英文小說連載《小王子》No.27 終章

　　And now six years have already gone by...

　　I have never yet told this story. The companions who met me on my return were well content to see me alive. I was sad， but I told them： "I am tired."

　　Now my sorrow is comforted a little. That is to say-- not entirely. But I know that he did go back to his planet， because I did not find his body at daybreak. It was not such a heavy body... and at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells...

　　But there is one extraordinary thing... when I drew the muzzle for the little prince， I forgot to add the leather strap to it. He will never have been able to fasten it on his sheep. So now I keep wondering： what is happening on his planet？ Perhaps the sheep has eaten the flower...

　　At one time I say to myself： "Surely not！ The little prince shuts his flower under her glass globe every night， and he watches over his sheep very carefully..." Then I am happy. And there is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars.

　　But at another time I say to myself： "At some moment or other one is absent-minded， and that is enough！ On some one evening he forgot the glass globe， or the sheep got out， without making any noise， in the night..." And then the little bells are changed to tears...

　　Here， then， is a great mystery. For you who also love the little prince， and for me， nothing in the universe can be the same if somewhere， we do not know where， a sheep that we never saw has-- yes or no？-- eaten a rose...

　　Look up at the sky. Ask yourselves： is it yes or no？ Has the sheep eaten the flower？ And you will see how everything changes...

　　And no grown-up will ever understand that this is a matter of so much importance！

　　This is， to me， the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. It is the same as that on the preceding page， but I have drawn it again to impress it on your memory. It is here that the little prince appeared on Earth， and disappeared.

　　Look at it carefully so that you will be sure to recognise it in case you travel some day to the African desert. And， if you should come upon this spot， please do not hurry on. Wait for a time， exactly under the star. Then， if a little man appears who laughs， who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions， you will know who he is. If this should happen， please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back.

　　到現在，一點不錯，已經有六年了…我還從未講過這個故事。同伴們重新見到了我，都為能看見我活著回來而高興。我卻很悲傷。我告訴他們：“這是因為疲勞的緣故…”

　　現在，我稍微得到了些安慰。就是說…還沒有完全平靜下來。可我知道他已經回到了他的星球上。因為那天黎明，我沒有再見到他的身軀。他的身軀并不那么重…從此，我就喜歡在夜間傾聽著星星，好象是傾聽著五億個鈴鐺…

　　可是，現在卻又發生了不尋常的事。我給小王子畫的羊嘴套上，忘了畫皮帶！他再也不可能把它套在羊嘴上。于是，我思忖著：“他的星球上發生了什么事呢？大概小羊把花吃掉了吧…”

　　有時我又對自己說，“絕對不會的！小王子每天夜里都用玻璃罩子罩住他的花，而且他會把羊看管好的…”想到這里，我就非常高興。這時，所有的星星都在柔情地輕聲笑著。

　　忽而我又對自己說：“人們有時總免不了會疏忽的，那就夠戧！某一天晚上他忘了玻璃罩子，或者小羊夜里不聲不響地跑出來…”想到這里，小鈴鐺都變成淚珠了！

　　這真是一個很大的奧秘。對你們這些喜歡小王子的人來說，就象對于我來說一樣，無論什么地方，凡是某處，如果一只羊（盡管我們并不認識它），吃了一朵玫瑰花，或是沒有吃掉一朵玫瑰花，那么宇宙的面貌就全然不同。

　　你們望著天空。你們想一想：羊究竟是吃了還是沒有吃掉花？那么你們就會看到一切都變了樣…

　　任何一個大人將永遠不會明白這個問題竟如此重要！