Interesting facts about The Little Prince. Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince": description, characters, analysis of the work What wisdom does the Fox give

He knew how to talk about his flights in such a way that the interlocutor forgot about everything in the world; women listened especially eagerly to the pilot, unable to resist the charm of this strange man. He found himself on the verge of death many times, and found it on a reconnaissance expedition over the Mediterranean Sea. His body was never found, only 54 years later the sea returned the bracelet of the writer and pilot with the names “Antoine” (himself), “Consuelo” (his wife). Today, on the day of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 115th birthday, let us remember interesting facts about his most famous book - “The Little Prince”.

Is it a fairy tale?

A native of Lyon, the son of Viscount de Saint-Exupéry, invented the little prince in 1942, two years before his death. This work is often called a fairy tale, but it is not exactly a fairy tale, it contains a lot of the author’s personal experiences and philosophical things, so, rather, “The Little Prince” is a parable. And children are unlikely to understand the deep subtext that is hidden behind the conversations between the pilot and the child.

The most popular of all French books

This thin book is the most popular of all written in French. It has been translated into more than 250 languages ​​(and dialects) of the world.

The book was published by Americans (Reynal & Hitchcock) in 1943, not in the original, but translated into English (the author then lived in the States). In the writer’s homeland, “The Little Prince” was seen only 2 years after his death.

Since 1943, the total circulation of the book has exceeded 140 million copies.

Thanks to Nora Gal

Translator Eleonora Galperina (who worked under the pseudonym Nora Gal) became interested in the book and translated it for her friend’s children - this is how the fairy tale appeared in our country.

It became available to the general reader later: in the Soviet Union, “The Little Prince” was published in a periodical (the thick magazine “Moscow”) in 1959. This is symbolic: it is in “Moscow” that Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” will see the light of day 7 years later. And, as you know, Saint-Exupery met with Mikhail Afanasyevich in 1935.

Heroes and prototypes

It is clear that the pilot in the fairy tale is Antoine himself, but the little prince is the same, only in early childhood.

Sylvia Reinhardt, a friend of Saint-Exupery, became the prototype of the faithful fox.

The prototype of the whimsical rose that the baby thinks about all the time was the wife of the pilot Consuelo (nee Sunsin).

Quotes have long been “lost to the people”

The charming phrases from the book, filled with deep meaning, have long “gone to the people”; sometimes they are slightly altered, but the essence remains the same. Many people don’t think that these are quotes from “The Little Prince.” Remember? “You got up in the morning, washed your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.” “You are forever responsible for those you tamed.” “Only the heart is vigilant.” “Do you know why the desert is good? Springs are hidden somewhere in it.”

Moons and asteroids

In 1998, the moon of the asteroid “45 Eugenia” was discovered, it was named “Petit-Prince” - both in honor of the title character of the famous book “The Little Prince”, and in honor of Napoleon’s crown prince Eugene Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte, who died at the age of 23 in the African desert. He was, like the hero of Saint-Exupery, fragile, romantic, but courageous. Eugene was to become Emperor of France, but received more than thirty wounds from the enraged Zulus.

Leon Vert

I ask the children to forgive me for dedicating this book to an adult. I'll say this in justification: this adult is my best friend. And one more thing: he understands everything in the world, even children's books. And finally, he lives in France, and it’s hungry and cold there now. And he really needs consolation. If all this does not justify me, I will dedicate this book to the boy who was once my adult friend. After all, all adults were children at first, but few of them remember this. So I am correcting the dedication:

Leon Vert,
when he was little

A little prince

I

When I was six years old, in a book called “True Stories”, which told about virgin forests, I once saw an amazing picture. In the picture, a huge snake - a boa constrictor - was swallowing a predatory beast. Here's how it was drawn:

The book said: “The boa constrictor swallows its prey whole without chewing. After that, he can no longer move and sleeps for six months straight until he digests the food.”

I thought a lot about the adventurous life of the jungle and also drew my first picture with a colored pencil. This was my drawing #1. Here's what I drew:

I showed my creation to adults and asked if they were scared.

Is the hat scary? - they objected to me.

And it wasn't a hat at all. It was a boa constrictor that swallowed an elephant. Then I drew a boa constrictor from the inside so that adults could understand it more clearly. They always need to explain everything. This is my drawing #2:

The adults advised me not to draw snakes, either outside or inside, but to be more interested in geography, history, arithmetic and spelling. This is how it happened that for six years I gave up my brilliant career as an artist. After failing with drawings #1 and #2, I lost faith in myself. Adults never understand anything themselves, and for children it is very tiring to endlessly explain and explain everything to them.

So, I had to choose another profession, and I trained to be a pilot. I flew around almost the whole world. And geography, to tell the truth, was very useful to me. I could tell the difference between China and Arizona at a glance. This is very useful if you get lost at night.

In my time I have met a lot of different serious people. I lived among adults for a long time. I saw them very close. And, to be honest, this didn’t make me think any better about them.

When I met an adult who seemed to me more intelligent and understanding than others, I showed him my drawing No. 1 - I kept it and always carried it with me. I wanted to know if this man really understood something. But they all answered me: “It’s a hat.” And I no longer talked to them about boa constrictors, or about the jungle, or about the stars. I applied myself to their concepts. I talked to them about playing bridge and golf, about politics and about ties. And the adults were very pleased that they met such a sensible person.

II

So I lived alone, and there was no one I could talk to heart to heart. And six years ago I had to make an emergency landing in the Sahara. Something broke in the engine of my plane. There was no mechanic or passengers with me, and I decided that I would try to fix everything myself, even though it was very difficult. I had to fix the engine or die. I barely had enough water for a week.

So, the first evening I fell asleep on the sand in the desert, where there was no habitation for thousands of miles around. A man who was shipwrecked and lost on a raft in the middle of the ocean would not be so alone. Imagine my surprise when at dawn someone’s thin voice woke me up. He said:

Please... draw me a lamb!

Draw me a lamb...

I jumped up as if thunder had struck above me. He rubbed his eyes. I began to look around. And I saw a funny little man who was looking at me seriously. Here is the best portrait of him that I have since been able to draw. But in my drawing, of course, he is not nearly as good as he really was. It is not my fault. When I was six years old, adults convinced me that I would not be an artist, and I learned to draw nothing except boa constrictors - outside and inside.

So, I looked with all my eyes at this extraordinary phenomenon. Remember, I was thousands of miles from human habitation. And yet it didn’t look at all like this little guy was lost, or tired and scared to death, or dying of hunger and thirst. There was no way to tell from his appearance that he was a child lost in an uninhabited desert, far from any habitation. Finally my speech returned and I asked:

But... what are you doing here?

And he again asked quietly and very seriously:

Please... draw a lamb...

All this was so mysterious and incomprehensible that I did not dare refuse. No matter how absurd it was here, in the desert, on the verge of death, I still took out a sheet of paper and an eternal pen from my pocket. But then I remembered that I studied more geography, history, arithmetic and spelling, and I told the kid (I even said a little angrily) that I couldn’t draw. He replied:

Doesn't matter. Draw a lamb.

Since I had never drawn a ram in my life, I repeated for him one of the two old pictures that I only know how to draw - a boa constrictor outside. And he was very surprised when the baby exclaimed:

No no! I don't need an elephant in a boa constrictor! The boa constrictor is too dangerous and the elephant is too big. Everything in my house is very small. I need a lamb. Draw a lamb.

He looked carefully at my drawing and said:

No, this lamb is already quite frail. Draw someone else.

My new friend smiled softly, condescendingly.

You can see for yourself,” he said, “this is not a lamb.” This is a big ram. He has horns...

I drew it differently again. But he refused this drawing too:

This one is too old. I need a lamb that will live a long time.

Then I lost patience - after all, I had to quickly disassemble the engine - and scratched the box.

And he said to the baby:

Here's a box for you. And inside it sits the kind of lamb you want.

But how surprised I was when my stern judge suddenly beamed:

That is good! Do you think this lamb needs a lot of grass?

After all, I have very little at home...

He's had enough. I'm giving you a very small lamb.

He’s not that small...” he said, tilting his head and looking at the drawing. - Check this out! He fell asleep...

This is how I met the Little Prince.

III

It took me a while to understand where he came from. The little prince bombarded me with questions, but when I asked about something, he seemed not to hear. Only little by little, from random, casually dropped words, everything was revealed to me. So, when he first saw my plane (I won’t draw a plane, I still can’t handle it), he asked:

What is this thing?

This is not a thing. This is a plane. My plane. He is flying.

And I proudly explained to him that I can fly. Then he exclaimed:

How! Did you fall from the sky?

Yes,” I answered modestly.

That's funny!..

And the Little Prince laughed loudly, so that I was annoyed: I like my misadventures to be taken seriously. Then he added:

So, you also came from heaven. And from what planet?

“So this is the answer to his mysterious appearance here in the desert!” - I thought and asked directly:

So you came here from another planet?

But he didn't answer. He shook his head quietly, looking at my plane:

Well, you couldn’t have flown from far away...

And I thought about something for a long time. Then he took my lamb out of his pocket and plunged into the contemplation of this treasure.

You can imagine how my curiosity was aroused by this half-confession about “other planets.” And I tried to find out more:

Where did you come from, baby? Where is your home? Where do you want to take my lamb?

He paused thoughtfully, then said:

It’s very good that you gave me the box: the lamb will sleep there at night.

Well, of course. And if you're smart, I'll give you a rope to tie him up during the day. And a peg.

The little prince frowned:

Tie? What is this for?

But if you don’t tie him up, he’ll wander into an unknown place and get lost.

Here my friend laughed cheerfully again:

But where will he go?

Who knows where? Everything is straight, straight, wherever your eyes look.

Then the Little Prince said seriously:

It's not scary, because I have very little space there.

And he added, not without sadness:

If you keep going straight and straight, you won’t get far...

IV

So I made another important discovery: his home planet was as big as a house!

However, this didn’t surprise me too much. I knew that, in addition to such large planets as Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, there were hundreds of others, and among them were so small that they were difficult to see even with a telescope. When an astronomer discovers such a planet, he does not give it a name, but simply a number. For example: asteroid 3251.

I have serious reasons to believe that the Little Prince came from a planet called “asteroid B-612”. This asteroid was seen through a telescope only once, in 1909, by a Turkish astronomer.

