一個人孤伶伶的，就像在下雨天的黃昏，站在一條大河的河口，長久一直望著滾滾流水流進大海裡時那樣的心情
現在，我已經是五十幾步的後半了。年輕的時候真的無法想像所謂的二十一世紀實際上真的來臨，想到有一天自己居然會變成五十幾歲，真是開什麼玩笑。當然理論上二十一世紀總有一天會來臨(如果沒發生什麼意外)，那時候我就變成五十幾歲了。這是自然明白的道理然而對年輕時的我來說，要想像五十幾歲的自己的模樣，簡直就像被人說「請具體想像一下死後的世界」一樣困難。
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," the fox said.
"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 that 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 color 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 . . ."
The next day the little prince came back.
"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox. "If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites . . ."
"What is a rite?" asked the little prince.
"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all."
So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near--
"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."
"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . ."
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"Then it has done you no good at all!"
"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields." And then he added:
"Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."
The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.
"You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world."
And the roses were very much embarassed.
"You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you--the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.
And he went back to meet the fox.
"Goodbye," he said.
"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
"What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."
"It is the time I have wasted for my rose--" said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . ."
"I am responsible for my rose," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
* *中文對照 * *就在那個時候出現了一隻狐狸。
「你好！」狐狸說。
「你好！」小王子很有禮貌地回答。他回過頭來，但什麼也沒有看到。
「我在這裡。」那聲音說：「在蘋果樹底下。」
「你是誰啊？」小王子問：「你很好看......」
「我是狐狸。」狐狸說。
「來跟我玩吧！」小王子向他建議道：「我很悲傷。」
狐狸說：「我不能跟你玩，我還沒被馴養。」
「啊，對不起！」小王子說。
但想了一會兒後，他接下去說：
「什麼叫『馴養』？」
狐狸說：「你不是這裡的人。你在找什麼？」
「我在找人。」小王子說：「什麼叫『馴養』？」
狐狸說：「那些人嗎，他們有槍，他們打獵，這很討厭。但他們也養雞，這 是他們唯一的好處。你在找雞嗎？」
小王子說：「不，我在找朋友。什麼叫『馴養』？」
「這是很被遺忘的事。」狐狸說：「馴養就是『建立關係.....』」
「建立關係？」
狐狸說：「不錯。對我來說，你只不過是個小孩，跟其他成千成萬的小孩沒 有分別，我不需要你，你也一樣不需要我。我對於你也只不過是一隻狐狸， 跟成千成萬其他的狐狸一模一樣。但是，假如你馴養我，我們就彼此互相需 要。你對於我將是世界上唯一的，我對於你也將是世界上唯一的......」
「我開始懂了。」小王子說：「有一朵花......我相信她馴養了我......」
狐狸說：「這是可能的。在地球上我們看到各種各樣的東西......」
「哦！她不在地球上。」小王子說。
狐狸顯得異常疑惑，問道：
「在另外一顆星球上面？」
「沒有。」
「再好不過了！」狐狸嘆道。
但是狐狸又回到原來的話題：
