小王子 第27期:愛慕虛榮

The second planet was inhabited by a conceited man.

第二個行星上住著一個愛虛榮的人。

Ah! Ah! I am about to receive a visit from an admirer!

喔唷!一個崇拜我的人來拜訪了!

he exclaimed from afar, when he first saw the little prince coming.

這個愛虛榮的人一見到小王子，老遠(yuǎn)就叫喊起來。

For, to conceited men, all other men are admirers.

在那些愛虛榮的人眼里，別人都成了他們的崇拜者。

"Good morning," said the little prince. "That is a queer hat you are wearing."

“你好!”小王子說道。“你的帽子很奇怪。”

"It is a hat for salutes," the conceited man replied. "It is to raise in salute when peopleacclaim me."

“這是為了向人致意用的。”愛虛榮的人回答道，“當(dāng)人們向我歡呼的時候，我就用帽子向他們致意。”

Unfortunately, nobody at all ever passes this way.

可惜，沒有一個人經(jīng)過這里。

"Yes?" said the little prince, who did not understand what the conceited man was talking about.

小王子不解其意。說道：“啊?是嗎?”

"Clap your hands, one against the other," the conceited man now directed him.

愛虛榮的人向小王子建議道：“你用一只手去拍另一只手。”

The little prince clapped his hands.

小王子就拍起巴掌來。

The conceited man raised his hat in a modest salute.

這位愛虛榮者就謙遜地舉起帽子向小王子致意。

"This is more entertaining than the visit to the king," the little prince said to himself.

小王子心想：“這比訪問那位國王有趣。”

And he began again to clap his hands, one against the other.

于是他又拍起巴掌來。

The conceited man against raised his hat in salute.

愛虛榮者又舉起帽子來向他致意。

After five minutes of this exercise the little prince grew tired of the game's monotony.

小王子這樣做了五分鐘，之后對這種單調(diào)的把戲有點厭倦了，

"And what should one do to make the hat come down?" he asked.

說道：“要想叫你的帽子掉下來，該怎么做呢?”

But the conceited man did not hear him.

可這回愛虛榮者聽不進(jìn)他的話，

Conceited people never hear anything but praise.

因為凡是愛虛榮的人只聽得進(jìn)贊美的話。

"Do you really admire me very much?" he demanded of the little prince.

他問小王子道：“你真的欽佩我嗎?”

What does that mean– 'admire'?

“欽佩”是什么意思?

To admire mean that you regard me as the handsomest, the best-dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man on this planet.

欽佩么，就是承認(rèn)我是星球上最美的人，服飾最好的人，最富有的人，最聰明的人。

But you are the only man on your planet!

可您是您的星球上唯一的人呀!

Do me this kindness. Admire me just the same.

讓我高興吧，請你還是來欽佩我吧!

"I admire you," said the little prince, shrugging his shoulders slightly, "but what is there in that to interest you so much?"

小王子輕輕地聳了聳肩膀，說道：“我欽佩你，可是，這有什么能使你這樣感興趣的?”

And the little prince went away.

于是小王子就走開了。

"The grown-ups are certainly very odd," he said to himself, as he continued on his journey.

小王子在路上自言自語地說了一句：“這些大人，肯定是十分古怪的。”