小王子 第12期:小嫩苗

Indeed, as I learned, there were on the planet where the little prince lived–as on all planets–good plants and bad plants.

原來，在小王子的星球上就象其他所有星球上一樣，有好草和壞草;

In consequence, there were good seeds from good plants, and bad seeds from bad plants.

因此，也就有益草的草籽和毒草的草籽，

But seeds are invisible.

可是草籽是看不見的。

They sleep deep in the heart of the earth's darkness, until some one among them is seized with the desire to awaken.

它們沉睡在泥土里，直到其中的一粒忽然想要蘇醒過來

Then this little seed will stretch itself and begin– timidly at first–to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward toward the sun.

于是它就伸展開身子，開始靦腆地朝著太陽長出一棵秀麗可愛的小嫩苗。

If it is only a sprout of radish or the sprig of a rose-bush, one would let it grow wherever it might wish.

如果是小蘿卜或是玫瑰的嫩苗，就讓它去自由地生長。

But when it is a bad plant, one must destroy it as soon as possible, the very first instant that one recognizes it.

如果是一棵壞苗，一旦被辨認(rèn)出來，就應(yīng)該馬上把它拔掉。

Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince;

因?yàn)樵谛⊥踝拥男乔蛏?，有些非?？膳碌姆N子

and these were the seeds of the baobab.

這就是猴面包樹的種子。

The soil of that planet was infested with them.

在那里的泥土里，這種種子多得成災(zāi)。

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.

而一棵猴面包樹苗，假如你拔得太遲，就再也無法把它清除掉。

It bores clear through it with its roots.

它就會盤踞整個星球。

And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces.

它的樹根能把星球鉆透，如果星球很小，而猴面包樹很多，它就把整個星球搞得支離破碎。

"It is a question of discipline," the little prince said to me later on.

“這是個紀(jì)律問題。”小王子后來向我解釋道。

"When you've 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.

當(dāng)你早上梳洗完畢以后，必須仔細(xì)地給星球梳洗，

You must see to it that you pull up regularly all the baobabs,

必須規(guī)定自己按時去拔掉猴面包樹苗。

at the very first moment when they can be distinguished from the rosebushes which they resemble so closely in their earliest youth.

這種樹苗小的時候與玫瑰苗差不多，一旦可以把它們區(qū)別開的時候，就要把它拔掉。

"It is very tedious work", the little prince added, "but very easy."

“這是一件非常乏味的工作”，小王子說，“但很容易。”