chapter 5
As each day passed I would learn,in our talk,something about the little prince's planet,his departure from it,his journey.
The information would come very slowly,as it might chance to fall from his thoughts.It was in this way that I heard, on the third day,about the catastrophe of the baobabs.
This time,once more,I had the sheep to thank for it. For the little prince asked me abruptly - as if seized by a grave doubt - "It is true,isn't it, that sheep eat little bushes?"
"Yes,that is true."
"Ah! I am glad!"
I did not understand why it was so important that sheep should eat little bushes. But the little prince added:
"Then it follows that they also eat baobabs?"
I pointed out to the little prince that baobabs were not little bushes, but, on the contrary , trees as big as castles ; and that even if he took a whole herd of elephants away with him , the herd would not eat up one single baobab.
The idea of the herd of elephants made the little prince laugh.
"We would have to put them one on top of the other, " he said.
But he made a wise comment:
"Before they grow so big , the baobabs start out by being little."
"That is strictly correct, " I said." But why do you want the sheep to eat the little baobabs?"
He answered me at once," Oh, come , come !", as if he were speaking of something that was self-evident. And I was obliged to make a great mental effort to solve this problem, without any assistance.
Indeed,as I learned, there were on the planet where the little prince lived - as on all planets - good plants and bad plants. In consequence ,there were good seeds from good plants , and bad seeds from bad plants. But seeds are invisible.They sleep deep in the heart of the earth's darkness, until some one among them is seized with desire to awaken. Then this little seed will stretch itself and begin - timidly at first - to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward toward the sun. If it is only a sprout of radish or the sprig of a rose-bush, one would let it grow wherever it might wish. But when it is a bad plant, one must destroy it as soon as possible, the very first instant that one recognizes it.
Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince;and those were the seeds of the baobab.The soil of that planet was infested with them. A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces...
"It is a question of discipline," the little prince said to me later on. "When you have finished your own toilet in the morning, then it is time to attend to the toilet of your planet, just so , with the greatest care.You must see to it that you pull up regularly all the baobabs, at the very first moment when they can be distinguished from the rose-bushes which they resemble so closely in their earliest youth. It is very tedious work, " the little prince added, " but very easy."
And one day he said to me :" You ought to make a beautiful drawing, so that the children where you live can see exactly how all this is. That would be very useful to them if they were to travel some day. Sometimes," he added," there is no harm in putting off a piece of work until another day. But when it is a matter of baobabs,that always means a catastrophe. I knew a planet that was inhabited by a lazy man. He neglected three little bushes..."
So, as the little prince described it to me, I have made a drawing of that planet .I do not much like to take the tone of a moralist.
But the danger of the baobabs is so little understood, and such considerable risks would be run by anyone who might get lost on an asteroid, that for once I am breaking through my reserve. "Children," I said plainly, "watch out for the baobabs!"
My friends,like myself,have been skirting this danger for a long time, without ever knowing it ; and so it is for them that I have worked so hard over this drawing.The lesson which I pass on by this means is worth all the trouble it has cost me.
Perhaps you will ask me, "why are there no other drawing in this book as magnificent and impressive as this drawing of the baobabs?"
The reply is simple. I have tried.But with the others I have not been successful. When I made the drawing of the baobabs I was carried beyond myself by the inspiring force of urgent necessity.
第五章
每天，在和小王子的交谈中，我都能了解到一些关于他那个星球的事，关于他的离开，关于他的旅程。这些是从他不经意的思绪里慢慢知道的。就这样，在遇到他的第三天，我听说了猴面包树的悲剧。
这次还是要感谢那只绵羊。小王子好像有个重大的疑问，他突然问我：
“绵羊会吃灌木丛，这是真的吧，对吧？”
“对啊，这是真的。”
“啊！我真高兴！”
我不明白，绵羊会不会吃灌木为什么这么重要。但是小王子又问：
“那他也会吃猴面包树吧？”
我跟小王子说，猴面包树可不是灌木，而是一种大树，有一座城池那么大。就算他带上一群大象回去，也吃不了一棵猴面包树。
“带上整群大象回去”这个想法把小王子逗笑了：
“那得把他们一只一只叠起来才行。。。”
但他很明智地说：
“在长成大树之前，猴面包树也是很小的呀。”
“那倒是真的，”我说，“但是你为什么想要绵羊吃猴面包树呢？”
他马上回答，“噢，那还用说！”，仿佛这是明摆着的事。我只好绞尽脑汁，自己去想明白这个问题。
原来和所有星球一样，小王子的星球也有益草和害草。所以，那里也就有益草结出的良种，和害草结出的莠种。但是种子是看不见的。它们沉睡在深深的泥土里，知道其中一颗种子心血来潮决定苏醒。然后它会发芽，伸展开来，开始怯生生的迎着太阳长出可爱的嫩枝。如果这只是胡萝卜或者玫瑰的嫩苗，就可以让它自由生长。但如果是一棵坏苗，在认出来的第一眼，就要马上把它拔掉。
而在小王子居住的星球上就有一种可怕的种子。那就是猴面包树的种子。那颗星球的泥土里，这类种子多得成灾成患。这种猴面包树的种子，如果你发现的太晚，就永远无法把它清理掉，它就会盘踞整个星球，根茎会穿透整个星球。如果星球太小，而猴面包树又太多，这个星球会被撑得支离破碎。
“我们那里有个规矩，” 后来小王子对我说，“每天早晨梳洗好以后，你就得好好梳妆打扮你的星球。你必须认真打扫和收拾。你必须定期拔掉猴面包树幼苗，猴面包树幼苗和玫瑰幼苗长得很像，你一旦能区分它们，就必须马上把猴面包树幼苗拔掉。这项工作很枯燥，不过也很简单。”
有一天，小王子对我说，他建议我用心画一幅漂亮的画，好让我星球上的孩子明白这些。“如果将来他们外出旅行，这些就会很有用。” 他又说，“有时一项工作耽搁几天再做也没什么危害，不过如果是清理猴面包树幼苗，晚一两天就会酿成大祸。我知道有个星球上住着一个懒惰的家伙。他忽略了三棵猴面包树幼苗。。。”
于是，根据小王子的描绘，我画出了那颗星球。我从不愿用道德家的口吻说教。但是猴面包树的危害很少有人知道，而对迷失在小行星上的人们危险的可能性又那么大。所以这次，我打破沉默，破例大声疾呼：“孩子们，当心猴面包树啊！”
我的朋友和我一样，长久以来在危险边缘徘徊，却压根儿不知它的危害；为了他们，我费心用劲地画了这幅画。花心思上好这一课还是意义重大的，我费点劲也是值得的。也许你可能会问，“这本书里的其他图画，为什么都没有猴面包树这幅画那么华丽、那么让人印象深刻呢？”
答案很简单。其他的画我也试着画得漂亮些，但是没有成功。画猴面包树的时候，有一种紧迫感在不停地激励着我。