The astronomer then reported his remarkable discovery at the International Astronomical Congress. But no one believed him, and all because he was dressed in Turkish. These adults are such a people!

Fortunately for the reputation of asteroid B-612, the Turkish Sultan ordered his subjects, on pain of death, to wear European dress. In 1920, that astronomer again reported his discovery. This time he was dressed in the latest fashion, and everyone agreed with him.

I told you in such detail about asteroid B-612 and even told you its number only because of the adults. Adults love numbers very much. When you tell them that you have a new friend, they will never ask about the most important thing. They will never say: “What’s his voice like? What games does he like to play? Does he catch butterflies? They ask: “How old is he? How many brothers does he have? How much does he weigh? How much does his father earn? And after that they imagine that they recognize the person. When you tell adults: “I saw a beautiful house made of pink brick, there are geraniums in the windows, and pigeons on the roof,” they cannot imagine this house. They must be told: “I saw a house for a hundred thousand francs,” and then they exclaim: “What a beauty!”

In the same way, if you tell them: “Here is proof that the Little Prince really existed: he was very, very nice, he laughed, and he wanted to have a lamb. And whoever wants a lamb certainly exists,” if you tell them that, they will just shrug their shoulders and look at you as if you were an unintelligent baby. But if you tell them: “He came from a planet called asteroid B-612,” this will convince them, and they will not bother you with questions. These are the kind of people these adults are. You shouldn't be angry with them. Children should be very lenient towards adults.

But we, those who understand what life is, we, of course, laugh at numbers and numbers! I would gladly begin this story as a fairy tale. I'd like to start like this:

“Once upon a time there lived a Little Prince. He lived on a planet that was slightly larger than himself, and he really missed his friend...” Those who understand what life is would immediately see that all this is the pure truth.

Because I don’t want my book to be read just for fun. My heart aches painfully when I remember my little friend, and it’s not easy for me to talk about him. Six years have passed since he and his lamb left me. And I'm trying to talk about it so as not to forget it. It's very sad when friends are forgotten. Not everyone has a friend. And I'm afraid of becoming like adults who are not interested in anything except numbers. That's also why I bought a box of paints and colored pencils. It’s not so easy to start drawing again at my age, if all my life I’ve only drawn a boa constrictor from the outside and inside, and even then at the age of six! Of course, I will try to convey the resemblance as best as possible. But I'm not at all sure that I will succeed. One portrait comes out well, but the other is not at all similar. The same goes for height: in one drawing my prince came out too big, in another - too small. And I don’t remember well what color his clothes were. I try to draw this way and that, at random, with little effort. Finally, I may be wrong in some important details. But you won’t exact it. My friend never explained anything to me. Maybe he thought I was just like him. But, unfortunately, I don’t know how to see the lamb through the walls of the box. Maybe I'm a little like the adults. I guess I'm getting old.

V

Every day I learned something new about his planet, how he left it and how he wandered. He talked about it little by little when it came to the word. So, on the third day I learned about the tragedy with the baobabs.

This also came about because of the lamb. It seemed that the Little Prince was suddenly overcome by grave doubts, and he asked:

Tell me, is it true that lambs eat bushes?

Yes its true.

That's good!

I didn't understand why it was so important that lambs eat bushes. But the Little Prince added:

So they eat baobabs too?

I objected that baobabs are not bushes, but huge trees, as tall as a bell tower, and even if he brings a whole herd of elephants, they will not eat even one baobab.

Hearing about elephants, the Little Prince laughed:

They would have to be placed on top of each other...

And then he said judiciously:

Baobabs are very small at first, until they grow.

It's right. But why does your lamb eat small baobabs?

But of course! - he exclaimed, as if we were talking about the simplest, most elementary truths.

And I had to rack my brains until I figured out what it was all about.

On the planet of the Little Prince, like on any other planet, useful and harmful herbs grow. This means that there are good seeds of good, healthy herbs and harmful seeds of bad, weedy grass. But the seeds are invisible. They sleep deep underground until one of them decides to wake up. Then it sprouts; he straightens up and reaches out to the sun, at first so cute and harmless. If it's a future radish or rose bush, let it grow healthy. But if it is some kind of bad herb, you need to pull it out by the roots as soon as you recognize it. And on the planet of the Little Prince there are terrible, evil seeds... these are the seeds of the baobabs. The entire soil of the planet is contaminated with them. And if the baobab is not recognized in time, then you will no longer be able to get rid of it. He will take over the entire planet. He will penetrate it right through with his roots. And if the planet is very small, and there are a lot of baobabs, they will tear it to shreds.

There is such a firm rule,” the Little Prince told me later. - Get up in the morning, wash your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order. It is imperative to weed out baobabs every day, as soon as they can be distinguished from rose bushes: their young shoots are almost identical. It's very boring work, but not difficult at all.

One day he advised me to try and draw such a picture so that our children would understand it well.

If they ever have to travel, he said, it will come in handy. Other work can wait a little, there will be no harm. But if you give free rein to the baobabs, trouble will not be avoided. I knew one planet, a lazy person lived on it. He didn’t weed out three bushes on time...

The little prince described everything to me in detail, and I drew this planet. I hate preaching to people. But few people know what the baobabs threaten, and the danger that anyone who lands on an asteroid is exposed to is very great - which is why this time I decide to change my usual restraint. "Children! - I say. - Beware of the baobabs! I want to warn my friends about the danger that has been lurking for them for a long time, and they don’t even suspect about it, just as I didn’t suspect it before. That's why I worked so hard on this drawing, and I don't regret the labor spent. Perhaps you ask: why are there no more impressive drawings in this book like this one with baobabs? The answer is very simple: I tried, but it didn’t work out. And when I painted baobabs, I was inspired by the knowledge that this was terribly important and urgent.

VI

O Little Prince! Little by little I also realized how sad and monotonous your life was. For a long time you had only one entertainment: you admired the sunset. I learned about this on the morning of the fourth day when you said:

I really love sunset. Let's go watch the sun go down.

Well, we'll have to wait.

What to expect?

For the sun to go down.

At first you were very surprised, and then you laughed at yourself and said:

It still feels like I'm at home!

Indeed. Everyone knows that when it is noon in America, the sun is already setting in France. And if you were to transport yourself to France in one minute, you could admire the sunset. Unfortunately, France is very, very far away. But on your planet all you had to do was move your chair a few steps. And you looked at the sunset sky again and again, you just had to want...

I once saw the sun set forty-three times in one day!

And a little later you added:

You know... when it gets really sad, it's good to watch the sun go down...

So, that day when you saw forty-three sunsets, you were very sad?

But the Little Prince did not answer.

VII

On the fifth day, again thanks to the lamb, I learned the secret of the Little Prince. He asked unexpectedly, without preamble, as if he had come to this conclusion after long silent reflection:

If a lamb eats bushes, does it also eat flowers?

He eats everything he can get his hands on.

Even flowers that have thorns?

Yes, and those with thorns.

Then why the spikes?

I didn't know this. I was very busy: one bolt stuck in the engine, and I tried to unscrew it. I felt uneasy, the situation was becoming serious, there was almost no water left, and I began to fear that my forced landing would end badly.

Why are spikes needed?

Having asked any question, the Little Prince never backed down until he received an answer. The stubborn bolt was making me impatient, and I answered at random:

The thorns are not needed for any reason; the flowers release them simply out of anger.

That's how!

There was silence. Then he said almost angrily:

I don't believe you! The flowers are weak. And simple-minded. And they try to give themselves courage. They think that if they have thorns, everyone is afraid of them...

I didn't answer. At that moment I said to myself: “If this bolt still doesn’t give in, I’ll hit it with a hammer so hard that it will shatter into pieces.” The little prince interrupted my thoughts again:

Do you think that flowers...

No! I don't think anything! I answered you the first thing that came to mind. You see, I'm busy with serious business.

He looked at me in amazement:

Seriously?!

He kept looking at me: stained with lubricating oil, with a hammer in my hands, I bent over an incomprehensible object that seemed so ugly to him.

You talk like adults! - he said.

I felt ashamed. And he mercilessly added:

You're confusing everything... you don't understand anything!

Yes, he was seriously angry. He shook his head, and the wind tousled his golden hair.

I know one planet, there lives such a gentleman with a purple face. He had never smelled a flower in his entire life. I never looked at a star. He never loved anyone. And he never did anything. He is busy with only one thing: he adds numbers. And from morning to night he repeats one thing: “I am a serious person! I’m a serious person!” - just like you. And he's literally swelled with pride. But in reality he is not a person. He's a mushroom.

The little prince even turned pale with anger.

Flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years. And for millions of years, lambs still eat flowers. So isn't it a serious matter to understand why they go out of their way to grow thorns if the thorns are of no use? Is it really not important that lambs and flowers fight each other? But isn’t this more serious and important than the arithmetic of a fat gentleman with a purple face? What if I know the only flower in the world, it grows only on my planet, and there is no other like it anywhere else, and one fine morning a little lamb suddenly takes it and eats it and doesn’t even know what he’s done? And all this, in your opinion, is not important?

He blushed deeply. Then he spoke again:

If you love a flower - the only one that is no longer on any of the many millions of stars, that's enough: you look at the sky and feel happy. And you say to yourself: “My flower lives there somewhere...” But if the lamb eats it, it’s the same as if all the stars went out at once! And this, in your opinion, does not matter!

He couldn't speak anymore. He suddenly burst into tears. It got dark. I quit my job. The ill-fated bolt and hammer, thirst and death were funny to me. On a star, on a planet - on my planet, called Earth - the Little Prince was crying, and it was necessary to console him. I took him in my arms and began to cradle him. I told him: “The flower you love is not in danger... I’ll draw a muzzle for your lamb... I’ll draw armor for your flower... I...” I didn’t understand well what I was saying. I felt terribly awkward and clumsy. I didn’t know how to call so that he could hear, how to catch up with his soul, which was eluding me... After all, it is so mysterious and unknown, this country of tears.

