，你知道。我也会看着星星的。所有的星星都将是带有生了锈的辘轳的井。所有的星星都会倒水给我喝……”
我还是沉默不语。
“那多么好玩啊！你将有五亿个铃铛，我将有五亿口水井……”
这时，他什么也不说了，因为他哭了。
“就这儿吧。让我自己走吧。”
他坐下来，因为他害怕了。他说：“你知道……我的花……我是要对她负责的！她是那么弱小！她是那么天真。她有四根微不足道的刺，保护自己，抵抗这个世界……”
我也坐了下来，因为我再也站立不住了。他说道：“就是现在……就这样了。”
他犹豫了一下，然后站起来。他迈出了最后一步。我一动都不能动。
当时一道黄色的闪电在他的脚踝子骨附近闪过。刹那间他一动也不动了。他没有叫喊，轻轻地像一棵树被砍倒在地上，连一点响声都没有，大概由于沙地的缘故吧。
Chaptr 26
Bsd th ll thr as th run of an old ston all. Whn I ca ack fro y ork, th nxt vnng, I sa fro so dstanc aay y lttl prc sttng on top of a all, th hs ft danglng. And I hard h say:"Thn you don’t rr. Ths s not th xact spot."Anothr voc ust hav ansrd h, for h rpld to t:"Ys, ys! It s th rght day, ut ths s not th plac."I contnud y alk toard th all. At no t dd I s or har anyon. Th lttl prnc, hovr, rpld onc agan:"—Exactly. You ll s hr y track gns, n th sand. You hav nothng to do ut at for thr. I shall thr tonght."I as only tnty trs fro th all, and I stll sa nothng.
Aftr a slnc th lttl prnc spok agan:"You hav good poson You ar sur that t ll not ak suffr too long"I stoppd n y tracks, y hart torn asundr; ut stll I dd not undrstand.
"No go aay," sad th lttl prnc. "I ant to gt don fro th all."I droppd y ys, thn, to th foot of th all— and I lapd nto th ar. Thr for , facng th lttl prnc, as on of thos yllo snaks that tak just thrty sconds to rng your lf to an nd. Evn as I as dggng nto y pockd to gt out y rvolvr I ad a runnng stp ack. But, at th nos I ad, th snak lt hslf flo asly across th sand lk th dyng spray of a fountan, and, n no apparnt hurry, dsappard, th a lght tallc sound, aong th stons.
I rachd th all just n t to catch y lttl an n y ars; hs fac as ht as sno.
"What dos ths an" I dandd. "Why ar you talkng th snaks"I had loosnd th goldn ufflr that h alays or. I had ostnd hs tpls, and had gvn h so atr to drnk. And no I dd not dar ask h any or qustons. H lookd at vry gravly, and put hs ars around y nck. I flt hs hart atng lk th hart of a dyng rd, shot th soon’s rfl...
"I a glad that you hav found hat as th attr th your ngn," h sad. "No you can go ack ho—""Ho do you kno aout that"
I as just cong to tll h that y ork had n succssful, yond anythng that I had dard to hop. H ad no ansr to y quston, ut h addd:"I, too, a gong ack ho today..."Thn, sadly—
"It s uch farthr... t s uch or dffcult..."I ralsd clarly that sothng xtraordnary as happnng. I as holdng h clos n y ars as f h r a lttl chld; and yt t sd to that h as rushng hadlong toard an ayss fro hch I could do nothng to rstran h...
Hs look as vry srous, lk so on lost far aay.
"I hav your shp. And I hav th shp’s ox. And I hav th uzzl..." And h gav a sad sl.
I atd a long t. I could s that h as rvvng lttl y lttl.
"Dar lttl an," I sad to h, "you ar afrad..."H as afrad, thr as no dout aout that. But h laughd lghtly.
"I shall uch or afrad ths vnng..."Onc agan I flt yslf frozn y th sns of sothng rrparal. And I kn that I could not ar th thought of nvr harng that laughtr any or. For , t as lk a sprng of frsh atr n th dsrt.
"Lttl an," I sad, "I ant to har you laugh agan."But h sad to :
"Tonght, t ll a yar... y star, thn, can found rght aov th plac hr I ca to th Earth, a yar ago...""Lttl an," I sad, "tll that t s only a ad dra— ths affar of th snak, and th tng-plac, and th star..."But h dd not ansr y pla. H sad to , nstad: "Th thng that s portant s th thng that s not sn...""Ys, I kno..."
