我花了很長的時間去探索他從哪裡來。小王子問了我很多問題，但卻從不理會我問他的問題。而這些我發現的事，都是在不經意間，從他的話裡透露的。
比方說，他第一次見到我的飛機時...（我不要畫我的飛機，畫一架飛機對我來說太複雜了。）他問我：「這到底是什麼東西呀？」
然後他叫起來：「什麼！你從天上掉下來？」
「是的。」我不好意思的說。
「啊！這很好笑......」小王子發出一陣可愛的笑聲，不過這讓我覺得不悅，我不喜歡我遭遇的不幸被當作玩笑。
接著他又說：「那你也是從天上來的！你是哪個星球的？」
我想到他出現的謎，於是靈機一動趁勢問他：「那你是從別的星球來的？」
他沒回答我。
他輕側著頭，視線仍停在我的飛機上。他說：「這倒是真的，你不可能從很遠的地方來，從上面...」
他沉默許久之後，接著從口袋裡掏出我畫給他的綿羊，再度陷入自己的沉思裡。
你可以想像，我對他透露的「另一個星球」感到好奇。
於是我努力地想知道更多。
「你從哪裡來的，我的小人兒？你之前說〝你住的地方〞是哪裡？你要把綿羊帶去哪？」
他沉思一會兒說：「你給我的那只箱子很好，晚上的時候，可以當成牠的廄房。」
「的確。如果你要的話，我還可以給你一條繩子和一根柱子，白天時，你可以把綿羊栓在那。」
不過小王子卻對我這個提議感到震驚。
「把牠栓起來？真是奇怪的想法！」小王子說。
「可是如果你不把牠栓起來，牠會到處亂跑，然後走失...！」我說。
我的朋友又格格地笑了。
「但是你覺得牠會跑去哪？」小王子說。
「什麼地方都有可能，比方牠眼前的地方啊...」我說。
這時小王子認真起來，他說：「沒有關係，我住的地方每樣東西都很小。」
他彷彿帶著一點點憂傷地說：「就算牠往前跑，也沒多遠能讓牠跑...」
It took me a long time to learn where he came from. The little prince, who asked me so many questions, never seemed to hear the ones I asked him. It was from words dropped by chance that, little by little, everything was revealed to me.
The first time he saw my airplane, for instance (I shall not draw my airplane; that would be much too complicated for me), he asked me:"What is that object?"
"That is not an object. It flies. It is an airplane. It is my airplane."
And I was proud to have him learn that I could fly.
He cried out, then:"What! You dropped down from the sky?"
"Yes," I answered, modestly.
"Oh! That is funny!"
And the little prince broke into a lovely peal of laughter, which irritated me very much. I like my misfortunes to be taken seriously.
Then he added:"So you, too, come from the sky! Which is your planet?"
At that moment I caught a gleam of light in the impenetrable mystery of his presence; and I demanded, abruptly:"Do you come from another planet?"
But he did not reply. He tossed his head gently, without taking his eyes from my plane:
"It is true that on that you can't have come from very far away . . ."
And he sank into a reverie, which lasted a long time. Then, taking my sheep out of his pocket, he buried himself in the contemplation of his treasure.
You can imagine how my curiosity was aroused by this half-confidence about the "other planets." I made a great effort, therefore, to find out more on this subject.
"My little man, where do you come from? What is this 'where I live,' of which you speak? Where do you want to take your sheep?"
After a reflective silence he answered:"The thing that is so good about the box you have given me is that at night he can use it as his house."
"That is so. And if you are good I will give you a string, too, so that you can tie him during the day, and a post to tie him to."
But the little prince seemed shocked by this offer:"Tie him! What a queer idea!"
"But if you don't tie him," I said, "he will wander off somewhere, and get lost."
My friend broke into another peal of laughter:"But where do you think he would go?"
"Anywhere. Straight ahead of him."
Then the little prince said, earnestly:"That doesn't matter. Where I live, everything is so small!"
And, with perhaps a hint of sadness, he added:"Straight ahead of him, nobody can go very far . . ."
註：《小王子》是法國童話，法文原書名為Le Petit Prince，作者是聖艾修伯里，1943年在紐約出版，被譯成超過 180種語言，銷售量超過8千萬冊，還有拍成電影和動畫片、改編成話劇和音樂劇演出。
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