小王子 第57期:一条黄蛇

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在井旁边有一堵残缺的石墙。

When I came back from my work, the next evening, I saw from some distance away my little price sitting on top of a wall, with his feet dangling¹.

第二天晚上我工作回来的时候，我远远地看见了小王子耷拉着双腿坐在墙上。

And I heard him say:"Then you don't remember. This is not the exact spot."

我听见他在说话：“你怎么不记得了呢？”他说，“绝不是在这儿。”

Another voice must have answered him, for he replied to it: "Yes, yes! It is the right day, but this is not the place."

大概还有另一个声音在回答他，因为他答着腔说道：“没错，没错，日子是对的；但地点不是这里…”

I continued my walk toward the wall. At no time did I see or hear anyone.

我继续朝墙走去。我还是看不到，也听不见任何别人。

The little prince, however, replied once again,

可是小王子又回答道：

Exactly. You will see where my track begins, in the sand.

那当然。你会在沙上看到我的脚印是从什么地方开始的。

You have nothing to do but wait for me there. I shall be there tonight.

你在那里等着我就行了。今天夜里我去那里。

I was only twenty metres from the wall, and I still saw nothing.

我离墙约有二十米远，可我依然什么也没有看见。

After a silence the little prince spoke² again: "You have good poison? You are sure that it will not make me suffer too long?"

小王子沉默了一会又说：“你的毒液管用吗？你保证不会使我长时间地痛苦吗？”

I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder³; but still I did not understand.

我焦虑地赶上前去，但我仍然不明白是怎么回事。

"Now go away," said the little prince. "I want to get down from the wall."

“现在你去吧，我要下来了！…”小王子说。

I dropped my eyes, then, to the foot of the wall, and I leaped into the air.

于是，我也朝墙脚下看去，我吓了一跳。

There before me, facing the little prince, was one of those yellow snakes that take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end.

就在那里，一条黄蛇直起身子冲着小王子。这种黄蛇半分钟就能结果你的性命。

Even as I was digging into my pocked to get out my revolver I made a running step back.

我一面赶紧掏口袋，拔出手枪，一面跑过去。

But, at the noise I made, the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like the dying spray of a fountain,

可是一听到我的脚步声，蛇却象一股干涸了的水柱一样，慢慢钻进沙里去。

and, in no apparent⁴ hurry, disappeared, with a light metallic⁵ sound,among the stones.

它不慌不忙地在石头的缝隙中钻动着，发出轻轻的金属般的响声。

I reached the wall just in time to catch my little man in my arms; his face was white as snow.

我到达墙边的时候，正好把我的这位小王子接在我的怀抱中。他的脸色雪一样惨白。

"What does this mean?" I demanded. "Why are you talking with snakes?"

这是搞的什么名堂！你怎么竟然和蛇也谈起心来了！

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