Le Petit Prince

Having recently unearthed my copy of The Little Prince, I decided to type a few chapters here. I am bored, and I feel like imparting some wisdom (borrowed wisdom I mean) from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

III

It took me a long time to discover where he came from. The little prince, who asked me so many questions, seemed never to hear the ones I asked him. It was from chance words, dropped here and there, that all was revealed to me. For instance, when he noticed my aeroplane for the first time (I am not going to draw my aeroplane; it would be far too complicated for me), he said:
'What is that thing over there?'
'That is not a thing. It flies. It's an aeroplane. It's my aeroplane.'
And I was proud to have him know that I could fly. At which he cried out:
'What! So you fell from the sky?'
'Yes,' I answered demurely.
'Well! How very funny...'
And the little prince broke into a charming peal of laughter, which I found greatly irritating. For I like my misfortunes to be taken seriously. Then he added:
'You too, then, come from the sky! Which planet are you from?'
Suddenly I had a glimmer of understanding into the mystery of his presence here, and I quizzed him sharply:
'So you came from another planet?'
But he made no reply. He merely shook his head gently, looking all the while at my aeroplane.
'No, you can't have come very far on that thing...'
And he fell into a long reverie. Then, taking my drawing out of his pocket, he became lost in the contemplation of his treasure.

You can imagine how intrigued I was by this half-confidence about 'other planets'. I did my utmost, therefore, to find out more.
'Where are you from, then, little fellow? Where is this "where I live" that you mention? Where do you want to take my sheep?'
After a reflective silence, he answered:
'The best thing about the box you've given me is that at night he can use it as his house.'
'Of course. And if you are good, I will give you a rope to tether him with during the day. And a post to tether him to.'
This proposal seemed to shock the little prince.
'Tether him? What an odd idea!'
'But if you don't tether him, he may go anywhere and end up lost.'
And my friend burst out laughing once more.
'But where do you imagine he would go?'
'Anywhere, straight ahead of him.'
At which the little prince remarked solemnly:
'That won't matter; where I come from it's so very small!'
Then, with perhaps a hint of sadness, he added:
'Straight ahead does not take anyone very far...'


Okay so that marks the end of the third chapter (Me likey likey very mucho). Chapter six below.

VI

Ah, little prince! So it was, gradually, that I came to understand your melancholy little life! For a long time your only pleasure had been to watch the gently setting sun. I learned this new detail on the morning of the fourth day, when you said to me:
'I am very fond of sunsets. Let's go this moment and look at a sunset.'
'But we shall have to wait...'
'Wait for what?'
'Wait until it's a time for the sun to set.'
At first you seemed very taken aback. Then you laughed at yourself and said:
'I still keep thinking I'm at home!'
Just so. For as everyone knows, when it is noon in the United States the sun is setting over France. If you could get to France in a twinkling, you could watch a sunset right now. Unfortunately France is rather to far away. But on your tiny planet, little prince, you had only to move your chair a few steps. You could watch night fall whenever you liked.
'One day,' you said, 'I watched the sunset forty-three times!'
And a little later you added:
'You know, when one is that sad, one can get to love the sunset.'
'Were you that sad, then, on the day of the forty-three sunsets?'
But the prince made no answer.