Ⅴ
每天我都了解到一些關於小王子的星球，他的出走和旅行等事情。這些都是偶然從各種反應中慢慢得到的。就這樣，第三天我就了解到關於猴麵包樹的悲劇。
這一次又是因為羊的事情，突然小王子好象是非常擔心地問我道：
「羊吃小灌木，這是真的嗎？」
「是的，是真的。」
「啊，我真高興。」
我不明白羊吃小灌木這件事為什麼如此重要。可小王子又說道：
「因此，它們也吃猴麵包樹羅？」
我對小王子說，猴麵包樹可不是小灌木，而是象教堂那麼大的大樹；即便是帶回一群大象，也啃不了一棵猴麵包樹。
一群大象這種想法使小王子發笑：
「那可得把這些大象一隻疊一隻地壘起來。」
他很有見識地說：
「猴麵包樹在長大之前，開始也是小小的。」
「不錯。可是為什麼你想叫你的羊去吃小猴麵包樹呢？」
他回答我道：「唉！這還用說！」似乎這是不言而喻的。可是我自己要費很大的心勁才能弄懂這個問題。
原來，在小王子的星球上就象其他所有星球上一樣，有好草和壞草；因此，也就有益草的草籽和毒草的草籽，可是草籽是看不見的。它們沉睡在泥土裡，直到其中的一粒忽然想要蘇醒過來……於是它就伸展開身子，開始靦腆地朝著太陽長出一棵秀麗可愛的小嫩苗。如果是小蘿蔔或是玫瑰的嫩苗，就讓它去自由地生長。如果是一棵壞苗，一旦被辨認出來，就應該馬上把它拔掉。因為在小王子的星球上，有些非常可怕的種子……這就是猴麵包樹的種子。在那裡的泥土裡，這種種子多得成災。而一棵猴麵包樹苗，假如你拔得太遲，就再也無法把它清除掉。它就會盤踞整個星球。它的樹根能把星球鑽透，如果星球很小，而猴麵包樹很多，它就把整個星球搞得支離破碎。
「這是個紀律問題。」小王子後來向我解釋道。「當你早上梳洗完畢以後，必須仔細地給星球梳洗，必須規定自己按時去拔掉猴麵包樹苗。這種樹苗小的時候與玫瑰苗差不多，一旦可以把它們區別開的時候，就要把它拔掉。這是一件非常乏味的工作，但很容易。」
有一天，他勸我用心地畫一副漂亮的圖畫，好叫我家鄉的孩子們對這件事有一個深刻的印象。他還對我說：「如果將來有一天他們出外旅行，這對他們是很有用的。有時候，人們把自己的工作推到以後去做，並沒有什麼妨害，但要遇到拔猴麵包樹苗這種事，那就非造成大災難不可。我遇到過一個星球，上面住著一個懶傢伙，他放過了三棵小樹苗……」
於是，根據小王子的說明，我把這個星球畫了下來。我從來不大願意以道學家的口吻來說話，可是猴麵包樹的危險，大家都不大了解，對迷失在小行星上的人來說，危險性非常之大，因此這一回，我貿然打破了我的這種不喜歡教訓人的慣例。我說：「孩子們，要當心那些猴麵包樹呀！」為了叫我的朋友們警惕這種危險——他們同我一樣長期以來和這種危險接觸，卻沒有意識到它的危險性——我花了很大的功夫畫了這副畫。我提出的這個教訓意義是很重大的，花點功夫是很值得的。你們也許要問，為什麼這本書中別的畫都沒有這副畫那麼壯觀呢？回答很簡單：別的畫我也曾經試圖畫得好些，卻沒成功。而當我畫猴麵包樹時，有一種急切的心情在激勵著我。
[ Chapter 5 ] - we are warned as to the dangers of the baobabs
As each day passed I would learn, in our talk, something about the little princes pla, his departure from it, his jourhe information would e very slowly, as it might ce to fall from his thoughts. It was in this way that I heard, ohird day, about the catastrophe of the baobabs.
This time, once more, I had the sheep to thank for it. For the little prince asked me abruptly-- as if seized by a grave doubt-- "It is true, isnt it, that sheep eat little bushes?"
"Yes, that is true."
"Ah! I am glad!"
I did not uand why it was so important that sheep should eat little bushes. But the little prince added:
"Then it follows that they also eat baobabs?"
I pointed out to the little prihat baobabs were not little bushes, but, on the trary, trees as big as castles; and that even if he took a whole herd of elephants away with him, the herd would up one single baobab.
The idea of the herd of elephants made the little prince laugh.
"We would have to put them one on top of the other," he said.
But he made a wise ent:
"Before they grow so big, the baobabs start out by being little."
"That is strictly correct," I said. "But why do you want the sheep to eat the little baobabs?"
He answered me at once, "Oh, e, e!", as if he were speaking of something that was self-evident. And I was obliged to make a great mental effort to solve this problem, without any assistance.
Indeed, as I learhere were on the pla where the little prince lived-- as on all plas-- good plants and bad plants. In sequehere were good seeds from good plants, and bad seeds from bad plants. But seeds are invisible. They sleep deep in the heart of the earths darkness, until some one among them is seized with the desire to awaken. Then this little seed will stretch itself and begin-- timidly at first-- to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward toward the sun. If it is only a sprout of radish or the sprig of a rose-bush, one would let it grow wherever it might wish. But when it is