"It s just as t s th th flor. If you lov a flor that lvs on a star, t s st to look at th sky at nght. All th stars ar a-loo th flors...""Ys, I kno..."
"It s just as t s th th atr. Bcaus of th pully, and th rop, hat you gav to drnk as lk usc. You rr— ho good t as.""Ys, I kno..."
"And at nght you ll look up at th stars. Whr I lv vrythng s so sall that I cannot sho you hr y star s to found. It s ttr, lk that. My star ll just on of th stars, for you. And so you ll lov to atch all th stars n th havns... thy ll all your frnds. And, sds, I a gong to ak you a prsnt..."H laughd agan.
"Ah, lttl prnc, dar lttl prnc! I lov to har that laughtr!""That s y prsnt. Just that. It ll as t as hn drank th atr...""What ar you tryng to say"
"All n hav th stars," h ansrd, "ut thy ar not th sa thngs for dffrnt popl. For so, ho ar travlrs, th stars ar guds. For othrs thy ar no or than lttl lghts n th sky. For othrs, ho ar scholars, thy ar prols . For y usnssan thy r alth. But all ths stars ar slnt. You— you alon— ll hav th stars as no on ls has th—""What ar you tryng to say"
"In on of th stars I shall lvng. In on of th I shall laughng. And so t ll as f all th stars r laughng, hn you look at th sky at nght... you— only you— ll hav stars that can laugh!"And h laughd agan.
"And hn your sorro s cofortd (t sooths all sorros) you ll contnt that you hav knon . You ll alays y frnd. You ll ant to laugh th . And you ll sots opn your ndo, so, for that plasur... and your frnds ll proprly astonshd to s you laughng as you look up at th sky! Thn you ll say to th, ‘Ys, th stars alays ak laugh!‘ And thy ll thnk you ar crazy. It ll a vry shay trck that I shall hav playd on you..."And h laughd agan.
"It ll as f, n plac of th stars, I had gvn you a grat nur of lttl lls that kn ho to laugh..."And h laughd agan. Thn h quckly ca srous:"Tonght— you kno... do not co," sad th lttl prnc.
"I shall not lav you," I sad.
"I shall look as f I r suffrng. I shall look a lttl as f I r dyng. It s lk that. Do not co to s that. It s not orth th troul...""I shall not lav you."
But h as orrd.
"I tll you— t s also caus of th snak. H ust not t you. Snaks— thy ar alcous craturs. Ths on ght t you just for fun...""I shall not lav you."
But a thought ca to rassur h:"It s tru that thy hav no or poson for a scond t."That nght I dd not s h st out on hs ay. H got aay fro thout akng a sound. Whn I succdd n catchng up th h h as alkng along th a quck and rsolut stp. H sad to rly:"Ah! You ar thr..."
And h took y th hand. But h as stll orryng.
"It as rong of you to co. You ll suffr. I shall look as f I r dad; and that ll not tru..."I sad nothng.
"You undrstand... t s too far. I cannot carry ths ody th . It s too havy."I sad nothng.
"But t ll lk an old aandond shll. Thr s nothng sad aout old shlls..."I sad nothng.
H as a lttl dscouragd. But h ad on or ffort:"You kno, t ll vry nc. I, too, shall look at th stars. All th stars ll lls th a rusty pully. All th stars ll pour out frsh atr for to drnk..."I sad nothng.
"That ll so ausng! You ll hav fv hundrd llon lttl lls, and I shall hav fv hundrd llon sprngs of frsh atr..."And h too sad nothng or, cuas h as cryng...
"Hr t s. Lt go on y yslf."And h sat don, caus h as afrad. Thn h sad, agan:"You kno— y flor... I a rsponsl for hr. And sh s so ak! Sh s so nav! Sh has four thorns, of no us at all, to protct hrslf aganst all th orld..."I too sat don, caus I as not al to stand up any longr.
"Thr no— that s all..."
H stll hstatd a lttl; thn h got up. H took on stp. I could not ov.
Thr as nothng ut a flash of yllo clos to hs ankl. H rand otonlss for an nstant. H dd not cry out. H fll as gntly as a tr falls. Thr as not vn any sound, caus of th sand.