第十章[第1页/共9页]

"The grown-ups are very strange," the little prince said to himself, as he continued on his journey.

小王子做好分开的筹办以后，他不想让这位老国主难过。

小王子看看四周，想找个处所坐下来，但是全部星球被国王富丽的貂皮长袍占满了。小王子只好持续站在那边，但是他太累了，他打起哈欠来。

But the little prince was wondering... The planet was tiny. Over what could this king really rule "Sire," he said to him, "I beg that you will excuse my asking you a question―""I order you to ask me a question," the king hastened to assure him.

小王子拜访的第一颗小行星上住着一个国王。国王穿戴用紫色貂皮装潢的大袍子，坐在很简朴却又非常严肃的宝座上。

他嘟嘟囔囔，仿佛有点愤怒。

小王子内疚地摸索道：“我能够坐下吗？”

“你会看到日落的。我会号令太阳落山的，不过遵循科学统治体例，我得比及前提成熟的时候。”

"And the stars obey you"

“那当然！”国王对他说，“它们当即就得从命规律。我不答应抵挡。”

“我号令你坐下。”国王一边答复，一边持重地把他那貂皮长袍挪动了一下。

“嗯……司法大臣！”

“那么我提出的日落呢？”小王子一旦提出一个题目，他是不会健忘这个题目的。

“那好吧，我号令你打哈欠。”国王说，“好些年来我没有瞥见过别人打哈欠。对我来讲，打哈欠倒是别致的事。来吧，再打几个哈欠！这是号令。”

国王又说：“嗯！嗯！我想，这个星球的某个处统统一只老鼠。夜里，我闻声它的声音。你能够审判它，每隔一段时候你就判处它极刑。是以它的生命取决于你的讯断。但是，你每次判刑后都要赦免它，我们必须有节制地对待这只老鼠，因为我们只要这一只老鼠。”

他对国王说：“陛下……请谅解，我想问您一个题目……”

“一点也不错，”国王接着说，“向每小我提出的要求应当是他们所能做到的。权威起首应当建立在理性的根本上。如果号令你的百姓去跳海，他们就会建议反动。我有官僚求别人从命，是因为我的号令是公道的。”

"Certainly they do," the king said. "They obey instantly. I do not permit insubordination."Such power was a thing for the little prince to marvel at. If he had been master of such complete authority, he would have been able to watch the sunset, not forty-four times in one day, but seventy-two, or even a hundred, or even two hundred times, with out ever having to move his chair. And because he felt a bit sad as he remembered his little planet which he had forsaken, he plucked up his courage to ask the king a favor:"I should like to see a sunset... do me that kindness... Order the sun to set...""If I ordered a general to fly from one flower to another like a butterfly, or to write a tragic drama, or to change himself into a sea bird, and if the general did not carry out the order that he had received, which one of us would be in the wrong" the king demanded. "The general, or myself""You," said the little prince firmly.