VIII

Very soon I got to know this flower better. On the planet of the Little Prince, simple, modest flowers always grew - they had few petals, they took up very little space and did not bother anyone. They opened in the grass in the morning and withered in the evening. And this one sprouted one day from grain brought from nowhere, and the Little Prince did not take his eyes off the tiny sprout, unlike all the other sprouts and blades of grass. What if this is some new variety of baobab? But the bush quickly stopped stretching upward, and a bud appeared on it. The little prince had never seen such huge buds and had a presentiment that he would see a miracle. And the unknown guest, still hidden within the walls of her green room, was still getting ready, still preening. She carefully selected the colors. She dressed up slowly, trying on the petals one by one. She did not want to be born disheveled, like some poppy. She wanted to appear in all the splendor of her beauty. Yes, she was a terrible coquette! Mysterious preparations continued day after day. And finally, one morning, as soon as the sun rose, the petals opened.

And the beauty, who had put so much effort into preparing for this moment, said, yawning:

Oh, I woke up forcibly... I apologize... I’m still completely disheveled...

The little prince could not contain his delight:

How beautiful you are!

Yes its true? - was the quiet answer. - And note, I was born with the sun.

The little prince, of course, guessed that the amazing guest did not suffer from an excess of modesty, but she was so beautiful that it was breathtaking!

And she soon noticed:

Looks like it's time for breakfast. Be so kind as to take care of me...

The little prince was very embarrassed, found a watering can and watered the flower with spring water.

It soon turned out that the beauty was proud and touchy, and the Little Prince was completely exhausted with her. She had four thorns, and one day she said to him:

Let the tigers come, I'm not afraid of their claws!

There are no tigers on my planet,” objected the Little Prince. - And then, tigers don’t eat grass.

“I’m not grass,” the flower remarked offendedly.

Excuse me…

No, tigers are not scary to me, but I am terribly afraid of drafts. Don't have a screen?

“The plant is afraid of drafts... very strange...” thought the Little Prince. “What a difficult character this flower has.”

When evening comes, cover me with a cap. It's too cold here. A very uncomfortable planet. Where I came from...

She didn't finish. After all, she was brought here when she was still a seed. She could not know anything about other worlds. It's stupid to lie when you can be caught so easily! The beauty was embarrassed, then coughed once or twice so that the Little Prince felt how guilty he was before her:

Where is the screen?

I wanted to follow her, but I couldn’t help but listen to you!

Then she coughed harder: let his conscience still torment him!

Although the Little Prince fell in love with the beautiful flower and was glad to serve him, doubts soon arose in his soul. He took empty words to heart and began to feel very unhappy.

“I listened to her in vain,” he once told me trustingly. - You should never listen to what flowers say. You just have to look at them and breathe in their scent. My flower filled my entire planet with fragrance, but I did not know how to rejoice at it. This talk about claws and tigers... They should have moved me, but I got angry...

And he also admitted:

I didn’t understand anything then! It was necessary to judge not by words, but by deeds. She gave me her scent and illuminated my life. I shouldn't have run. Behind these pitiful tricks and tricks I should have guessed tenderness. The flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young, I didn’t know how to love yet.

IX

As I understand it, he decided to travel with migratory birds. On the last morning, he tidied up his planet more diligently than usual. He carefully cleaned active volcanoes. It had two active volcanoes. They are very convenient for warming up breakfast in the morning. In addition, he had another extinct volcano. But, he said, you never know what can happen! Therefore, he cleaned out the extinct volcano too. When you carefully clean volcanoes, they burn evenly and quietly, without any eruptions. A volcanic eruption is like a fire in a chimney when soot ignites. Of course, we people on earth are too small and cannot clean out our volcanoes. That's why they give us so much trouble.

Not without sadness, the Little Prince also tore out the last sprouts of the baobabs. He thought he would never return. But this morning his usual work gave him extraordinary pleasure. And when he watered it for the last time and was about to cover the wonderful flower with a cap, he even wanted to cry.

Goodbye, he said.

The beauty did not answer.

“Goodbye,” repeated the Little Prince.

She coughed. But not from a cold.

“I was stupid,” she finally said. - I'm sorry. And try to be happy.

And not a word of reproach. The little prince was very surprised. He froze, embarrassed and confused, with a glass cap in his hands. Where does this quiet tenderness come from?

Yes, yes, I love you, he heard. - It's my fault that you didn't know this. Yes, it doesn’t matter. But you were just as stupid as me. Try to be happy... Leave the cap, I don’t need it anymore.

But the wind...

I don’t have that much of a cold... The freshness of the night will do me good. After all, I am a flower.

But animals, insects...

I must tolerate two or three caterpillars if I want to meet butterflies. They must be lovely. Otherwise, who will visit me? You'll be far away. But I'm not afraid of big animals. I also have claws.

And she, in the simplicity of her soul, showed her four thorns. Then she added:

Don't wait, it's unbearable! If you decide to leave, then leave.

She didn't want the Little Prince to see her cry. It was a very proud flower...

X

The closest to the planet of the Little Prince were asteroids 325, 326, 327, 328, 329 and 330. So he decided to visit them first: he needed to find something to do and learn something.

On the first asteroid there lived a king. Dressed in purple and ermine, he sat on a throne - very simple and yet majestic.

Ah, here comes the subject! - the king exclaimed when he saw the Little Prince.

“How did he recognize me? - thought the Little Prince. “After all, he’s seeing me for the first time!”

He did not know that kings look at the world in a very simplified way: for them, all people are subjects.

“Come, I want to look at you,” said the king, terribly proud that he could be a king for someone.

The little prince looked around to see if he could sit down somewhere, but a magnificent ermine mantle covered the entire planet. I had to stand, and he was so tired... and suddenly he yawned.

Etiquette does not allow yawning in the presence of the monarch, said the king. - I forbid you to yawn.

“I did it by accident,” answered the Little Prince, very embarrassed. - I was on the road for a long time and didn’t sleep at all...

Well, then I command you to yawn,” said the king. “I haven’t seen anyone yawn for many years.” I'm even curious about this. So, yawn! This is my order.

But I’m timid... I can’t take it anymore... - said the Little Prince and blushed all over.

Hm, hm... Then... Then I command you to yawn, then...

The king was confused and seemed even a little angry.

After all, the most important thing for a king is that he be obeyed unquestioningly. He would not tolerate disobedience. This was an absolute monarch. But he was very kind, and therefore gave only reasonable orders.

“If I order my general to turn into a seagull,” he used to say, “and if the general does not carry out the order, it will not be his fault, but mine.”

Can I sit down? - the Little Prince timidly asked.

I command: sit down! - answered the king and majestically picked up one hem of his ermine robe.

But the Little Prince was perplexed. The planet is so tiny. What does this king rule over?

Your Majesty,” he began, “may I ask you...

I command you: ask! - the king said hastily.

Your Majesty... what do you rule over?

“Everyone,” the king answered simply.

The king moved his hand, modestly pointing to his planet, as well as to other planets and stars.

And you rule over all this? - asked the Little Prince.

Yes,” answered the king.

For he was truly a sovereign monarch and knew no limits or restrictions.

And the stars obey you? - asked the little prince.

“Well, of course,” answered the king. - The stars obey instantly. I don't tolerate disobedience.

The little prince was delighted. If only he had such power! He would then admire the sunset not forty-four times a day, but seventy-two, or even a hundred or two hundred times, and at the same time he would not even have to move his chair from place to place! Here he became sad again, remembering his abandoned planet, and plucking up courage, asked the king:

I would like to watch the sunset... Please, do me a favor and command the sun to set...

If I order some general to flutter like a butterfly from flower to flower, or to compose a tragedy, or to turn into a sea gull, and the general does not carry out the order, who will be to blame for this - him or me?

“You, Your Majesty,” answered the Little Prince without a moment’s hesitation.

Absolutely true,” confirmed the king. - Everyone must be asked what they can give. Power must first of all be reasonable. If you command your people to throw themselves into the sea, they will start a revolution. I have the right to demand obedience because my commands are reasonable.

What about the sunset? - reminded the Little Prince: once he asked about something, he did not give up until he received an answer.

You will also have sunset. I will demand the sun to go down. But first I will wait for favorable conditions, for this is the wisdom of the ruler.

When will the conditions be favorable? - inquired the Little Prince.

Hm, hm,” answered the king, leafing through a thick calendar. - It will be... Hm, hm... Today it will be at seven forty minutes in the evening. And then you will see how exactly my command will be fulfilled.

The little prince yawned. It’s a pity that you can’t watch the sunset here when you want! And, to tell the truth, he got a little bored.

“I have to go,” he told the king. - I have nothing else to do here.

Stay! - said the king: he was very proud that he had found a subject, and did not want to part with him. - Stay, I will appoint you minister.

Minister of what?

Well... justice.

But there is no one to judge here!

“Who knows,” the king objected. - I have not yet examined my entire kingdom. I am very old, I have no room for a carriage, and walking is so tiring...

The little prince bent down and looked once again at the other side of the planet.

But I already looked! - he exclaimed. - There's no one there either.

Then judge yourself, said the king. - This is the most difficult thing. It is much more difficult to judge yourself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise.

“I can judge myself anywhere,” said the Little Prince. “There is no need for me to stay with you for this.”

Hm, hm... - said the king. - It seems to me that somewhere on my planet there lives an old rat. I hear her scratching at night. You could judge this old rat. Sentence her to death from time to time. Her life will depend on you. But then each time you will have to pardon her. We must take care of the old rat, because we have only one.

“I don’t like to pass death sentences,” said the Little Prince. - And anyway, I have to go.

“No, it’s not time,” the king objected.

The little prince was already ready to set off, but he did not want to upset the old monarch.

If your Majesty desires that your commands be carried out unquestioningly, he said, you could give a prudent order. For example, order me to set off without hesitating for a minute... It seems to me that the conditions for this are the most favorable.

The king did not answer, and the little prince hesitated a little, then sighed and set off.

I appoint you as an ambassador! - the king hastily shouted after him.

And he looked as if he would not tolerate any objections.

“These adults are strange people,” the Little Prince said to himself as he continued on his way.

XI

On the second planet there lived an ambitious man.

Oh, here comes the admirer! - he exclaimed, seeing the Little Prince from afar.

After all, vain people think that everyone admires them.

What a funny hat you have.

“This is to bow,” explained the ambitious man. - To bow when they greet me. Unfortunately, no one comes here.

How's that? - said the Little Prince: he didn’t understand anything.

“Clap your hands,” the ambitious man told him.

The little prince clapped his hands. The ambitious man took off his hat and bowed modestly.

