刘博士英语原著阅读陪伴第21天：《小王子》- 治愈心灵的秘密（1）

“在我看来，你现在和其他成千上万的小孩一样没有什么不同。我并不需要你。而你呢，你也不需要我。在你看来，我和其他成千上万只狐狸也都是一样的。可是如果你驯服我的话，那样我们就会彼此需要对方了。对我来说，你就是全世界独一无二的。对你来说，我也会是全世界独一无二的……”

"To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."

“狐狸说：‘人是根本没时间去理解任何东西的。他们只会在商店里买现成的东西。可是根本就没有一个商店是可以买到友谊的，所以人就再也没有朋友了。如果你想找一个朋友的话，驯服我吧……’”

…said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me..."

《小王子》第20章

【本章导读】第21章包含了整个《小王子》的秘密，也包含了所有关于拥有，关于爱，关于独一无二，以及关于生命意义的秘密。我和我那位热爱小王子的法国朋友一样，每当我心情低落时，我就会翻开这一章读给自己听。让小王子的秘密和我自己的泪水将我受伤的心灵治愈…

本章的上半部分：当小王子得知自己最心爱的花儿并不是“独一无二”的时候，他第一次哭了。狐狸就是在这个时候出现的。狐狸告诉了小王子，并教会了小王子，什么是“驯服”，什么是“独一无二”。

什么是驯服（tame）?

狐狸给对驯服（tame）一词的定义是“to establish ties”。我很抱歉，我在中文中找不到能准确包含隐藏在这一英语定义背后的情感意义，我只能尽可能翻译成“建立（情感）联系/关系/纽带”。这个翻译会漏掉所有的英语内涵。我试着用我们日常的口语来解释吧。我们常说感情或是爱是一种“来电”，英语会把这种来电过程称之为“chemistry”（化学反应），它的结果是形成一种“tie”，或是一种“bond”, 也就是两种感情反应所形成的一种新情感（就如同新的化合物一般），它们彼此依附对方而存在（emotional attachment）,它们不再分离（bond）。

狐狸还用比喻给小王子（也给我们大人们）解释了这种“驯服”的情感意义。金色的麦田对于狐狸来说原本是没有意义的，可是当狐狸被小王子驯服（或是当狐狸爱上小王子）的时候，麦田的金色就会让狐狸联想起（思念起）小王子那金色的头发。从此。麦田在狐狸的眼里也就有了新的意义。其实，中文里有一个表面意义很相近的成语：爱屋及乌。

“爱”是“被驯服/被征服”，而不是驯服和征服。可惜我们大人已经无法理解了。当你被爱驯服的时候，你爱的人就是全世界独一无二的了。而我们总是希望在驯服，在征服中找到爱，结果我们把自己当成了独一无二的人，而我们不再拥有“独一无二”的她。

【刘博士译文】

《小王子》

第21章 小王子和狐狸成为了朋友

狐狸就是在这个时候出现的。

“你好，”狐狸说。

“你好，”小王子有礼貌地回答道，不过当他转过身来却什么也没看见。

“我就在这儿呢，”那个声音说，“就在苹果树底下。”

“你是谁呀？”小王子问道，他又加了一句，“你看起来好漂亮呀。”

“我是一只狐狸，”狐狸说。

“来和我一起玩吧，”小王子提议说，“我现在可不开心啦。”

“我不能和你玩，”狐狸说，“我还没有被人驯服呢。”

“哦！对不起。”小王子说。

可是，他想了一会儿，又问道：“驯服--那是什么意思呀？”

“你不是这儿的人吧，”狐狸说，你在找什么呀？”

“我在找人，”小王子说，“驯服—究竟是什么意思呀？”

“人？”狐狸说，“他们都是有枪的，他们还打猎。这可让我非常担心害怕的。对了，他们还养小鸡。这些是他们所有的乐趣啦。你也在寻找小鸡吗？”

