Sjedni i poslušaj tajnu koju ti lisica želi reći.

Sit down and listen to the secret the fox wants to tell you.

PREDNJA STRANA

Ja sam lisica — reče lisica.
— Dođi da se igramo — predloži joj mali princ. — Tako sam tužan . . .
Ne mogu se s tobom igrati — reče lisica. — Nisam pripitomljena.
O, oprosti! — reče mali princ. Ali razmislivši, on doda: — Što to znači »pripitomiti«?
— Ti nisi odavde — reče lisica — što tražiš?
Tražim ljude — reče mali princ.

“I am a fox,” the fox said.
“Come and play with me,” proposed the little prince. “I am so unhappy.”
“I cannot play with you,” the fox said. “I am not tamed.” “Ah! Please excuse me,” said the little prince. But, after some thought, he added: “What does that mean—’tame’?”
“You do not live here,” said the fox. “What is it that you are looking for?”
“I am looking for men,” said the little prince.

STRAŽNJA STRANA

Ja sam lisica — reče lisica.

— Dođi da se igramo — predloži joj mali princ. — Tako sam tužan . . .

Ne mogu se s tobom igrati — reče lisica. — Nisam pripitomljena.

O, oprosti! — reče mali princ.

Ali razmislivši, on doda:

— Što to znači »pripitomiti«?

— Ti nisi odavde — reče lisica — što tražiš?

Tražim ljude — reče mali princ. — Što to znači »pripitomiti«?

— Ljudi — reče lisica — imaju puške i love. To je baš nezgodno! Oni imaju i kokoši. Jedino to ih zanima. Tražiš li kokoši?

Ne — odvrati mali princ. — Ja tražim prijatelje. Što to znači »pripitomiti«?

To je nešto već odavno zaboravljeno — reče lisica. — To znači »uspostaviti veze«.

— Uspostaviti veze?

— Naravno — reče lisica. — Ti si za mene još uvijek samo dječak sličan stotinama tisuća drugih dječaka. I nisi mi potreban. A ni ja tebi nisam potrebna. Ja sam za tebe samo lisica nalik stotinama tisuća lisica. Ali ako me pripitomiš, bit ćemo doista potrebni jedno drugome. Ti ćeš za mene biti jedini na svijetu. Ja ću za tebe biti jedina na svijetu.

Počinjem razumijevati — reče mali princ. — Postoji jedna ruža . . . mislim da me je ona pripitomila . . .

– To je moguće — reče lisica. — Na Zemlji ima svega i svačega . . .

— Ah, to nije na Zemlji — reče mali princ.

Činilo se da je lisica vrlo radoznala:

— Na nekoj drugoj planeti?

— Da.

— Ima li na toj planeti lovaca?

— Nema.

— Gle, pa to je zanimljivo! A kokoši?

— Nema.

— Ništa nije savršeno uzdahne lisica.

Ali lisica se vrati svojoj misli:

— Moj je život jednoličan. Ja lovim kokoši, ljudi love mene. Sve su kokoši slične i svi ljudi su slični. Ja se, dakle, pomalo dosađujem. Ali, ako me ti pripitomiš, moj će život biti kao obasjan suncem. Upoznat ću bat koraka što će se razlikovati od svih ostalih. Drugi me koraci tjeraju pod zemlju. Tvoji će me poput muzike mamiti iz brloga. I onda pogledaj! Vidiš li, tamo dolje, ona žitna polja? Ja ne jedem kruh. Žito meni ništa ne znači. Žitna me polja ni na što ne podsjećaju. To je žalosno! Ali ti imaš kosu boje zlata. Bit će divno kad me pripitomiš. Žito, koje je zlaćano, podsjećat će me na tebe. I ja ću voljeti šapat vjetra u žitu . . .

Lisica zašuti i dugo gledaše malog princa.

— Molim te, pripitomi me … — reče ona.

— Vrlo rado — odgovori mali princ — ali nemam mnogo vremena. Moram pronaći prijatelje i upoznati još koješta.

— Čovjek poznaje samo one stvari koje pripitomi — reče lisica. — Ljudi više nemaju vremena da bilo što upoznavaju. Oni kupuju već gotove stvari kod trgovaca. Ali kako ne postoje trgovci prijateljima, ljudi više nemaju prijatelja. Ako hoćeš prijatelja, pripitomi me!

— Što moram činiti? — upita mali princ.

— Moraš biti vrlo strpljiv — odgovori lisica. — Prvo ćeš sjesti malo dalje od mene, eto tako, u travu. Ja ću te gledati krajičkom oka, a ti nećeš ništa govoriti. Govor je izvor svih nesporazuma. Ali ćeš svakog dana moći sjesti malo bliže . . .

Sutradan mali princ ponovo dođe.

Bolje bi bilo da si došao u isto vrijeme — reče lisica. — Ako budeš dolazio, na primjer, u četiri sata poslije podne, ja ću biti sretna već od tri sata. Što vrijeme bude dalje odmicalo, bit ću sve sretnija. U četiri sata bit ću već uzbuđena i uznemirena: otkrit ću cijenu sreće! Ali ako budeš dolazio bilo kada, ja nikad neću znati za koji sat da pripremim srce … Za to su potrebni pravi obredi.

— Što je to obred? — upita mali princ.