“It’s more fun here than at the old king’s,” thought the Little Prince. And he started clapping his hands again. And the ambitious man began to bow again, taking off his hat.

So the same thing was repeated for about five minutes in a row, and the Little Prince got bored with it.

What needs to be done to make the hat fall off? - he asked.

But the ambitious man did not hear. Vain people are deaf to everything except praise.

Are you really my enthusiastic admirer? - he asked the little prince.

But there is no one else on your planet!

Well, give me pleasure, admire me anyway!

“I admire it,” said the Little Prince, shrugging slightly, “but what joy does that give you?”

And he ran away from the ambitious man.

“Really, adults are very strange people,” he thought innocently, setting off on his way.

XII

On the next planet there lived a drunkard. The little prince stayed with him for only a short time, but after that he felt very sad.

When he appeared on this planet, the drunkard sat silently and looked at the hordes of bottles lined up in front of him - empty and full.

What are you doing? - asked the little prince.

“I drink,” the drunkard answered gloomily.

To forget.

What to forget? - asked the Little Prince; he felt sorry for the drunkard.

“I want to forget that I’m ashamed,” the drunkard admitted and hung his head.

Why are you ashamed? - asked the Little Prince, he really wanted to help the poor guy.

I'm ashamed to drink! - explained the drunkard, and it was impossible to get another word out of him.

“Yes, really, adults are very, very strange people,” he thought as he continued on his way.

XIII

The fourth planet belonged to a business man. He was so busy that when the Little Prince appeared he didn’t even raise his head.

“Good afternoon,” the Little Prince told him. - Your cigarette has gone out.

Three and two are five. Five and seven are twelve. Twelve and three are fifteen. Good afternoon. Fifteen and seven - twenty-two. Twenty two and six - twenty eight. There is no time to strike a match. Twenty six and five - thirty one. Ugh! The total, therefore, is five hundred one million six hundred twenty two thousand seven hundred thirty one.

Five hundred million of what?

A? Are you still here? Five hundred million... I don’t know what... I have so much work to do! I am a serious person, I have no time for chatter! Two and five - seven...

Five hundred million of what? - repeated the Little Prince: having asked about something, he did not calm down until he received an answer.

The business man raised his head.

I have been living on this planet for fifty-four years, and in all that time I have only been disturbed three times. For the first time, twenty-two years ago, a cockchafer flew towards me from somewhere. He made a terrible noise, and then I made four mistakes in addition. The second time, eleven years ago, I had an attack of rheumatism. From a sedentary lifestyle. I have no time to walk around. I'm a serious person. The third time... here it is! So, therefore, five hundred million...

Millions of what?

The business man realized that he had to answer, otherwise he would have no peace.

Five hundred million of these little things that are sometimes visible in the air.

What are these, flies?

No, they are so small and shiny.

No. So small and golden, every lazy person will start daydreaming as soon as he looks at them. And I'm a serious person. I have no time to dream.

Eh, stars?

Exactly. Stars.

Five hundred million stars? What are you doing with them?

Five hundred one million six hundred twenty two thousand seven hundred thirty one. I am a serious person, I love accuracy.

So what do you do with all these stars?

What am I doing?

I'm not doing anything. I own them.

Do you own the stars?

But I have already seen the king who...

Kings own nothing. They only rule. This is a completely different matter.

Why do you need to own the stars?

To be rich.

Why be rich?

To buy more new stars if someone discovers them.

“He talks almost like a drunkard,” thought the Little Prince.

How can you own the stars?

Whose stars? - the businessman asked grumpily.

Don't know. Draws.

So, mine, because I was the first to think of it.

Is that enough?

Well, of course. If you find a diamond that has no owner, then it is yours. If you find an island that has no owner, it is yours. If you are the first to come up with an idea, you take out a patent on it: it is yours. I own the stars because no one before me thought of owning them.

“That’s right,” said the Little Prince. - And what are you doing with them?

“I dispose of them,” the businessman answered. - I count them and recount them. It is very difficult. But I'm a serious person.

However, this was not enough for the Little Prince.

If I have a silk scarf, I can tie it around my neck and take it with me,” he said. - If I have a flower, I can pick it and take it with me. But you can’t take away the stars!

No, but I can put them in the bank.

Like this?

And so: I write on a piece of paper how many stars I have. Then I put this piece of paper in the box and lock it with a key.

That's enough.

“Funny! - thought the Little Prince. - And even poetic. But it’s not that serious.”

What is serious and what is not serious - the Little Prince understood this in his own way, completely different from the adults.

“I have a flower,” he said, “and I water it every morning.” I have three volcanoes and I clean them out every week. I clean all three, and the one that went out too. You never know what can happen. Both my volcanoes and my flower benefit from the fact that I own them. And the stars have no use for you...

The business man opened his mouth, but could not find anything to answer, and the Little Prince moved on.

“No, adults really are amazing people,” he said to himself innocently, continuing on his way.

XIV

The fifth planet was very interesting. She turned out to be the smallest of all. It only held a lantern and a lamplighter. The little prince could not understand why on a tiny planet lost in the sky, where there are no houses or inhabitants, a lantern and a lamplighter are needed. But he thought:

“Perhaps this man is ridiculous. But he is not as absurd as the king, the ambitious, the businessman and the drunkard. His work still has meaning. When he lights his lantern, it’s as if another star or flower is born. And when he turns off the lantern, it’s as if a star or a flower is falling asleep. Great activity. It’s really useful because it’s beautiful.”

And, having caught up with this planet, he respectfully bowed to the lamplighter.

“Good afternoon,” he said. - Why did you turn off the lantern now?

Such an agreement,” answered the lamplighter. - Good afternoon.

What kind of agreement is this?

Turn off the lantern. Good evening.

And he lit the lantern again.

Why did you light it again?

Such an agreement,” repeated the lamplighter.

“I don’t understand,” admitted the Little Prince.

“And there’s nothing to understand,” said the lamplighter, “an agreement is an agreement.” Good afternoon.

And he turned off the lantern.

Then he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a red checkered handkerchief and said:

My job is hard. Once upon a time it made sense. I turned off the lantern in the morning and lit it again in the evening. I had a day to rest and a night to sleep...

And then the agreement changed?

The agreement has not changed,” said the lamplighter. - That's the trouble! My planet rotates faster every year, but the agreement remains the same.

So what now? - asked the little prince.

Yes, that's it. The planet makes a full revolution in one minute, and I don't have a second to rest. Every minute I turn off the lantern and light it again.

That's funny! So your day only lasts one minute!

There’s nothing funny here,” the lamplighter objected. - We've been talking for a month now.

Whole month?!

Well, yes. Thirty minutes. Thirty days. Good evening!

And he lit the lantern again.

The little prince looked at the lamplighter, and he liked this man more and more, who was so true to his word. The little prince remembered how he once moved a chair from place to place in order to once again look at the sunset. And he wanted to help his friend.

Listen,” he said to the lamplighter, “I know a remedy: you can rest whenever you want...

“I always want to rest,” said the lamplighter.

After all, you can be true to your word and still be lazy.

Your planet is so tiny,” continued the Little Prince, “you can walk around it in three steps.” And you just need to go at such a speed that you stay in the sun all the time. When you want to rest, you just go, go... And the day will last as long as you want.

“Well, that’s of little use to me,” said the lamplighter. - More than anything in the world, I love to sleep.

Then your business is bad,” the Little Prince sympathized.

“My business is bad,” the lamplighter confirmed. - Good afternoon.

And he turned off the lantern.

“Here is a man,” the Little Prince said to himself, continuing on his way, “here is a man whom everyone would despise - the king, the ambitious, the drunkard, and the businessman. And yet, of all of them, he is the only one, in my opinion, who is not funny. Maybe because he thinks not only about himself.”

The little prince sighed.

“I wish I could make friends with someone,” he thought again. - But his planet is very tiny. There's no room for two..."

He did not dare admit to himself that he regretted this wonderful planet most of all for one more reason: in twenty-four hours you can admire the sunset on it one thousand four hundred and forty times!

XV

The sixth planet was ten times larger than the previous one. There lived an old man who wrote thick books.

Look! The traveler has arrived! - he exclaimed, noticing the Little Prince.

The little prince sat down on the table to catch his breath. He has already traveled so much!

Where are you from? - the old man asked him.

What is this huge book? - asked the little prince. - What are you doing here?

“I am a geographer,” answered the old man.

This is a scientist who knows where the seas, rivers, cities, mountains and deserts are.

How interesting! - said the little prince. - This is the real deal!

And he looked around the geographer’s planet. Never before had he seen such a majestic planet!

Your planet is very beautiful,” he said. - Do you have oceans?

“I don’t know that,” said the geographer.

Oooh... - the Little Prince drawled disappointedly. -Are there mountains?

“I don’t know,” the geographer repeated.

What about cities, rivers, deserts?

And I don’t know this either.

But you are a geographer!

That’s it,” said the old man. - I am a geographer, not a traveler. I miss travelers terribly. After all, it is not geographers who count cities, rivers, mountains, seas, oceans and deserts. The geographer is too important a person; he has no time to walk around. He doesn't leave his office. But he hosts travelers and records their stories. And if one of them tells something interesting, the geographer makes inquiries and checks whether this traveler is a decent person.

What for?

But if a traveler begins to lie, everything in the geography textbooks will be mixed up. And if he drinks too much, that’s also a problem.

And why?

Because drunkards see double. And where there is actually one mountain, the geographer will mark two.

“I knew one person... He would have made a bad traveler,” noted the Little Prince.

Very possible. So, if it turns out that the traveler is a decent person, then they check his discovery.

How do they check? Do they go and look?

Oh no. It's too complicated. They simply require the traveler to provide evidence. For example, if he discovered a big mountain, let him bring big stones from it.

The geographer suddenly became agitated:

But you are a traveler yourself! You came from afar! Tell me about your planet!

And he opened the thick book and sharpened his pencil. Travelers' stories are first written down in pencil. And only after the traveler provides evidence can his story be written down in ink.

“I’m listening to you,” said the geographer.

Well, it’s not that interesting for me there,” said the Little Prince. - Everything is very small for me. There are three volcanoes. Two are active, and one has long gone out. But you never know what can happen...

Yes, anything can happen,” the geographer confirmed.

Then I have a flower.

