小王子 第36期:有趣的地理学家

The sixth planet was ten times larger than the last one.

第六颗行星则要大十倍。

It was inhabited by an old gentleman who wrote voluminous books.

上面住着一位老先生，他在写作大部头的书。

"Oh, look! Here is an explorer!" he exclaimed to himself when he saw the little prince coming.

“瞧!来了一位探险家。”老先生看到小王子时，叫了起来。

The little prince sat down on the table and panted a little.

小王子在桌旁坐下，有点气喘吁吁。

He had already traveled so much and so far!

他跑了多少路啊!

"Where do you come from?" the old gentleman said to him.

“你从哪里来的呀?”老先生问小王子。

"What is that big book?" said the little prince. "What are you doing?"

“这一大本是什么书?你在这里干什么?”小王子问道。

"I am a geographer," the old gentleman said to him.

“我是地理学家。”老先生答道。

"What is a geographer?" asked the little prince.

“什么是地理学家?”小王子问。

A geographer is a scholar who knows the location of all the seas, rivers,towns, mountains, and deserts.

地理学家，就是一种学者，他知道哪里有海洋，哪里有江河、城市、山脉、沙漠。

"That is very interesting," said the little prince. "Here at last is a man who has a real profession!"

“这倒挺有意思。”小王子说。“这才是一种真正的行当。”

And he cast a look around him at the planet of the geographer.

他朝四周围看了看这位地理学家的星球。

It was the most magnificent and stately planet that he had ever seen.

他还从来没有见过一颗如此壮观的行星。

"Your planet is very beautiful," he said. "Has it any oceans?"

“您的星球真美呀。上面有海洋吗?”他说。

"I couldn't tell you," said the geographer.

“这我没法知道。”地理学家说。

"Ah!" The little prince was disappointed. "Has it any mountains?"

“啊!”小王子大失所望。“那么，山脉呢?”

"I couldn't tell you," said the geographer.

“这，我没法知道。”地理学家说。

"And towns, and rivers, and deserts?"

“那么，有城市、河流、沙漠吗?”

I couldn't tell you that, either.

这，我也没法知道。

But you are a geographer!

可您还是地理学家呢!

"Exactly," the geographer said.

“一点不错，”地理学家说，

But I am not an explorer. I haven't a single explorer on my planet.

但是我不是探察家。我手下一个探察家都没有。

It is not the geographer who goes out to count the towns, the rivers, the mountains, the seas, the oceans, and the deserts.

地理学家是不去计算城市、河流、山脉、海洋、沙漠的。

The geographer is much too important to go loafing about.

地理学家很重要，不能到处跑。

He does not leave his desk.

他不能离开他的办公室。

But he receives the explorers in his study.

但他可以在办公室里接见探察家。