本篇为《小王子》第五章的解析，需要阅读原文的请下载阅读或者直接点击下方链接阅读第五章的在线版本：
一起读《小王子》 | The Little Prince Chapter 5
- As each day passed I would learn, in our talk, something about the little prince's planet, his departure from it, his journey.
departure 离开；启程；动身；出发 departure from是一个常见的用法，从哪里出发。
- The information would come very slowly, as it might chance to fall from his thoughts.
chance还可做动词，chance to 碰巧，一般是比较正式的用法，多用于书面语。
- It was in this way that I heard, on the third day, about the catastrophe of the baobabs.
catastrophe 重大灾难；灾祸；横祸
baobab 猴面包树
- This time, once more, I had the sheep to thank for it.
这一句有点绕，就是 I had to thank for the sheep，调换了一下语序。看下文可知，他是要表达，获知这个面包树灾难的秘密可是“要多亏了这只羊”。
- For the little prince asked me abruptly-- as if seized by a grave doubt
abruptly 突然地，唐突地；这个单词第三章就出现过，还记得么？
seized 这是seize的被动语态： (of an emotion 情绪) 被影响，被突然控制。也是多用于书面语。
grave 严肃的，严重的。
- I pointed out to the little prince that baobabs were not little bushes, but, on the contrary, trees as big as castles; and that even if he took a whole herd of elephants away with him, the herd would not eat up one single baobab.
on the contrary 相反地
castle 城堡
on the contrary 相反地
castle 城堡
herd of 一群 herd 兽群；畜群
eat up 吃光。注意up这类小词。
- Before they grow so big, the baobabs start out by being little.
**start out by ** 从…开始
- as if he were speaking of something that was self-evident.
self-evident 不证自明的；不言而喻的；明摆着的
- And I was obliged to make a great mental effort to solve this problem, without any assistance.
oblige 迫使。be obliged to do sth （迫于形势、法律、规定等）不得不做某事
mental 心理上的；脑力上的
assistance 帮助；协助
- In consequence, there were good seeds from good plants, and bad seeds from bad plants. But seeds are invisible.
in consequence 结果，因此
invisible 隐形的，看不见的
- Then this little seed will stretch itself and begin-- timidly at first-- to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward toward the sun.
stretch 伸展；舒展
timidly 羞怯地
sprig 带叶小枝
inoffensively 温文地；无害地
- If it is only a sprout of radish or the sprig of a rose-bush, one would let it grow wherever it might wish.
sprout新芽；子苗；嫩枝
radish 小萝卜
rose-bush 玫瑰花丛，蔷薇花丛
- The soil of that planet was infested with them.
be infested with 被大批侵扰
- A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late.
get rid of 除掉，去掉
attend to 处理，料理（事情）
- It bores clear through it with its roots.
bore 钻，凿，挖（孔） bore through常见搭配
- It is a question of discipline.
discipline 纪律
- When you've finished your own toilet in the morning, then it is time to attend to the toilet of your planet
toilet 梳洗打扮。这是在美式英语里很正式的用法，本翻译版本是《小王子》的首个英文译本，由美国人翻译，用语习惯稍有不同。英式英语里toilet是指卫生间，但是在美国“上厕所”一般是说go to the bathroom。
- at the very first moment when they can be distinguished from the rosebushes which they resemble so closely in their earliest youth.
distinguished 即distinguish “区分；辨别；分清”的过去式。
rosebushes rose-bush “玫瑰花丛，蔷薇花丛”的复数形式。
resemble 类似；与…相似；与…相像
- It is very tedious work
tedious 枯燥的；乏味的；令人生厌的
- there is no harm in putting off a piece of work until another day.
put off 推迟；拖延
- He neglected three little bushes
neglected 即neglect “疏忽；疏漏”的过去式。
- I do not much like to take the tone of a moralist.
tone (演讲、文章的)语气，调子，基调
moralist 说教者；德育家；道学家
- such considerable risks would be run by anyone who might get lost on an asteroid, that for once I am breaking through my reserve.
considerable 相当多的；相当大的
reserve 寡言；矜持
- "Children," I say plainly,
plainly 直率地；直截了当地
- My friends, like myself, have been skirting this danger for a long time,
skirting 是 skirt “避开，回避(困难、问题等)”的现在分词形式。
- Why are there no other drawing in this book as magnificent and impressive as this drawing of the baobabs?
magnificent 宏伟的；壮丽的；令人印象深刻的
impressive 给人深刻印象的；不俗的；了不起的
- When I made the drawing of the baobabs I was carried beyond myself by the inspiring force of urgent necessity.
inspiring 鼓舞人心的；有激励作用的
urgent 紧迫的；紧急的；紧要的
necessity 必然；必要