We don’t celebrate flowers,” said the geographer.

Why?! This is the most beautiful thing!

Because flowers are ephemeral.

How is it - ephemeral?

Geography books are the most precious books in the world, the geographer explained. - They never become outdated. After all, it is a very rare case for a mountain to move. Or for the ocean to dry up. We write about things that are eternal and unchanging.

But an extinct volcano can wake up,” interrupted the Little Prince. - What is “ephemeral”?

Whether the volcano is extinct or active, it doesn’t matter to us, geographers,” said the geographer. - One thing is important: the mountain. She doesn't change.

What is “ephemeral”? - asked the Little Prince, who, having once asked a question, did not calm down until he received an answer.

This means: one that should soon disappear.

And my flower should soon disappear?

Of course.

“My beauty and joy are short-lived,” the Little Prince said to himself, “and she has nothing to protect herself from the world, she only has four thorns. And I abandoned her, and she was left all alone on my planet!”

This was the first time he regretted the abandoned flower. But then his courage returned.

Where do you recommend I go? - he asked the geographer.

“Visit planet Earth,” answered the geographer. - She has a good reputation...

And the Little Prince set off on his journey, but his thoughts were about the abandoned flower.

XVI

So the seventh planet he visited was Earth.

The Earth is not a simple planet! There are one hundred and eleven kings (including, of course, black ones), seven thousand geographers, nine hundred thousand businessmen, seven and a half million drunkards, three hundred and eleven million ambitious people, a total of about two billion adults.

To give you an idea of ​​how big the Earth is, I will only say that, until electricity was invented, an entire army of lamplighters had to be kept on all six continents - four hundred sixty-two thousand five hundred and eleven people.

From the outside looking in, it was a magnificent sight. The movements of this army obeyed the most precise rhythm, just like in ballet. The lamplighters of New Zealand and Australia were the first to perform. Having lit their lights, they went to bed. Behind them came the turn of the Chinese lamplighters. Having performed their dance, they also disappeared behind the scenes. Then came the turn of lamplighters in Russia and India. Then - in Africa and Europe. Then in South America, then in North America. And they never made a mistake, no one went on stage at the wrong time. Yes, it was brilliant.

Only the lamplighter who had to light the only lantern at the North Pole, and his brother at the South Pole - only these two lived easily and carefree: they had to do their job only twice a year.

ХVII

When you really want to make a joke, sometimes you inevitably lie. In talking about lamplighters, I erred somewhat against the truth. I am afraid that those who do not know our planet will have a false idea about it. People don't take up much space on Earth. If two billion of its inhabitants came together and became a solid crowd, as at a meeting, they would all easily fit into a space measuring twenty miles long and twenty miles wide. All of humanity could be packed shoulder to shoulder on the smallest island in the Pacific Ocean.

Adults, of course, won't believe you. They imagine that they take up a lot of space. They seem majestic to themselves, like baobabs. And you advise them to make an accurate calculation. They will love it, because they love numbers. Don't waste your time on this arithmetic. This is of no use. You already believe me.

So, once on the ground, the Little Prince did not see a soul and was very surprised. He even thought that he had flown by mistake to some other planet. But then a ring the color of a moonbeam moved in the sand.

“Good evening,” said the Little Prince, just in case.

“Good evening,” answered the snake.

What planet did I end up on?

To Earth,” said the snake. - To Africa.

Here's how. Are there no people on Earth?

This is a desert. Nobody lives in deserts. But the Earth is big.

The little prince sat down on a stone and raised his eyes to the sky.

“I would like to know why the stars glow,” he said thoughtfully. - Probably, so that sooner or later everyone can find theirs again. Look, here is my planet - just right above us... But how far away it is!

Beautiful planet,” said the snake. - What will you do here on Earth?

“I quarreled with my flower,” admitted the Little Prince.

Ah, here it is...

And both fell silent.

Where are the people? - The Little Prince finally spoke again. - It’s still lonely in the desert...

It’s also lonely among people,” the snake noted.

The little prince looked at her carefully.

“You are a strange creature,” he said. - No thicker than a finger...

“But I have more power than the king’s finger,” the snake objected.

The little prince smiled:

Well, are you really that powerful? You don't even have paws. You can't even travel...

And wrapped around the Little Prince's ankle like a gold bracelet.

“Everyone I touch, I return to the earth from which he came,” she said. - But you are pure and came from a star...

The little prince did not answer.

“I feel sorry for you,” the snake continued. - You are so weak on this Earth, hard as granite. On the day when you bitterly regret your abandoned planet, I will be able to help you. I can…

“I understood perfectly,” said the Little Prince. - But why do you always speak in riddles?

“I solve all riddles,” said the snake.

And both fell silent.

XVIII

The little prince crossed the desert and met no one. For all the time he came across only one flower - a tiny, inconspicuous flower with three petals...

“Hello,” said the Little Prince.

“Hello,” answered the flower.

Where are the people? - the Little Prince asked politely.

The flower once saw a caravan passing by.

People? Oh yes... There are only six or seven of them, it seems. I saw them many years ago. But where to look for them is unknown. They are carried by the wind. They have no roots, which is very inconvenient.

“Goodbye,” said the Little Prince.

Goodbye, said the flower.

XIX

The little prince climbed a high mountain. Before, he had never seen mountains except his three volcanoes, which were knee-high to him. The extinct volcano served him as a stool. And now he thought: “From such a high mountain I will immediately see this entire planet and all the people.” But I saw only rocks, sharp and thin, like needles.

“Good afternoon,” he said, just in case.

Good afternoon... day... day... - the echo responded.

Who you are? - asked the little prince.

Who are you... who are you... who are you... - the echo responded.

Let’s be friends, I’m all alone,” he said.

One... one... one... - the echo responded.

“What a strange planet! - thought the Little Prince. - Completely dry, covered in needles and salty. And people lack imagination. They only repeat what you tell them... At home I had a flower, my beauty and joy, and it was always the first to speak.”

XX

The Little Prince walked for a long time through sand, rocks and snow and finally came across a road. And all roads lead to people.

“Good afternoon,” he said.

In front of him was a garden full of roses.

“Good afternoon,” the roses responded.

And the little prince saw that they all looked like his flower.

Who you are? - he asked, amazed.

“We are roses,” answered the roses.

That’s how... - said the Little Prince.

And I felt very, very unhappy. His beauty told him that there was no one like her in the entire universe. And here in front of him are five thousand exactly the same flowers in the garden alone!

“How angry she would be if she saw them! - thought the Little Prince. “She would cough horribly and pretend that she was dying, just not to seem funny.” And I would have to follow her like a sick person, because otherwise she would really die, just to humiliate me too...”

And then he thought: “I imagined that I owned the only flower in the world that no one else had anywhere, and it was an ordinary rose. All I had was a simple rose and three volcanoes that were knee-high, and then one of them went out and, perhaps, forever... what kind of prince am I after that..."

He lay down in the grass and cried.

XXI

This is where the Fox appeared.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hello,” the Little Prince answered politely and looked around, but saw no one.

Who are you? - asked the little prince. - How beautiful you are!

“I am the Fox,” said the Fox.

“Play with me,” asked the Little Prince. - I am so sad…

“I can’t play with you,” said the Fox. - I'm not tamed.

“Oh, sorry,” said the Little Prince.

But, after thinking, he asked:

How is it to tame it?

“You’re not from here,” said the Fox. - What are you looking for here?

“I’m looking for people,” said the Little Prince. - How is it to tame?

People have guns and go hunting. It is very uncomfortable! And they also raise chickens. That's the only thing they're good for. Are you looking for chickens?

No, said the Little Prince. - I am looking for friends. How is it to tame it?

This is a long-forgotten concept,” explained the Fox. - It means: to create bonds.

That's it,” said the Fox. - For me, you are still just a little boy, just like a hundred thousand other boys. And I don't need you. And you don't need me either. For you, I am just a fox, exactly the same as a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, we will need each other. You will be the only one for me in the whole world. And I will be alone for you in the whole world...

“I’m beginning to understand,” said the Little Prince. - There was one rose... she probably tamed me...

“Very possible,” agreed the Fox. - There’s a lot that doesn’t happen on Earth.

“It wasn’t on Earth,” said the Little Prince.

The fox was very surprised:

On another planet?

Are there hunters on that planet?

How interesting! Are there any chickens?

There is no perfection in the world! - Lis sighed.

But then he spoke about the same thing again:

My life is boring. I hunt chickens, and people hunt me. All chickens are the same, and all people are the same. And my life is a bit boring. But if you tame me, my life will be illuminated by the sun. I will begin to distinguish your steps among thousands of others. When I hear people's steps, I always run and hide. But your walk will call me like music, and I will come out of my hiding place. And then - look! Do you see the wheat ripening in the fields over there? I don't eat bread. I don't need ears of corn. The wheat fields don't tell me anything. And it's sad! But you have golden hair. And how wonderful it will be when you tame me! Golden wheat will remind me of you. And I will love the rustle of ears of corn in the wind...

The fox fell silent and looked at the Little Prince for a long time. Then he said:

Please... tame me!

“I would be glad,” answered the Little Prince, “but I have so little time.” I still need to make friends and learn different things.

You can only learn those things that you tame,” said the Fox. - People no longer have enough time to learn anything. They buy things ready-made in stores. But there are no such shops where friends would trade, and therefore people no longer have friends. If you want to have a friend, tame me!

What should you do for this? - asked the little prince.

“We must be patient,” answered the Fox. - First, sit over there, at a distance, on the grass - like this. I will look sideways at you, and you remain silent. Words only interfere with understanding each other. But every day sit a little closer...

The next day the Little Prince came to the same place again.

“It’s better to always come at the same hour,” the Fox asked. - For example, if you come at four o’clock, I will feel happy already from three o’clock. And the closer to the appointed time, the happier. At four o'clock I will already begin to worry and worry. I will find out the price of happiness! And if you come every time at a different time, I don’t know what time to prepare my heart... You need to follow the rituals.

What are rituals? - asked the little prince.

This is also something long forgotten,” explained the Fox. - Something that makes one day different from all other days, one hour from all other hours. For example, my hunters have this ritual: on Thursdays they dance with the village girls. And what a wonderful day it is - Thursday! I go for a walk and reach the vineyard itself. And if the hunters danced whenever they had to, all days would be the same and I would never know rest.

