The Little Prince（chapter10）

chapter10 He found himself in the neighborhood of the asteroids 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, and 330. Hebegan, therefore, by visiting them, in order to add to his knowledge. The first of themwas inhabited by a king. Clad in royal purple and ermine, he was seated upon athrone which was at the same time both simple and majestic. "Ah! Here isa subject," exclaimed the king, when he saw the little prince coming. And the littleprince asked himself: "How could he recognize me when he had never seen me before He did not knowhow the world is simplified for kings. To them, all men are subjects. "Approach, sothat I may see you better," said the king, who felt consumingly proud ofbeing at last a king over somebody. The little princelooked everywhere to find a place to sit down; but the entire planet wascrammed and obstructed by the king‘s magnificent ermine robe. So he remainedstanding upright, and, since he was tired, he yawned. "It iscontrary to etiquette to yawn in the presence of a king," the monarch saidto him. "I forbid you to do so." "I can‘t helpit. I can‘t stop myself," replied the little prince, thoroughly embarrassed."I have come on a long journey, and I have had no sleep..." "Ah,then," the king said. "I order you to yawn. It is years since I haveseen anyone yawning. Yawns, to me, are objects of curiosity. Come, now! Yawnagain! It is an order." 国王说：“那好吧，我命令你打哈欠。好些年来我没有看见过任何人打哈欠。对我来说，打哈欠倒是新奇的事。来吧，再打个哈欠！这是命令。” "Thatfrightens me... I cannot, any more..." murmured the little prince, now completelyabashed. “这倒叫我有点紧张…我打不出哈欠来了…”小王子红着脸说。 "Hum!Hum!" replied the king. "Then I-- I order you sometimes to yawn and sometimesto--" He sputtered a little, and seemed vexed. “嗯！嗯！”国王回答道：“那么我…命令你忽而打哈欠，忽而…”他嘟嘟囔囔，显出有点恼怒。 For what the kingfundamentally insisted upon was that his authority should be respected. Hetolerated no disobedience. He was an absolute monarch. But, because he was avery good man, he made his orders reasonable. 因为国王所要求的主要是保持他的威严受到尊敬。他不能容忍不听他的命令。他是一位绝对的君主。可是，他却很善良，他下的命令都是有理智的。 "If I ordereda general," he would say, by way of example, "if I ordered a generalto change himself into a sea bird, and if the general did not obey me, that wouldnot be the fault of the general. It would be my fault." 他常常说：“如果我叫一位将军变成一只海鸟，而这位将军不服从我的命令，那么这就不是将军的过错，而是我的过错。” "May I sitdown?" came now a timid inquiry from the little prince. 小王子腼腆地试探道：“我可以坐下吗？” "I order youto do so," the king answered him, and majestically gathered in a fold ofhis ermine mantle. “我命令你坐下。”国王一边回答，一边庄重地把他那白底黑花皮袍大襟挪动了一下。 But the littleprince was wondering... The planet was tiny. Over what could this king reallyrule? 可是小王子感到很奇怪。这么小的行星，国王他对什么进行统治呢？ "Sire,"he said to him, "I beg that you will excuse my asking you aquestion--" 他对国王说：“陛下…请原谅，我想问您…” "I order youto ask me a question," the king hastened to assure him. 国王急忙抢着说道：“我命令你问我。” "Sire-- overwhat do you rule?" “陛下…你统治什么呢？” "Overeverything," said the king, with magnificent simplicity. 国王非常简单明了地说：“我统治一切。” "Overeverything?" “一切？” The king made agesture, which took in his planet, the other planets, and all the stars. 国王轻轻地用手指着他的行星和其他的行星，以及所有的星星。 "Over allthat?" asked the little prince. 小王子说：“统治这一切？” "Over allthat," the king answered. “统治这一切。” For his rule wasnot only absolute: it was also universal. 原来他不仅是一个绝对的君主，而且是整个宇宙的君主。 "And thestars obey you?" “那么，星星都服从您吗？” "Certainlythey do," the king said. "They obey instantly. I do not permit insubordination." “那当然！”国王对他说，“它们立即就得服从。我是不允许无纪律的。” Such power was athing for the little prince to marvel at. If he had been master of such completeauthority, he would have been able to watch the sunset, not forty-four times inone day, but seventy-two, or even a hundred, or even two hundred times, without ever having to move his chair. And because he felt a bit sad as he rememberedhis little planet which he had forsaken, he plucked up his courage to ask theking a favor: "I should like to see a sunset... do me that kindness...Order the sun to set..." 这样的权力使小王子惊叹不已。如果掌握了这样的权力，那么，他一天就不只是看到四十三次日落，而可以看到七十二次，甚至一百次，或是二百次日落，也不必要去挪动椅子了！