译《小王子》：第十一章 虚荣先生

The second planet was inhabited by a conceited man.

"Ah! Ah! I am about to receive a visit from an admirer!" he exclaimed from afar, when he first saw the little prince coming.

For, to conceited men, all other men are admirers.

第二颗行星上住着一个骄傲自负的人（为行文方便，姑且将之称为“虚荣先生”吧！）。

“哎哟！一个崇拜者慕名而来啦！”他一眼就看到了小王子的到来，大老远便开始大声嚷嚷。

在自命不凡的人眼中，其他人都是崇拜者。

虚荣先生

"Good morning," said the little prince. "That is a queer hat you are wearing."

"It is a hat for salutes," the conceited man replied. "It is to raise in salute when people acclaim me. Unfortunately, nobody at all ever passes this way."

“早上好！”小王子打起招呼来，“你头顶上的帽子真古怪！”

“这个帽子可以用来向人致敬，”虚荣先生回答道，“当人们为我欢呼喝彩的时候，我就可以将帽子举起作为回礼。遗憾的是，根本就没有人会从这里经过。”

"Yes?" said the little prince, who did not understand what the conceited man was talking about.

"Clap your hands, one against the other," the conceited man now directed him.

The little prince clapped his hands. The conceited man raised his hat in a modest salute.

“是吗？”小王子疑惑道，他不是很明白这位先生的话。

“鼓掌吧，你用一只手去拍另一只手。”虚荣先生直截了当地对他说。

于是，小王子就拍起手来，虚荣先生便谦逊有礼地举起帽子作为回应。

敬礼

"This is more entertaining than the visit to the king," the little prince said to himself. And he began again to clap his hands, one against the other. The conceited man against raised his hat in salute.

After five minutes of this exercise the little prince grew tired of the game's monotony.

"And what should one do to make the hat come down?" he asked.

“这可比之前拜访的那位国王有趣多了。”小王子暗自想道，再次举着双手开始鼓起掌来，虚荣先生同样会举起帽子向他致意。

这样反反复复进行了五分钟之后，小王子开始对这个单调乏味的游戏心生厌倦。他问：

“等一下！请问怎么才能让您把帽子摘掉呢？”

But the conceited man did not hear him. 

Conceited people never hear anything but praise.

"Do you really admire me very much?" he demanded of the little prince.

"What does that mean-- 'admire'?"

"To admire mean that you regard me as the handsomest, the best-dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man on this planet."

虚荣先生就好像完全听不到他的问话一样。

一个好戴高帽的人除了赞美之词，哪里还听得进去其他言语。

“你是真心诚意地仰慕我吗？”他对小王子讯问道。

“请问‘仰慕’是什么意思呢？”

“仰慕的意思嘛……就是你发自内心地觉得我是这个星球上最英俊，最潇洒，最富有和最聪明的人”

"Do me this kindness. Admire me just the same."

"I admire you," said the little prince, shrugging his shoulders slightly, "but what is there in that to interest you so much?"

And the little prince went away.

"The grown-ups are certainly very odd," he said to himself, as he continued on his journey.

“可是这星球本来就只有您一个人呀！”

“赶快表达出你的仰慕之情吧，这样你才能取悦我！”

“好吧，我仰慕您！”小王子稍微耸了耸肩，无奈地说道，“只是，您为何会对这种事情乐此不疲呢？”

随后小王子就起身离开了。

“大人们实在太古怪了！”他喃喃自语，继续踏上旅途。