So the Little Prince tamed the Fox. And now the hour of farewell has come.

“I will cry for you,” the Fox sighed.

It’s your own fault,” said the Little Prince. - I didn’t want you to get hurt, you yourself wanted me to tame you...

Yes, of course,” said the Fox.

But you will cry!

Yes, sure.

So it makes you feel bad.

No,” objected the Fox, “I’m fine.” Remember what I said about golden ears.

He fell silent. Then he added:

Go take another look at the roses. You will understand that your rose is the only one in the world. And when you return to say goodbye to me, I will tell you one secret. This will be my gift to you.

The little prince went to look at the roses.

“You are not at all like my rose,” he told them. - You are nothing yet. No one has tamed you, and you have not tamed anyone. This is how my Fox used to be. He was no different from a hundred thousand other foxes. But I became friends with him, and now he is the only one in the whole world.

Roses were very embarrassed.

“You are beautiful, but empty,” continued the Little Prince. - I won’t want to die for your sake. Of course, a random passerby, looking at my rose, will say that it is exactly the same as you. But she alone is dearer to me than all of you. After all, it was her, not you, that I watered every day. He covered her, not you, with a glass cover. He blocked it with a screen, protecting it from the wind. I killed caterpillars for her, leaving only two or three so that the butterflies hatched. I listened to how she complained and how she boasted, I listened to her even when she fell silent. She is mine.

And the Little Prince returned to the Fox.

Goodbye... - he said.

“Goodbye,” said the Fox. - Here is my secret, it is very simple: only the heart is vigilant. You can't see the most important thing with your eyes.

“You can’t see the most important thing with your eyes,” repeated the Little Prince in order to remember better.

Your rose is so dear to you because you gave it your whole soul.

Because I gave my whole soul to her... - the Little Prince repeated in order to remember better.

People have forgotten this truth, said the Fox, but don’t forget: you are forever responsible for everyone you tamed. You are responsible for your rose.

“I am responsible for my rose...” repeated the Little Prince in order to remember better.

XXII

“Good afternoon,” said the Little Prince.

“Good afternoon,” the switchman responded.

What are you doing here? - asked the little prince.

“I’m sorting passengers,” answered the switchman. - I send them on trains, a thousand people at a time - one train to the right, the other to the left.

And the fast train, sparkling with illuminated windows, rushed past with thunder, and the switchman's box began to tremble.

“How they are in a hurry,” the Little Prince was surprised. -What are they looking for?

Even the driver himself doesn’t know this,” said the switchman.

And in the other direction, sparkling with lights, another fast train thundered past.

Are they coming back already? - asked the little prince.

No, these are others,” said the switchman. - This is an oncoming person.

Were they unhappy where they were before?

It’s good where we are not,” said the switchman.

And the third fast train thundered, sparkling.

Do they want to catch up with those first? - asked the little prince.

They don’t want anything,” said the switchman. - They sleep in the carriages or just sit and yawn. Only children press their noses to the windows.

Only children know what they are looking for,” said the Little Prince. - They give their whole soul to a rag doll, and it becomes very, very dear to them, and if it is taken away from them, the children cry...

Their happiness,” said the switchman.

XXIII

“Good afternoon,” said the Little Prince.

“Good afternoon,” answered the merchant.

He sold improved pills that quench thirst. You swallow such a pill, and then you don’t feel like drinking for a whole week.

Why are you selling them? - asked the little prince.

“They save a lot of time,” the merchant answered. - According to experts, you can save fifty-three minutes a week.

What to do in these fifty-three minutes?

“If I had fifty-three minutes to spare,” thought the Little Prince, “I would simply go to the spring...”

XXIV

A week has passed since my accident, and while listening to the pill merchant, I drank my last sip of water.

Yes, - I said to the little prince, - everything you tell is very interesting, but I haven’t fixed my plane yet, I don’t have a drop of water left, and I, too, would be happy if I could just go to the spring .

The fox I became friends with...

My dear, I have no time for Fox right now!

Yes, because you will have to die of thirst...

He didn't understand what the connection was. He objected:

It's good to have a friend, even if you have to die. I’m very glad that I was friends with Fox...

“He doesn’t understand how great the danger is. He never experienced hunger or thirst. A ray of sunshine is enough for him..."

I didn't say it out loud, I just thought it. But the Little Prince looked at me and said:

I’m thirsty too... let’s go look for a well...

I threw up my hands tiredly: what’s the point of randomly looking for wells in the endless desert? But still we set off.

We walked for long hours in silence; Finally it got dark, and the stars began to light up in the sky. I was a little feverish from thirst, and I saw them as if in a dream. I kept remembering the words of the Little Prince, and I asked:

So, you also know what thirst is?

But he didn't answer. He said simply:

The heart also needs water...

I didn’t understand, but remained silent. I knew I shouldn't question him.

He's tired. He sank to the sand. I sat down next to him. We were silent. Then he said:

The stars are very beautiful, because somewhere there is a flower, although it is not visible...

“Yes, of course,” I said only, looking at the wavy sand illuminated by the moon.

And the desert is beautiful... - added the Little Prince.

This is true. I've always liked the desert. You are sitting on a sand dune. I can not see anything. Can not hear anything. And yet in the silence something glows...

Do you know why the desert is good? - he said. - Springs are hidden somewhere in it...

I was amazed, suddenly I understood what the mysterious light emanating from the sands meant. Once upon a time, as a little boy, I lived in an old, old house - they said that there was a treasure hidden in it. Of course, no one ever discovered it, and perhaps no one ever looked for it. But because of him, the house was as if bewitched: in his heart he hid a secret...

Yes, I said. - Whether it’s a house, the stars or the desert, the most beautiful thing about them is what you can’t see with your eyes.

“I’m very glad that you agree with my friend Fox,” responded the Little Prince.

Then he fell asleep, I took him in my arms and moved on. I was excited. It seemed to me that I was carrying a fragile treasure. It even seemed to me that there was nothing more fragile on our Earth. In the light of the moon I looked at his pale forehead, at his closed eyelashes, at the golden strands of hair that the wind blew through, and said to myself: all this is just a shell. The most important thing is what you cannot see with your eyes...

His half-open lips trembled in a smile, and I said to myself: the most touching thing about this sleeping Little Prince is his fidelity to the flower, the image of the rose that shines in him like the flame of a lamp, even when he sleeps... And I realized that he is even more fragile than it seems. Lamps must be taken care of: a gust of wind can extinguish them...

So I walked - and at dawn I reached the well.

XXV

People get on fast trains, but they themselves don’t understand what they are looking for, said the Little Prince. “That’s why they don’t know peace and rush in one direction, then in the other...

Then he added:

And all in vain...

The well we came to was not like all the wells in the Sahara. Usually the well here is just a hole in the sand. And this was a real village well. But there was no village nearby, and I thought it was a dream.

How strange,” I said to the Little Prince, “everything is prepared here: a collar, a bucket, and a rope...

“I’ll scoop up the water myself,” I said, “you can’t do it.”

Slowly I pulled out the full bucket and placed it securely on the stone edge of the well. The singing of the creaking gate still echoed in my ears, the water in the bucket was still shaking, and the sunbeams were trembling in it.

“I want to take a sip of this water,” said the Little Prince. - Let me get drunk...

And I realized what he was looking for!

I brought the bucket to his lips. He drank with his eyes closed. It was like the most wonderful feast. This water was not ordinary. She was born from a long journey under the stars, from the creaking of a gate, from the efforts of my hands. She was like a gift to my heart. When I was little, Christmas gifts shone like that for me: the glow of candles on the tree, the singing of the organ at the hour of midnight mass, gentle smiles.

On your planet,” said the Little Prince, “people grow five thousand roses in one garden... and do not find what they are looking for...

They don’t find it,” I agreed.

But what they are looking for can be found in a single rose, in a sip of water...

Yes, of course,” I agreed.

And the Little Prince said:

But the eyes are blind. You have to search with your heart.

I drank some water. It was easy to breathe. At dawn the sand turns golden like honey. And that made me happy too. Why should I be sad?..

“You must keep your word,” the Little Prince said softly, sitting down next to me again.

What word?

Remember, you promised... a muzzle for my lamb... After all, I am responsible for that flower.

I took my drawings out of my pocket. The little prince looked at them and laughed:

Your baobabs look like cabbage...

And I was so proud of my baobabs!

And your fox’s ears... look like horns! And how long!

And he laughed again.

You're being unfair, my friend. I never knew how to draw - except for boa constrictors outside and inside.

“It’s okay,” he reassured me. - Children will understand anyway.

And I drew a muzzle for the lamb. I gave the drawing to the Little Prince, and my heart sank.

You're up to something and you're not telling me...

But he didn't answer.

You know,” he said, “tomorrow it will be a year since I came to you on Earth...

And he fell silent. Then he added:

I fell very close to here...

And he blushed.

And again, God knows why, my soul became heavy.

Still, I asked:

So, a week ago, on the morning when we met, it was no coincidence that you were wandering here all alone, a thousand miles from human habitation? Did you return to the place where you fell then?

The little prince blushed even more.

And I added hesitantly:

Maybe it's because it's turning one year old?..

And again he blushed. He didn't answer any of my questions, but when you blush, it means yes, doesn't it?

I’m scared...” I began with a sigh.

But he said:

It's time for you to get to work. Go to your car. I'll be waiting here for you. Come back tomorrow evening...

However, I did not feel any calmer. I remembered Lisa. When you let yourself be tamed, then it happens that you cry.

XXVI

Not far from the well, the ruins of an ancient stone wall have been preserved. The next evening, having finished my work, I returned there and from a distance I saw that the Little Prince was sitting on the edge of the wall, his legs dangling. And I heard his voice:

Do not you remember? - he said. - It wasn't here at all.

Someone must have answered him, because he replied:

Well, yes, it was exactly a year ago, day after day, but only in a different place...

I walked faster. But nowhere near the wall did I see or hear anyone else. Meanwhile, the Little Prince again answered someone:

Well, of course. You will find my footprints in the sand. And then wait. I'll come there tonight.

There were twenty meters left to the wall, and I still couldn’t see anything.

After a short silence, the Little Prince asked:

Do you have good poison? Won't you make me suffer for a long time?

I stopped, and my heart sank, but I still did not understand.