由于他想起了他那被遗弃的小星球，心里有点难过，他大胆地向国王提出了一个请求：“我想看日落，请求您…命令太阳落山吧…” "If I ordereda general to fly from one flower to another like a butterfly, or to write a tragicdrama, or to change himself into a sea bird, and if the general did not carryout the order that he had received, which one of us would be in thewrong?" the king demanded. "The general, or myself?" 国王说道：“如果我命令一个将军象一只蝴蝶那样从这朵花飞到那朵花，或者命令他写作一个悲剧剧本或者变一只海鸟，而如果这位将军接到命令不执行的话，那么，是他不对还是我不对呢？” "You,"said the little prince firmly. “那当然是您的不对。”小王子肯定地回答。 "Exactly. Onemuch require from each one the duty which each one can perform," the kingwent on. "Accepted authority rests first of all on reason. If you orderedyour people to go and throw themselves into the sea, they would rise up in revolution.I have the right to require obedience because my orders are reasonable." “一点也不错，”国王接着说，“向每个人提出的要求应该是他们所能做到的。权威首先应该建立在理性的基础上。如果命令你的老百姓去投海，他们非起来革命不可。我的命令是合理的，所以我有权要别人服从。” "Then mysunset?" the little prince reminded him: for he never forgot a question oncehe had asked it. “那么我提出的日落呢？”小王子一旦提出一个问题，他是不会忘记这个问题的。 "You shallhave your sunset. I shall command it. But, according to my science of government,I shall wait until conditions are favorable." “日落么，你会看到的。我一定要太阳落山，不过按照我的统治科学，我得等到条件成熟的时候。” "When willthat be?" inquired the little prince. 小王子问道：“这要等到什么时候呢？” "Hum!Hum!" replied the king; and before saying anything else he consulted a bulkyalmanac. "Hum! Hum! That will be about-- about-- that will be this eveningabout twenty minutes to eight. And you will see how well I am obeyed." 国王在回答之前，首先翻阅了一本厚厚的日历，嘴里慢慢说道：“嗯！嗯！日落大约…大约…在今晚七时四十分的时候！你将看到我的命令一定会被服从的。” The little princeyawned. He was regretting his lost sunset. And then, too, he was alreadybeginning to be a little bored. "I have nothing more to do here," hesaid to the king. "So I shall set out on my way again." 小王子又打起哈欠来了。他遗憾没有看到日落。他有点厌烦了，他对国王说：“我没有必要再呆在这儿了。我要走了。” "Do not go," said the king, who wasvery proud of having a subject. "Do not go. I will make you aMinister!" 这位因为刚刚有了一个臣民而十分骄傲自得的国王说道：“别走，别走。我任命你当大臣。” "Minister ofwhat?" “什么大臣” "Minster of--of Justice!" “嗯……司法大臣！” "But there isnobody here to judge!" “可是，这儿没有一个要审判的人。” "We do notknow that," the king said to him. "I have not yet made a complete tourof my kingdom. I am very old. There is no room here for a carriage. And ittires me to walk." “很难说呀，”国王说道。“我很老了，我这地方又小，没有放銮驾的地方，另外，一走路我就累。因此我还没有巡视过我的王国呢！” "Oh, but Ihave looked already!" said the little prince, turning around to give onemore glance to the other side of the planet. On that side, as on this, therewas nobody at all... “噢！可是我已经看过了。”小王子说道，并探身朝星球的那一侧看了看。那边也没有一个人… "Then youshall judge yourself," the king answered. "that is the most difficultthing of all. It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of truewisdom." “那么你就审判你自己呀！”国王回答他说。“这可是最难的了。审判自己比审判别人要难得多啊！你要是能审判好自己，你就是一个真正有才智的人。” "Yes,"said the little prince, "but I can judge myself anywhere. I do not need tolive on this planet. “我吗，随便在什么地方我都可以审度自己。我没有必要留在这里。” "Hum!Hum!" said the king. "I have good reason to believe that somewhere onmy planet there is an old rat. I hear him at night. You can judge this old rat.From time to time you will condemn him to death. Thus his life will depend onyour justice. But you will pardon him on each occasion; for he must be treatedthriftily. He is the only one we have." 国王又说：“嗯…嗯…我想，在我的星球上有一只老耗子。夜里，我听见它的声音。你可以审判它，不时地判处它死刑。因此它的生命取决于你的判决。可是，你要有节制地使用这只耗子，每次判刑后都要赦免它，因为只有这一只耗子。” "I,"replied the little prince, "do not like to condemn anyone to death. Andnow I think I will go on my way." “可是我不愿判死刑，我想我还是应该走。”小王子回答道。 "No,"said the king. “不行。”国王说。 But the littleprince, having now completed his preparations for departure, had no wish togrieve the old monarch. "If Your Majesty wishes to be promptlyobeyed," he said, "he should be able to give me a reasonable order.He should be able, for example, to order me to be gone by the end of oneminute. It seems to me that conditions are favorable..." 但是小王子，准备完毕之后，不想使老君主难过，说道：“如果国王陛下想要不折不扣地得到服从，你可以给我下一个合理的命令。比如说，你可以命令我，一分钟之内必须离开。我认为这个条件是成熟的…” As the king madeno answer, the little prince hesitated a moment. Then, with a sigh, he took hisleave. 国王什么也没有回答。起初，小王子有些犹疑不决，随后叹了口气，就离开了… "I made youmy Ambassador," the king called out, hastily. “我派你当我的大使。”国王匆忙地喊道。 He had amagnificent air of authority. 国王显出非常有权威的样子。 "Thegrown-ups are very strange," the little prince said to himself, as he continuedon his journey. 小王子在旅途中自言自语地说：“这些大人真奇怪。”