第五章[第3页/共6页]

的确，正如我之前体味到的，在小王子居住的星球上，也和别的星球一样，存在着好的植物和坏的植物，是以，也就存在来自好的植物的好的种子，和来自坏的植物的坏的种子。但是，我们是看不见种子的。

我对小王子指出说，猴面包树可不是甚么小灌木，而是像城堡那么大的大树，即便是带回一群大象，也啃不了一棵猴面包树。

一群大象这类设法使小王子大笑起来：“那可得把这些大象叠起来才行。”

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."

有一天，小王子劝我无妨画一幅标致的丹青，好让地球上的孩子们对于猴面包树的风险有一个深切的印象。“如果他们出表面光的时候，”他对我说，“你的画对他们是很有效的。偶然候，人们把本身的事情提早到今后去做，并没有甚么风险，但要碰到拔猴面包树苗这类事，迟延就非形成大灾害不成。我体味到一个星球，上面住着一个怠惰的家伙，他忽视了三棵小猴面包树苗……”

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.

这一次，我还要再次感激那只绵羊，因为小王子仿佛是非常担忧地问我道：“绵羊吃矮小的灌木，这是真的吗？”

"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.