Now go away,” said the Little Prince. - I want to jump down.

Then I lowered my eyes and jumped up! At the foot of the wall, raising its head to the Little Prince, curled up a yellow snake, one of those whose bite kills in half a minute. Feeling for the revolver in my pocket, I ran towards her, but at the sound of footsteps, the snake quietly flowed through the sand, like a dying stream, and with a barely audible metallic ringing slowly disappeared between the stones.

I ran to the wall just in time to grab my little prince. He was whiter than snow.

What are you thinking, baby? - I exclaimed. - Why do you start conversations with snakes?

I untied his ever-present golden scarf. I wet him with whiskey and made him drink water. But I didn't dare ask anything else. He looked at me seriously and put his arms around my neck. I heard his heart beating like a shot bird. He said:

I'm glad you found what was wrong with your car. Now you can return home...

How do you know?!

I was just about to tell him that, contrary to all expectations, I managed to fix the plane!

He didn't answer, he just said:

And I will also return home today.

Then he added sadly:

Everything was somehow strange. I hugged him tightly, like a small child, and, however, it seemed to me as if he was slipping away, falling into the abyss, and I was unable to hold him...

He looked thoughtfully into the distance.

I will have your lamb. And a box for the lamb. And a muzzle...

And he smiled sadly.

I've been waiting a long time. He seemed to come to his senses.

You're scared, baby...

Well, don't be scared! But he laughed quietly:

Tonight I will be much more scared...

And again I was frozen by a premonition of irreparable disaster. Will I really, really never hear him laugh again? This laughter for me is like a spring in the desert.

Baby, I still want to hear you laugh...

But he said:

Tonight will be one year old. My star will be right above the place where I fell a year ago...

Listen, kid, all this - the snake and the date with the star - is just a bad dream, right?

But he didn't answer.

The most important thing is what you can’t see with your eyes...,” he said.

Yes, sure…

It's like a flower. If you love a flower that grows somewhere on a distant star, it’s good to look at the sky at night. All the stars are blooming.

Yes, sure…

It's like with water. When you gave me a drink, that water was like music, and all because of the gate and the rope... Remember? She was very nice.

Yes, sure…

At night you will look at the stars. My star is very small, I can’t show it to you. That's better. She will simply be one of the stars for you. And you will love to look at the stars... They will all become your friends. And then, I will give you something...

And he laughed.

Oh, baby, baby, how I love it when you laugh!

This is my gift... it will be like water...

How so?

Each person has their own stars. For those who wander, they show the way. For others, they are just little lights. For scientists, they are like a problem that needs to be solved. For my businessman they are gold. But for all these people the stars are mute. And you will have very special stars...

How so?

You will look at the sky at night, and there will be such a star there, where I live, where I laugh, and you will hear that all the stars are laughing. You will have stars who know how to laugh!

And he laughed himself.

And when you are consoled (eventually you are always consoled), you will be glad that you once knew me. You will always be my friend. You'll want to laugh with me. Sometimes you will open the window like this, and you will be pleased... And your friends will be surprised that you laugh, looking at the sky. And you tell them: “Yes, yes, I always laugh when I look at the stars!” And they'll think you're crazy. This is the cruel joke I will play on you.

And he laughed again.

It’s as if instead of stars I gave you a whole bunch of laughing bells...

He laughed again. Then he became serious again:

You know...tonight...you better not come.

I will not leave you.

It will seem to you that I am in pain... it will even seem that I am dying. That's how it happens. Don't come, don't.

I will not leave you.

But he was preoccupied with something.

You see... it's also because of the snake. What if she bites you... Snakes are evil. Stinging someone is a pleasure for them.

I will not leave you.

He suddenly calmed down:

True, she doesn’t have enough poison for two...

That night I did not notice him leaving. He slipped away silently. When I finally caught up with him, he was walking with quick, determined steps.

Oh, it’s you... - he only said.

And he took my hand. But something was bothering him.

It's in vain that you come with me. It will hurt you to look at me. You'll think I'm dying, but that's not true...

I was silent.

You see... it's very far away. My body is too heavy. I can't take it away.

I was silent.

But it's like shedding an old shell. There is nothing sad here...

I was silent.

He became a little discouraged. But still he made one more effort:

You know, it will be very nice. I will also start looking at the stars. And all the stars will be like old wells with a creaky gate. And each one will give me something to drink...

I was silent.

Think how funny it is! You will have five hundred million bells, and I will have five hundred million springs...

And then he also fell silent, because he began to cry...

Here we are. Let me take another step alone.

And he sat down on the sand because he was scared.

Then he said:

You know... my rose... I am responsible for her. And she is so weak! And so simple-minded. All she has is four measly thorns; she has nothing else to protect herself from the world...

I also sat down because my legs gave way. He said:

OK it's all over Now…

He paused for another minute and stood up. And he took just one step. And I couldn’t move.

Like yellow lightning flashed at his feet. For a moment he remained motionless. Didn't scream. Then he fell - slowly, like a tree falling. Slowly and silently, because the sand muffles all sounds.

XXVII

And now six years have passed... I have never told anyone about this. When I returned, my comrades were glad to see me again safe and sound. I was sad, but I told them:

I'm just tired...

And yet, little by little I was comforted. That is... Not really. But I know he returned to his planet, because when dawn broke, I did not find his body on the sand. It wasn't that heavy. And at night I like to listen to the stars. Like five hundred million bells...

But here's what's amazing. When I was drawing the muzzle for the lamb, I forgot about the strap! The little prince will not be able to put it on the lamb. And I ask myself: is something being done there, on his planet? What if the lamb ate the rose?

Sometimes I say to myself: “No, of course not! The little prince always covers the rose with a glass cover at night, and he takes great care of the lamb...” Then I’m happy. And all the stars laugh quietly.

And sometimes I say to myself: “You are sometimes absent-minded... then anything can happen! Suddenly one evening he forgot about the glass bell or the lamb quietly got out into the wild at night...” And then all the bells cry...

All this is mysterious and incomprehensible. To you, who also fell in love with the Little Prince, like me, this is not at all all the same: the whole world becomes different for us because somewhere in an unknown corner of the universe, a lamb that we have never seen, perhaps, ate an unknown give us a rose.

Look at the sky. And ask yourself: “Is that rose alive or is it no longer alive? What if the lamb ate it?” And you will see: everything will become different...

And no adult will ever understand how important this is!

This, in my opinion, is the most beautiful and saddest place in the world. The same corner of the desert was drawn on the previous page, but I drew it again so that you can see it better. Here the Little Prince first appeared on Earth and then disappeared.

Take a closer look to be sure to recognize this place if you ever find yourself in Africa, in the desert. If you happen to be passing through here, I implore you, don’t rush, linger a little under this star! And if a little boy with golden hair comes up to you, if he laughs loudly and doesn’t answer your questions, you will, of course, guess who he is. Then - I beg you! - don’t forget to console me in my sadness, quickly write to me that he has returned...

Leon Vert.

Tasks

based on the fairy tale "The Little Prince"

1- test

A) was a bad drawer

B) lost faith in himself

B) got busy with something else

A) Asteroid B – 612

B) Asteroid B – 3251

B) Venus - B – 561

A) lamb

B) pilot

A) he ended up in the desert

B) he found himself completely alone

C) he saw hundreds of thousands of roses.

6) What wisdom does the Fox give?

A) you need to have more friends

B) never betray a friend

C) you are responsible for the one you tamed

7) What did the Little Prince ask you to draw for the lamb?

A) muzzle

B) rope

A) 5 months

B) two years

B) one year

A) he became bored on Earth

B) realized that he was responsible for the flower

A) pilot

B) magic wand

2- questions

1. Who is the fairy tale dedicated to?

2. For whom was this fairy tale written?

3. What is the Little Prince thinking about?

4. What terrible evil seeds are there on the planet of the Little Prince?

5. Is there a planet whose inhabitant pleases the Little Prince?

3- The most attentive reader.

Place the heroes in order as the Little Prince met them.

1- (1 point each)

1. Why did the narrator in the fairy tale give up his “brilliant career as an artist”?

A) was a bad drawer

B) lost faith in myself

B) got busy with something else

2. What was the name of the prince’s little planet?

A) Asteroid B – 612

B) Asteroid B – 3251

B) Venus - B – 561

3) How many planets did the prince visit in total?

IN) 7

4) Who was the first person on Earth that the Little Prince met?

A) lamb

B) snake

B) pilot

5) What disappointment befell the prince on Earth?

A) he ended up in the desert

B) he found himself all alone

C) he saw hundreds of thousands of roses.

6) What wisdom does the Fox give?

A) you need to have more friends

B) never betray a friend

IN) you are responsible for the one you tamed

7) What did the pilot draw for the lamb?

A) muzzle

B) rope

IN) box

8) How long did the Little Prince stay on Earth?

A) 5 months

B) two years

IN) one year

9) Why did the prince return to his planet?

A) he became bored on Earth

B) realized that he was responsible for the flower

C) he learned a lot and was in a hurry to tell others

10). Who helped the Little Prince return to his planet?

A) pilot

B) snake

B) magic wand

2- (2 points each)

1. Who is the fairy tale dedicated to?(To Leon Werth, my friend when he was little) .

2. For whom was this fairy tale written?(And for for children and adults so that adults and children understand each other better).

3. What is the Little Prince thinking about?(About the meaning of life, about man’s place on earth, about the traces that remain after death, about relationships with each other.)

4. What terrible evil seeds are there on the planet of the Little Prince?(Baobab seeds).

5. Is there a planet whose inhabitant pleases the Little Prince?(Fifth, lamplighter).

3- (0.5 for each point = 4)

Answers:
1. Old King
2. Ambitious
3. Drunkard
4. Business man
5. Lamplighter
6. Geographer
7. Flower
8. Fox

Total 24 points

“After all, all adults were children at first, but few of them remember this.”

This book can be read in 30 minutes, but this fact did not prevent the book from becoming a world classic. The author of the story is the French writer, poet and professional pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This allegorical story is the author's most famous work. It was first published in 1943 (April 6) in New York. An interesting fact is that the drawings in the book were made by the author himself and became no less famous than the book itself.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupéry(French: Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupéry; June 29, 1900, Lyon, France - July 31, 1944) - famous French writer, poet and professional pilot.

