小王子 第54期:現成的水井

"Men," said the little prince, "set out on their way in express trains, but they do not know what they are looking for."

那些人們，他們往快車里擁擠，但是他們卻不知道要尋找什么。

Then they rush about, and get excited, and turn round and round...

“于是，他們就忙忙碌碌，來回轉圈子…”小王子說道。

And he added: "It is not worth the trouble..."

他接著又說：“這沒有必要…”

The well that we had come to was not like the wells of the Sahara.

我們終于找到的這口井，不同于撒哈拉的那些井。

The wells of the Sahara are mere holes dug in the sand.

撒哈拉的井只是沙漠中挖的洞。

This one was like a well in a village.

這口井則很象村子中的井。

But there was no village here, and I thought I must be dreaming...

可是，那里又沒有任何村莊，我還以為是在做夢呢。

"It is strange," I said to the little prince. "Everything is ready for use: the pulley, the bucket, the rope... "

“真怪，”我對小王子說：“一切都是現成的：轆轤、水桶、繩子…”

He laughed, touched the rope, and set the pulley to working.

他笑了，拿著繩子，轉動著轆轤。

And the pulley moaned, like an old weathervane which the wind has long since forgotten.

轆轤就象是一個長期沒有風來吹動的舊風標一樣，吱吱作響。

"Do you hear?" said the little prince. "We have wakened the well, and it is singing... "

“你聽，”小王子說：“我們喚醒了這口井，它現在唱起歌來了…”

I did not want him to tire himself with the rope. "Leave it to me," I said. "It is too heavy for you."

我不愿讓他費勁。我對他說：“讓我來干吧。這活對你太重了。”

I hoisted the bucket slowly to the edge of the well and set it there– happy, tired as I was, over my achievement.

我慢慢地把水桶提到井欄上。我把它穩(wěn)穩(wěn)地放在那里。

The song of the pulley was still in my ears,and I could see the sunlight shimmer in the still trembling water.

我的耳朵里還響著轆轤的歌聲。依然還在晃蕩的水面上，我看見太陽的影子在跳動。

"I am thirsty for this water," said the little prince. "Give me some of it to drink... "

“我正需要喝這種水。”小王子說：“給我喝點…”

And I understood what he had been looking for.

這時我才明白了他所要尋找的是什么!

I raised the bucket to his lips. He drank, his eyes closed.

我把水桶提到他的嘴邊。他閉著眼睛喝水。

It was as sweet as some special festival treat.

就象節(jié)日一般舒適愉快。