— I to je nešto odavno zaboravljeno — reče lisica. — To je ono što jedan dan čini različitim od drugoga, jedan sat različitim od drugih sati. Kod mojih lovaca, na primjer, postoji jedan obred. Oni četvrtkom plešu sa seoskim djevojkama. Zato je četvrtak divan dan! Ja se odšetam čak do vinograda. Kad bi lovci plesali bilo kada, svi bi dani bili nalik jedan drugome, a ja ne bih imala odmora.

Tako mali princ pripitomi lisicu. A kad se približio dan rastanka:

— Ah! — reče lisica … — Plače mi se.

— Sama si kriva — reče mali princ — ja ti nisam želio nikakva zla, ali ti si htjela da te pripitomim . . .

— Naravno — reče lisica.

— Ali sad ti se plače! — reče mali princ.

— Naravno — odgovori lisica.

— Time, znači, ništa ne dobivaš!

— Dobivam — reče lisica — zbog boje žita.

Zatim doda:

— Pođi ponovo pogledati ruže. Shvatit ćeš da je tvoja jedinstvena na svijetu. Zatim se vrati da mi kažeš zbogom, a ja ću ti pokloniti jednu tajnu.

Mali princ pođe ponovo pogledati ruže.

Vi uopće ne nalikujete mojoj ruži, vi još niste ništa – reče im on. — Nitko vas nije pripitomio, a ni vi niste nikoga pripitomile. Vi ste kao što je bila moja lisica. Bila je to obična lisica slična stotinama tisuća drugih lisica. Ali ja sam je napravio svojom prijateljicom, i ona je sada jedinstvena na svijetu.

Ružama je bilo vrlo neugodno.

— Lijepe ste, ali ste prazne — reče im on još. — Za vas čovjek ne može umrijeti. Dakako, običan bi prolaznik povjerovao da moja ruža nalikuje vama. Ali ona je sama važnija od svih vas zajedno zato što sam nju ja zalijevao. Zato što sam nju ja stavio pod stakleno zvono. Zato što sam nju ja zaštitio zaklonom. Zato što sam zbog nje poubijao gusjenice (osim one dvije-tri što sam ih ostavio radi leptira). Zato što sam nju ja slušao kako se tuži, hvali, ili kako ponekad čak i šuti. Zato što je to moja ruža.

I on se vrati lisici.

— Zbogom — reče on.

— Zbogom — reče lisica. — Evo moje tajne. Vrlo je jednostavna: čovjek samo srcem dobro vidi. Bitno je očima nevidljivo.

Bitno je očima nevidljivo — ponovi mali princ da bi zapamtio.

— Vrijeme što si ga izgubio za svoju ružu čini tu ružu tako dragocjenom.

— Vrijeme što sam ga izgubio za moju ružu … — ponovi mali princ da bi zapamtio.

— Ljudi su zaboravili tu istinu — reče lisica. — Ali ti je ne smiješ zaboraviti. Ti postaješ zauvijek odgovoran za ono što si pripitomio. Ti si odgovoran za svoju ružu . . .

— Ja sam odgovoran za moju ružu … — ponovi mali princ da bi zapamtio.

“I am a fox,” the fox said.

“Come and play with me,” proposed the little prince. “I am so unhappy.” “I cannot play with you,” the fox said. “I am not tamed.” “Ah! Please excuse me,” said the little  prince. But, after some thought, he added: “What does that mean—’tame’?”

“You do not live here,” said the fox. “What is it that you are looking for?”

“I am looking for men,” said the little prince. “What does that mean—’tame’?”

“Men,” said the fox. “They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?”

“No,” said the little prince. “I am looking for friends.

What does that mean-‘tame’?” “It is an act too often neglected,” said the fox. It means to establish ties.” “To establish ties’?”

“Just that,” said the fox. “To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . .”

“I am beginning to understand,” said the little prince.

“There is a flower … I think that she has tamed me . . “It is possible,” said the fox. “On the Earth one sees all sorts of things.”

“Oh, but this is not on the Earth!” said the little prince. The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.

“On another planet?”

“Yes.”

“Are there hunters on that planet?” “No.”

“Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?” “No.”

“Nothing is perfect,” sighed the fox. But he came back to his idea.

“My life is very monotonous,” the fox said. “I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat. . .”

The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time.

“Please—tame me!” he said.

“I want to, very much,” the little prince replied. “But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand.”

“One only understands the things that one tames,” said the fox. “Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me …”

“What must I do, to tame you?” asked the little prince.

“You must be very patient,” replied the fox. “First you will sit down at a little distance from me—like that— in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day …”

The next day the little prince came back.

“It would have been better to come back at the same hour,” said the fox. “If, for example, you come at four o’clock in the afternoon, then at three o’clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o’clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites …”

“What is a rite?” asked the little prince.

“Those also are actions too often neglected,” said the fox. “They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all.”

So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near-“Ah,” said the fox, “I shall cry.”

“It is your own fault,” said the little prince. “I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you …”

“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.

“But now you are going to cry!” said the little prince.

“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.

“Then it has done you no good at all!”

“It has done me good,” said the fox, “because of the color of the wheat fields.” And then he added:

“Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret.”

The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.

“You are not at all like my rose,” he said. “As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world.”

And the roses were very much embarrassed.

“You are beautiful, but you are empty,” he went on. “One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you—the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.

And he went back to meet the fox. “Goodbye,” he said.

“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

“It is the time I have wasted for my rose—” said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.

“Men have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose …”

“I am responsible for my rose,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.