Little prince

The  Little prince

by Antonio de Saint -Exupery 앙투안 드 생텍쥐페리

 

To Leon Werth ( when he was a little boy )

All grown-ups were once children.

Although few of them remember it.

This is my best friend.

This grown-up understands everything even about children.

He lives in France where he is hungry and cold.

so he needs cheering up.

 

 

The Author dedicated this book to his friend.

Forgetting a friend is sad.

If I forget him, I may become like other audults

who are no longer interested in anything but figures.

 

He starts this story like a fairytale.

 

A pilot had an accident with his plane in the desert of Sahara.

At sunrise, he was awakened by a strange little voice.

This little fellow asked me to draw a sheep.

He gave up drawing when he was 6 years old.

Because when he showed his drawings to the grownups ,

they always discouraged him.

They can't understand without explanation 

So he chose another job and learned to pilot aeroplanes.

 

He drew a sheep, a box.

They became friends.

The little prince didn't talk much about himself.

But he had so much interest about pilot's aeroplane

and asked him if he came from another planet.

The little prince lives everything is so small.

It will not be larger than a house.

People can't see them through telescope.

The pilot believed that it is known as B -612.

An turkish astronomer had found this in 1909.

 

 

The little prince talked about his planet.

You need to watch carefully about baobabs.

You never be able to get rid of it , if it is too big already.

It is not little bushes but trees as big as castles.

There were good and bad plants as on all planets.

Slowly I could understand his sad little life.

Only joy is looking at the sunset without any friend.

He asked the pilot.

Does sheep eat a flower that have thorns?
The little prince have run away from that flower

and two active volcanos and one extinct one.

He believed that he would never want to return.

But on this last morning , all these familiar tasks

seemed very precious to him.

And he watered the flower for the last time

and realized that very close to tears.

when he said goodbye to the flower,

she said "of course I love you"

please forgive my silliness.

but he was too young to know how to love her.

 

He found the neighbourhood.

So he visited them.

The king, the conceited man, the tippler,

the businessman are all ridiculous.

Except the lamplighter who was so faithful to his orders.

He is the only one who is thinking something else beside himself.

 

 

And he visited a geographer.

He said I only record eternal things like the mountain.

It doesn't change.

So he doesn't record flowers.

They are ephemeral things which are in danger of speedy disappearance.

The little prince realized his flower will be disappear and left her alone.

The geographer advised him that

the planet Earth has a good reputation.

The little prince deiced to go there.

In the desert, he met a snake.

And he told the snake I came here

because I have been having some trouble with his flower.

 

Nobody was there. He thought.

After walking for a long time, he saw a garden

which is full bloom with roses.

They all looked like his flower.

He thought I have a flower that was unique in all the world

and all I had was a common rose.

He cried.

 

It was then fox appeared.

The little prince want to play with him but he said.

I am not tamed.

It means to establish ties.

If you want a friend, tame me! 
You must be very patient to tame me.

Words are the source of misunderstandings.

But you sit a little closer to me , every day.

Also , one must observe the proper rites.

This makes one day different from other day.

 

What makes me so deeply about this little prince

who is sleeping here is his loyalty to a flower.

He said nothing more because he was crying.

 

The fox taught him his flower is unique in all the world.

Other beautiful roses are beautiful but they are empty.

Because it is she that I have listened to,

when she grumbled or boasted or even sometimes 

When she said nothing.

because she is my rose.

And here is a secret.

What is essential is invisible to the eye.

They must look with the heart.

You become responsible for what you have tamed for your rose.

and they go their way separately.

 

 

And now 6 years have passed.

Now my sorrow is comforted a little but not fully.

I know he go back to his planet.

Because of his advice, I love to look at the stars at night.

But when I drew the muzzle for him ,

I forgot to add the leather strip.

Maybe the sheep has eaten the flower.

Has the sheep eaten the flower?

 

If you travel someday to African desert, wait for a time.

If you see a little man who laughs,

who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions,

You will know who he is.

 

This stroy makes me feel warm and go back

to my childhood memories.

More importantly , I could understand my son more well.

Because he is like a little prince.

Maybe I am like grownups who don't understand

anything without explanation.

But I want to become a better person like a little prince

who is loyal to his flower.       

 

어린 왕자는 울었다. 내 장미 한 송이가 이 세상에서 유일한 꽃인 줄 알았기 때문이다.

길을 걷다 만난 저 정원에 어린 왕자의 장미와 똑같이 생긴 꽃들이 활짝 피어있는 것이다.

여우는 말했다.

저 정원에 많은 장미들은 아름답기는 하지만

내가 매일 아침 물을 주고 챙겨주는 한송이 너의 장미와는 비교할 수 없어.

그 꽃이 너에게 자랑을 늘어놓던, 퉁명스럽던,

때로는 너에게 아무 말도 하지 않을 때라도 ,

그 장미는 네가 길들인 그 장미이기 때문이야.

여우는 말한다. 나와 친구가 되고 싶다면 나를 길들여줘. 

길들인다는 것은 많은 인내심이 필요해.

나를 매일 지켜봐 주고 매일 같은 시간에 찾아온다면 그 시간이 되기 전부터 

나는 벌써 설레고 있을 거야. 말이라는 건 항상 오해의 주범이야. 

비밀이 무엇인지 알아? 정말로 중요한 건 눈에 보이지 않는다는 거야.

너의 진심으로 그걸 봐야 해.

 

나도 요새 어린 왕자가 좋아했던 것처럼 해가 지는 노을을 보고,

하늘에 별을 보고, 혹시 저 행성이 어린 왕자의 행성일까?라고 상상해본다.

한때는 우리들 모두도 어린이였었다는 사실을 잊지 말자.