wind sand and stars st.antoine de saint-exupery-第13章

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　　Now　it　was　my　turn　to　look　at　them　out　of　the　corner　of　the　eye。　What　shrewdness！　what　silent　laughter　behind　those　candid　faces！　And　what　sovereignty　they　exercised；　these　princesses　guarded　by　snakes！　Princesses　for　whom　there　existed　no　scorpion；　no　wasp；　no　serpent；　but　only　little　souls　of　animals！　
　　As　I　write；　I　dream。　All　this　is　very　far　away。　What　has　bee　of　these　two　fairy　princesses？　Girls　so　fine…grained；　so　upright；　have　certainly　attracted　husbands。　Have　they　changed；　I　wonder？　What　do　they　do　in　their　new　houses？　Do　they　feel　differently　now　about　the　jungle　growth　and　the　snakes？　They　had　been　fused　with　something　universal；　and　then　the　day　had　e　when　the　woman　had　awakened　in　the　maiden；　when　there　had　surged　in　her　a　longing　to　find　someone　who　deserved　a　〃Ninety…five。〃　The　dream　of　a　ninety…five　is　a　weight　on　the　heart。　And　then　an　imbecile　had　e　along。　For　the　first　time　those　sharp　eyes　were　mistaken　and　they　dressed　him　in　gay　colors。　If　the　imbecile　recited　verse　he　was　thought　a　poet。　Surely　he　must　understand　the　holes　in　the　floor；　must　love　the　mongoose！　The　trust　one　put　in　him；　the　swaying　of　the　snakes　between　his　legs　under　the　table　…　surely　this　must　flatter　him！　And　that　heart　which　was　a　wild　garden　was　given　to　him　who　loved　only　trim　lawns。　And　the　imbecile　carried　away　the　princess　into　slavery。　
　　Wind；　Sand　and　Stars　by　Antoine　de　Saint…Exupery　
　　Chapter　6　…　OasisTitle：　Wind；　Sand；　and　Stars　
　　Author：　Antoine　de　Saint…Exupery　
　　Translator：　Lewis　Galantiere　
　　Publisher：　Harcourt　Brace　Javanovich；　New　York；　1967　
　　Date　first　posted：　February　2000　
　　Date　most　recently　updated：　January　2006　
　　XML　markup　by　Wesman　02/23/2000。　
　　Wind　Sand　and　Stars
　　Antoine　de　Saint…Exupery
　　7
　　Men　of　the　Desert
　　THESE；　then；　were　some　of　the　treasures　that　passed　us　by　when　for　weeks　and　months　and　years　we；　pilots　of　the　Sahara　line；　were　prisoners　of　the　sands；　navigating　from　one　stockade　to　the　next　with　never　an　excursion　outside　the　zone　of　silence。　Oases　like　these　did　not　prosper　in　the　desert；　these　memories　it　dismissed　as　belonging　to　the　domain　of　legend。　No　doubt　there　did　gleam　in　distant　places　scattered　round　the　world　…　places　to　which　we　should　return　once　our　work　was　done　…　there　did　gleam　lighted　windows。　No　doubt　somewhere　there　did　sit　young　girls　among　their　white　lemurs　or　their　books；　patiently　corn…pounding　souls　as　rich　in　delight　as　secret　gardens。　No　doubt　there　did　exist　such　creatures　waxing　in　beauty。　But　solitude　cultivates　a　strange　mood。　
　　I　know　that　mood。　Three　years　of　the　desert　taught　it　to　me。　Something　in　one's　heart　takes　fright；　not　at　the　thought　of　growing　old；　not　at　feeling　one's　youth　used　up　in　this　mineral　universe；　but　at　the　thought　that　far　away　the　whole　world　is　ageing。　The　trees　have　brought　forth　their　fruit；　the　grain　has　ripened　in　the　fields；　the　women　have　bloomed　in　their　loveliness。　But　the　season　is　advancing　and　one　must　make　haste；　but　the　season　is　advancing　and　still　one　cannot　leave；　but　the　season　is　advancing　。　。　。　and　other　men　will　glean　the　harvest。　
　　Many　a　night　have　I　savored　this　taste　of　the　irreparable；　wandering　in　a　circle　round　the　fort；　our　prison；　under　the　burden　of　the　trade…winds。　Sometimes；　worn　out　by　a　day　of　flight；　drenched　in　the　humidity　of　the　tropical　climate；　I　have　felt　my　heart　beat　in　me　like　the　wheels　of　an　express　train；　and　suddenly；　more　immediately　than　when　flying；　I　have　felt　myself　on　a　journey。　A　journey　through　time。　Time　was　running　through　my　fingers　like　the　fine　sand　of　the　dunes　；　the　poundings　of　my　heart　were　bearing　me　onward　towards　an　unknown　future。　
　　Ah；　those　fevers　at　night　after　a　day　of　work　in　the　silence！　We　seemed　to　ourselves　to　be　burning　up；　like　flares　set　out　in　the　solitude。　And　yet　we　knew　joys　we　could　not　possibly　have　known　elsewhere。　I　shall　never　be　able　to　express　clearly　whence　es　this　pleasure　men　take　from　aridity；　but　always　and　everywhere　I　have　seen　men　attach　themselves　more　stubbornly　to　barren　lands　than　to　any　other。　Men　will　die　for　a　calcined；　leafless；　stony　mountain。　The　nomads　will　defend　to　the　death　their　great　store　of　sand　as　if　it　were　a　treasure　of　gold　dust。　