「我的生活很單調。我獵取雞，獵人獵取我。所有的雞都是一樣的，所有的人也是一樣。於是我感到有些不耐煩。但是，假如你馴養我，我的生活將如充滿了陽光般。我將認識一種腳步聲，它將與其他所有的腳步聲不同。其他的腳步聲使我更深地躲進洞裡，你的腳步聲像音樂一樣把我從洞裡叫出來。再說，看吧，你看見那邊的麥田嗎？我並不吃麵包，麥子對我一樣也沒有用處。那些麥田並不會使我想起什麼。這倒有點傷心。但是你有金色的頭髮。於是當你馴養了我，這將是很好的一件事！那些金色的黃小麥，將使我想起你。而我將喜歡聽吹過麥田的風聲......」
狐狸不說話了，牠看了小王子很久，說：
「請你馴養我吧！」
「我很願意。」小王子回答說：「但是我的時間不太多，我要找朋友，我有很多的事要認識。」
「一個人只要認識他馴養的東西就好。」狐狸說：「很多人不再有時間去認識東西。他們在商人那裡買現成的東西，但是因為商人並不賣朋友，所以很多人沒有朋友。假如你想得到一位朋友，那麼就馴養我吧！」
「我該怎麼做？」小王子問。
狐狸回答說：「你該很有耐心。你先坐得離我遠一點，像這樣，坐在草地上。我就拿眼角看你，你不要說話。語言是誤會的泉源。但是，每天你可以坐近我一點......」
第二天小王子又來了。
狐狸對他說：「最好請你同一時間來。比方說，假如你下午四點鐘來，從三點鐘開始我覺得幸福。時間愈接近，我愈覺得幸福。四點鐘一到，我早已坐立不安！我將發覺幸福的代價！但是如果你不管什麼時候來，我將不曉得什麼時候做心理準備......我們應該有節日。」
「什麼節日？」小王子問。
狐狸說：「但也是一件被人忘得一乾二淨的事。這就是說有個日子跟其他的日子不同，有個小時跟其他的鐘點不同。比方說，我的獵人們有個節日。每個禮拜四他們和村裡的姑娘們去跳舞。於是禮拜四是個佳節！我可以一直散步道葡萄園去。假如獵人們不管什麼時候都跳舞，所有的日子將是一樣，而我也將沒有假期了。」
就這樣小王子馴養了那隻狐狸。當分離的時刻接近時：
「啊！我想哭。」狐狸說。
「這是你的錯。」小王子說：「我並不希望你難過，是你要我馴養你的。」
「不錯。」狐狸。
「但是你想哭。」小王子說。
「不錯。」狐狸說。
「這樣說來，你一點好處也沒有得到！」
「我得到了。」狐狸說：「因為那些小麥的顏色。」
然後牠加上去說：
「你再去看看那些玫瑰花。你將知道你的玫瑰花是世界上唯一的。你再回來向我道別，我將告訴你一個祕密，作為臨別贈言。」
小王子跑去看些玫瑰花。
他對她們說：「妳們一點也不像我那朵玫瑰花，妳們什麼也不是。沒有人馴養妳們而妳們也沒有馴養過任何人。妳們就像以前我那隻狐狸，當時牠只不過像其他成千成萬的狐狸一樣。但是我們成了朋友，現在牠對於我是世界唯一的了。」
那些玫瑰花很難過。
他又對她們說：「妳們都很美麗，但是妳們都很空虛，沒有人會為妳們死。當然了，我的玫瑰花，一位平常的路人會相信她跟妳們一模一樣。但是她一朵花比妳們全部對我重要。因為我澆的是她；因為把她放在玻璃罩下的是我；因為我給她一個屏風擋風；因為我為了她殺死許多蛹（只剩下兩三隻留作蝴蝶）；因為我聽過她抱怨，我聽過她吹牛；甚至於有些時候，我看她默不作聲；因為她是我的玫瑰花。」
於是他又重新回到狐狸那裡。
「再見！」他說。
「再見！」狐狸說：「這就是我的祕密。它很簡單：只有用心靈，一個人才能看得很清楚。真正的東西不是用眼睛可以看得到的。」
「真正的東西不適用眼睛可以看得到的。」
小王子重複的說，以便牢牢記在心裡。
「你為你的玫瑰花所花費的時間使你的玫瑰花變得那麼重要。」
「我為我的玫瑰花所花費的時間...... 」小王子重覆的說， 以便牢牢記在心
裡。
狐狸說：「一般人忘記了這個真理。但是你不應該把它忘掉。你永久對你所馴養的負責，你對你的玫瑰花有責任......」
「我對我的玫瑰花有責任......」小王子重複地說，以便牢牢記在心裡。
牆。
「這就是牆，」門房說。用手掌像在拍著馬似的拍了幾次牆。
「高度是七公尺，把街整個圍起來。能夠越過去的只有鳥而已。
出入口除了這個門以外沒有其他地方。從前還有個東門，但現在已經封起來了。
正如你所看到的，牆是由磚砌成的，但這可不是普通的磚。誰也沒辦法損傷或破壞。甚至大砲、地震、暴風雨也沒辦法。」
* * * *
然後門房把他巨大的手放在我背上。
「我知道你很難過。不過，大家都是這樣經歷過來的。所以你也必須忍耐才行。但是往後自然能夠得救。那麼你就不會再想東想西、也不再苦惱了。一切都會消失。短暫的情緒這種東西沒有任何價值。我這樣說是為你好，還是把影子忘掉吧。
這裏是世界的終點。到這裏世界就結束了，哪裏也去不了。
所以你也什麼地方都去不了啊。」
門房這樣說完，又再拍了一次我的背。
＊ ＊
我不想從世界消失。一閉上眼，我就可以清楚地感覺到自己的心在動搖。那是超越哀傷和孤獨感的，從我自己的存在打根柢深處動搖起來的巨大深沉的翻騰滾動。那翻騰滾動一直持續不斷。我手肘支在長椅的靠背上，忍耐著那翻騰滾動。誰也救不了我。就像我也救不了誰一樣。
我想放聲大哭，但不能哭。流淚對我來說年紀已經太大，而且也經驗過太多事情。世界上有不能流淚的哀傷存在。那是對誰也無法說明，誰也不會理解的那種東西。那哀傷既不能改變成任何形式，只能像無風之夜的雪那樣靜靜地逐漸積在心裏而已。
更年輕的時候，我曾經嘗試把那哀傷想辦法改變成語言。但不管怎麼用盡語言，都無法把它傳達誰，我想甚至無法傳達給自己本身，於是我關閉我的語言，關閉我的心，深沉的悲哀是連眼淚這形式都無法採取的東西。
她從皮包裡拿出黑色髮帶含在嘴裡，兩隻手像抱住頭髮般繞到後面，繞了一圈之後，很快地起來。
「怎麼樣?」
我倒吸了一口氣，呆呆望著她。口腔乾乾渴渴的，身體的任何部分都出不了聲音。白色灰泥牆壁一瞬間看來好像波浪起伏似的。店裡的說話聲、餐具的碰擦聲好像變成淡淡的模糊的雲的形狀似的，然後又恢復原狀。聽得見波浪的聲音、感覺得到令人懷念的黃昏夕暮的氣味。不過，這一切的一切只不過是在短短的百分之一秒裡，我所感覺到的許多東西的一小部分而已。
「不得了。」我像擠出聲音似的說。「好像不是同一個人一樣。」