“不，”小王子说，“我在找朋友呢。驯服—究竟是什么意思嘛？”

“这个做法呀，现在大多数时候已经被人给搞忘了，”狐狸说，“它的意就是建立（情感）联系。”

“‘建立（情感）联系’？”

“是这么回事，”狐狸说，“在我看来，你现在和其他成千上万的小孩一样没有什么不同。我并不需要你。而你呢，你也不需要我。在你看来，我和其他成千上万只狐狸也都是一样的。可是如果你驯服我的话，那样我们将会彼此需要了。对我来说，你就是全世界独一无二的。对你来说，我也会是全世界独一无二的……”

“我想我开始明白了，”小王子说，“有一朵花…我想她已经驯服了我……”

“这很可能，”狐狸说道，“在地球上呀，什么事情你都有可能见着的。”

“额，不过这朵花不是长在地球上的！”小王子说。

狐狸似乎给搞糊涂了，他的好奇心也上来了。

“是在另一个星球上？”

“是的。”

“这个星球上有猎人吗？”

“没有。”

“哦，那真有意义！星球上有小鸡吗？”

“没有。”

“没有什么东西是完美无缺的，”狐狸叹了口气。

不过他又回到了之前的话题。

“我的生活可单调啦，”狐狸说，“我抓小鸡，人捕猎我。所有的小鸡都是一样的，所有的人也都一样。所以，后来呀我就觉得没意思了。不过，如果你驯服我的话，我就会觉得太阳又照进了我的生活。我就能在所有人的脚步声中认出你那与众不同的脚步声。其他的脚步声会让我吓得赶紧躲回到地底下，而你的脚步声却会像音乐般呼唤我走出洞穴。还有啊，你看，看见那边的麦田了吗？我可不吃面包，所以麦子对我一点用也没有。麦田就更不用说了。这真可惜。可是你有着（麦子般）金色的头发。想想吧，如果你驯服我的话，那会是多么的棒！麦粒也是金色的，它一下子让我想起你啦。然后，我就我也就会喜欢听风中的麦浪声啦……”

狐狸凝视着小王子，他看了许久。

“求你啦--驯服我吧！”他说。

“我也想呀，非常地想，”小王子回答道，可是我没多少时间。我要去寻找朋友，我还有很多要去了解的东西。”

“一个人顶多能了解他能驯服的东西。”狐狸说：人是根本没时间去理解任何东西的。他们只会在商店里买现成的东西。可是根本就没有一个商店是可以买到友谊的，所以人就再也没有朋友了。如果你想找一个朋友的话，驯服我吧……”

“我必须要怎么做，才能驯服你呢？”小王子问道。

“你一定得非常有耐心才行，”狐狸回答说，“首先呀，你要在离我有段距离的地方—就像是这样—在草地上坐下来。然后我会用眼角偷偷地看你，而你什么话也不用说。语言是误解的根源。不过你要每天都坐得离我近那么一点……”

【本节音频】

【the English Text】

The Little Prince

Chapter 21 the little prince befriends the fox 01

It was then that the fox appeared.

"Good morning," said the fox.

"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.

"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree."

"Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."

"I am a fox," said the fox.

"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy."

"I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."

"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince.

But, after some thought, he added: "What does that mean “tame”?"

"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"

"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean ‘tame‘?"

"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"

"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean ‘tame‘?"

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."

"‘To establish ties‘?"

"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."

"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..."

"It is possible," said the fox. "On the Earth one sees all sorts of things."

"Oh, but this is not on the Earth!" said the little prince.

The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.

"On another planet?"

"Yes."

"Are there hunters on this planet?"

"No."

"Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?"

"No."

"Nothing is perfect," sighed the fox.

But he came back to his idea.

"My life is very monotonous," the fox said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat..."

The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time.

"Please-tame me!" he said.

"I want to, very much," the little prince replied. "But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand."

"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me..."

"What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince.

"You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me—like that—in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..."