Brief summary of the story

At the age of six, the boy read about how a boa constrictor swallows its prey and drew a picture of a snake swallowing an elephant. It was a drawing of a boa constrictor on the outside, but the adults claimed it was a hat. Adults always need to explain everything, so the boy made another drawing - a boa constrictor from the inside. Then the adults advised the boy to quit this nonsense - according to them, he should have studied more geography, history, arithmetic and spelling. So the boy abandoned his brilliant career as an artist. He had to choose a different profession: he grew up and became a pilot, but still showed his first drawing to those adults who seemed to him smarter and more understanding than the others - and everyone answered that it was a hat. It was impossible to talk heart to heart with them - about boa constrictors, the jungle and the stars. And the pilot lived alone until he met the Little Prince.

This happened in the Sahara. Something broke in the plane's engine: the pilot had to fix it or die, because there was only enough water left for a week. At dawn, the pilot was awakened by a thin voice - a tiny baby with golden hair, who somehow ended up in the desert, asked him to draw a lamb for him. The amazed pilot did not dare refuse, especially since his new friend was the only one who was able to see the boa constrictor swallowing the elephant in the first drawing. It gradually became clear that the Little Prince had come from a planet called “asteroid B-612” - of course, the number is only necessary for boring adults who adore numbers.

The whole planet was the size of a house, and the Little Prince had to look after her: every day he cleaned three volcanoes - two active and one extinct, and also weeded out baobab sprouts. The pilot did not immediately understand what danger the baobabs posed, but then he guessed and, in order to warn all the children, he drew a planet where there lived a lazy person who did not weed out three bushes on time. But the Little Prince always put his planet in order. But his life was sad and lonely, so he loved to watch the sunset - especially when he was sad. He did this several times a day, simply moving the chair after the sun. Everything changed when a wonderful flower appeared on his planet: it was a beauty with thorns - proud, touchy and simple-minded. The little prince fell in love with her, but she seemed capricious, cruel and arrogant to him - he was too young then and did not understand how this flower illuminated his life. And so the Little Prince cleaned out his volcanoes for the last time, pulled out the sprouts of the baobabs, and then said goodbye to his flower, who only at the moment of farewell admitted that he loved him.

He went on a journey and visited six neighboring asteroids. The king lived on the first: he wanted to have subjects so much that he invited the Little Prince to become a minister, and the little one thought that adults were a very strange people. On the second planet there lived an ambitious man on third- drunkard, on the fourth- a business person, and fifth- lamplighter. All the adults seemed extremely strange to the Little Prince, and he only liked the Lamplighter: this man remained faithful to the agreement to light the lanterns in the evenings and turn off the lanterns in the mornings, although his planet had shrunk so much that day and night changed every minute. Don't have so little space here. The little prince would have stayed with the Lamplighter, because he really wanted to make friends with someone - besides, on this planet you could admire the sunset one thousand four hundred and forty times a day!

On the sixth planet lived a geographer. And since he was a geographer, he was supposed to ask travelers about the countries from which they came in order to record their stories in books. The little prince wanted to talk about his flower, but the geographer explained that only mountains and oceans are written down in books, because they are eternal and unchanging, and flowers do not live long. Only then did the Little Prince realize that his beauty would soon disappear, and he left her alone, without protection and help! But the resentment had not yet passed, and the Little Prince moved on, but he only thought about his abandoned flower.

The Earth was with the seventh- a very difficult planet! Suffice it to say that there are one hundred and eleven kings, seven thousand geographers, nine hundred thousand businessmen, seven and a half million drunkards, three hundred and eleven million ambitious people - a total of about two billion adults. But the Little Prince made friends only with the snake, the Fox and the pilot. The snake promised to help him when he bitterly regretted his planet. And the Fox taught him to be friends. Anyone can tame someone and become their friend, but you always need to be responsible for those you tame. And the Fox also said that only the heart is vigilant - you cannot see the most important thing with your eyes. Then the Little Prince decided to return to his rose, because he was responsible for it. He went into the desert - to the very place where he fell. That’s how they met the pilot. The pilot drew him a lamb in a box and even a muzzle for the lamb, although he previously thought that he could only draw boa constrictors - outside and inside. The little prince was happy, but the pilot became sad - he realized that he, too, had been tamed. Then the Little Prince found a yellow snake, whose bite kills in half a minute: she helped him, as she promised. The snake can return anyone to where he came from - she returns people to the earth, and returned the Little Prince to the stars. The kid told the pilot that it would only look like death in appearance, so there is no need to be sad - let the pilot remember him while looking at the night sky. And when the Little Prince laughs, it will seem to the pilot that all the stars are laughing, like five hundred million bells.

The pilot repaired his plane, and his comrades rejoiced at his return. Six years have passed since then: little by little he calmed down and fell in love with looking at the stars. But he is always overcome with excitement: he forgot to draw a strap for the muzzle, and the lamb could eat the rose. Then it seems to him that all the bells are crying. After all, if the rose is no longer in the world, everything will become different, but not a single adult will ever understand how important this is.

To the 70th anniversary of the writing by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
books "The Little Prince"

In December 1942, military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was in a hurry: he wanted to give his compatriots in occupied France a Christmas present: to finish the kind and sad fairy tale “The Little Prince”. The book was finally published in 1942 in New York. Suggested as a cure for ennui by Elisabeth Raynal, the wife of his American publisher, the text of the book will require several months of editing before it takes on its final form. According to biographer Stacy Schiff, Saint-Exupery wrote the book in the summer and fall of 1942, famously at night, timing the time with calls to friends and liters of black coffee (his traces remain on the pages of the manuscript, which is kept in the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York). . It seems that the idea for the book came naturally to Saint-Exupery, as if the story of the Little Prince had been living in him all this time, waiting for an important moment in his life. Despite the fact that his translator, Lewis Galantier, claims that Saint-Exupery rewrote the page a hundred times before sending it to the publisher, it seems that the book came easily to the author. Illustrations for the book will be made by the author in gouache, purchased at a pharmacy on Eighth Avenue, and will present in symbolic form some episodes of the fairy tale. It is important that these are not just illustrations, but an organic part of the work as a whole: the author himself and the heroes of his tale constantly refer to the drawings and argue about them. The unique illustrations in The Little Prince break down language barriers and become part of a universal visual lexicon that everyone can understand.

In his dedication to the book, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes: “After all, all adults were children at first, only few of them remember this.” The stern pilot had a special tenderness for children. He wanted to raise children like flowers in a garden: it was not for nothing that he more than once called himself a “gardener.” He felt sorry for the child he met who had rude, ignorant parents, and he himself was happy when he managed to help the child in at least something. Probably because of his love for children, because of his sense of responsibility to those who would come to Earth, replacing the adults, he wrote the wonderful fairy tale “The Little Prince” at the end of his life.

Let's say a few words about the prototypes of the heroes of this truly book for all times. The image of the Little Prince himself is both deeply autobiographical and, as it were, removed from the adult author-pilot. He was born out of longing for little Tonio, who was dying within himself - a descendant of an impoverished noble family, who was called in the family “Sun King” for his blond hair at first, and in college was nicknamed “Lunatic” for his habit of looking at the starry sky for a long time. The phrase itself - “The Little Prince” - is found in “Planet of People”, however, like many other images and thoughts. And in 1940, during breaks between battles with the Nazis, Saint-Exupery often drew a boy on a piece of paper - sometimes winged, sometimes riding on a cloud. Gradually, the wings were replaced by a long scarf, which, by the way, was worn by the author himself, and the cloud will become asteroid B-612. The prototype of the capricious and touching Rose was, of course, Saint-Exupéry’s wife, Consuelo, an impulsive Latina, whom her friends nicknamed “the little Salvadoran volcano.” By the way, in the original the author always writes not “Rose”, but “la fleur” - a flower, but in French this is a feminine word, so in the Russian translation Nora Gal replaced the flower with a Rose (in the picture it is really a rose). As for Fox, there were more disputes about prototypes and translation options. This is what translator Nora Gal writes in the article “Under the Star of Saint-Ex”: “When “The Little Prince” was published, we first had a heated debate in the editorial office: the Fox in the fairy tale or the Fox - again, feminine or masculine? Some people believed that the fox in the fairy tale was Rose's rival. Here the dispute is no longer about one word, not about a phrase, but about the understanding of the entire image. Even more, to a certain extent, about understanding the entire fairy tale: its intonation, coloring, deep inner meaning - everything changed from this “little thing”... The main thing is that in the fairy tale the Fox is, first of all, a friend. Rose is love, Fox is friendship, and the faithful friend Fox teaches the Little Prince fidelity, teaches him to always feel responsible for his beloved and for all his loved ones.” We can add one more observation: the unusually large ears of the Fox in Saint-Exupéry's drawing are most likely inspired by the small desert fennec fox, one of the many creatures tamed by the writer while serving in Morocco.

Naive and wise, sad and cheerful, magical and real coexist in a fairy tale. There is also satire, cartoon, and caricature in the fairy tale. The inhabitants of the tiny planets that the Little Prince visited look ridiculous: a geographer who has never traveled, an astronomer who has forgotten the word “stars,” an ambitious man, a drunkard, a businessman. None of them have time to think, fantasize, grieve, or develop. Each of them is too self-absorbed. In their entire lives, not one of them had ever smelled a flower, nor had they ever loved anyone. And even the lamplighter, endlessly lighting and extinguishing lanterns, looks like a worthy person: after all, once it was necessary, he always did this work on time and was never able to stop, because he felt responsible for the work he was doing. Let's remember some quotes from this work:

If you keep going straight and straight, you won’t get far...

Do you know why the desert is good? Springs are hidden somewhere in it...

The eyes are blind. You have to search with your heart.

Vain people are deaf to everything except praise.

It's also lonely among people.

There is no perfection in the world!

You are forever responsible for those you have tamed.

It is much more difficult to judge yourself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise.

The tale was first published in 1943 in the USA, first published in English, then in French. Translated into more than 180 languages ​​and dialects, including major European, Asian, and African languages. There are editions in Friulian in Italy, Bamana in Mali, Aragonese in Spain, Creole in Curaçao and Gascon in France. Only in India there are publications in Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and Konkani. There are more than 30 publications in China and more than 60 in Korea. Nora Gal's Russian translation of The Little Prince was first published in Moscow magazine in 1959.