The Little Prince (26 改)

The Little Prince につき、重大なミスがありました。

(25)までは正しいのですが、(26)以降、
物語が途中混乱してしまいました。申し訳ありません。
若干、熱が出ておりました。
(26)(27)(28)、全面訂正申し上げます。

Ⅶ　(25) 以降より訂正しまして、再度継続させていただきます。

    Ⅶ(再掲　25)

　　On the fifth day ー again, as always, it was thanks to the sheep ー the secret of the little prince's life was revealed to me.

  Abruptly, without anything to lead up to it, and as if the question had been born of long and silent meditation on his problem, he asked to me :
 " A sheep ー if it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too ? "

  " A sheep, " I answered, " eats anything it find in its reach. "

  " Even flowers that have thorns ? "

  " Yes, even flowers that have thorns. "

  " Then the thorns ー what use are they ? "

  I did not know.
  At that moment I was very busy trying to unscrew a bolt that had got stuck in my engine.
  I was very much worried, for it was becoming clear to me that the breakdown of my plane was extremly serious.

  And I had so little drinking water left that I had to fear the worst.

  " The thorns ー what use are they ? "

  The little prince never let go of a question, once he had asked it.

  As for me I was upset over that bolt.


☆☆
(26)以降、改めまして、続きます。

The Little Prince (26 改)

  And I answered with the first thing that came into my head :
  " The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite ! "

  " Oh ! "

  There was a moment of complete silence.

  Then the little prince flashed back at me, with a kind of resentfulness.
  " I don't believe you ! Flowers are weak creatures. They are naive. They reassure themselves as best they can. They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons. . . "

  I did not answer.

  At this instant I was saying to myself : " If this bolt still won't turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer. "

(26改/30~)
つながらない物語を途中挿入し、まことに申し訳ありませんでした。
以後、厳重に気を付けます。