　　And　we；　my　rades　and　I；　we　too　have　loved　the　desert　to　the　point　of　feeling　that　it　was　there　we　had　lived　the　best　years　of　our　lives。　I　shall　describe　for　you　our　stations　（Port　Etienne；　Villa　Cisneros；　Cape　Juby；　were　some　of　their　names）　and　shall　narrate　for　you　a　few　of　our　days。　
　　I　
　　I　succumbed　to　the　desert　as　soon　as　I　saw　it；　and　I　saw　it　almost　as　soon　as　I　had　won　my　wings。　As　early　as　the　year　1926　I　was　transferred　out　of　Europe　to　the　Dakar…Juby　division；　where　the　Sahara　meets　the　Atlantic　and　where；　only　recently；　the　Arabs　had　murdered　two　of　our　pilots；　Erable　and　Gourp。　In　those　days　our　planes　frequently　fell　apart　in　mid…air；　and　because　of　this　the　African　divisions　were　always　flown　by　two　ships；　one　without　the　mails　trailing　and　convoying　the　other；　prepared　to　take　over　the　sacks　in　the　event　the　mail　plane　broke　down。　
　　Under　orders；　I　flew　an　empty　ship　down　to　Agadir。　From　Agadir　I　was　flown　to　Dakar　as　a　passenger；　and　it　was　on　that　flight　that　the　vast　sandy　void　and　the　mystery　with　which　my　imagination　could　not　but　endow　it　first　thrilled　me。　But　the　heat　was　so　intense　that　despite　my　excitement　I　dozed　off　soon　after　we　left　Port　Etienne。　Riguelle；　who　was　flying　me　down；　moved　out　to　sea　a　couple　of　miles　in　order　to　get　away　from　the　sizzling　surface　of　sand。　I　woke　up；　saw　in　the　distance　the　thin　white　line　of　the　coast；　and　said　to　myself　fearfully　that　if　anything　went　wrong　we　should　surely　drown。　Then　I　dozed　off　again。　
　　I　was　startled　out　of　my　sleep　by　a　crash；　a　sudden　silence；　and　then　the　voice　of　Riguelle　saying；　〃Damn！　There　goes　a　connecting　rod！〃　As　I　half　rose　out　of　my　seat　to　send　a　regretful　look　at　that　white　coast…line；　now　more　precious　than　ever；　he　shouted　to　me　angrily　to　stay　as　I　was。　I　knew　Riguelle　had　been　wrong　to　go　out　to　sea；　I　had　been　on　the　point　of　mentioning　it；　and　now　I　felt　a　plete　and　savage　satisfaction　in　our　predicament。　〃This；〃　I　said　to　myself；　〃will　teach　him　a　lesson。〃　
　　But　this　gratifying　sense　of　superiority　could　obviously　not　last　very　long。　Riguelle　sent　the　plane　earthward　in　a　long　diagonal　line　that　brought　us　within　sixty　feet　of　the　sand　…　an　altitude　at　which　there　was　no　question　of　picking　out　a　landing…place。　We　lost　both　wheels　against　one　sand…dune；　a　wing　against　another；　and　crashed　with　a　sudden　jerk　into　a　third。　
　　〃You　hurt？〃　Riguelle　called　out。　
　　〃Not　a　bit；〃　I　said。　
　　〃That's　what　I　call　piloting　a　ship！〃　he　boasted　cheerfully。　
　　I　who　was　busy　on　all　fours　extricating　myself　from　what　had　once　been　a　ship；　was　in　no　mood　to　feed　his　pride。　
　　〃Guillaumet　will　be　along　in　a　minute　to　pick　us　up；〃　he　added。　
　　Guillaumet　was　flying　our　convoy；　and　very　shortly　we　saw　him　e　down　on　a　stretch　of　smooth　sand　a　few　hundred　yards　away。　He　asked　if　we　were　all　right；　was　told　no　damage　had　been　done；　and　then　proposed　briskly　that　we　give　him　a　hand　with　the　sacks。　The　mail　transferred　out　of　the　wrecked　plane；　they　explained　to　me　that　in　this　soft　sand　it　would　not　be　possible　to　lift　Guillaumet's　plane　clear　if　I　was　in　it。　They　would　hop　to　the　next　outpost；　drop　the　mail　there；　and　e　back　for　me。　
　　Now　this　was　my　first　day　in　Africa。　I　was　so　ignorant　that　I　could　not　tell　a　zone　of　danger　from　a　zone　of　safety；　I　mean　by　that；　a　zone　where　the　tribes　had　submitted　peacefully　to　European　rule　from　a　zone　where　the　tribes　were　still　in　rebellion。　The　region　in　which　we　had　landed　happened　to　be　considered　safe；　but　I　did　not　know　that。　
　　〃You've　got　a　gun；　of　course；〃　Riguelle　said。　
　　I　had　no　gun　and　said　so。　
　　〃My　dear　chap；　you'll　have　to　have　a　gun；〃　he　said；　and　very　kindly　he　gave　me　his。　〃And　you'll　want　these　extra　clips　of　cartridges；〃　he　went　on。　〃Just　bear　in　mind　that　you　shoot　at　anything　and　everything　you　see。〃　
　　They　had　started　to　walk　across　to　the　other　plane　when　Guillaumet；　as　if　driven　by　his　conscience；　came　back　and　handed　me　his　cartridge　clips；　too。　And　with　this　they　took　off。　Title：　Wind；　Sand；　and　Stars　
　　Author：　Antoine　de　Saint…Exupery　
　　Translator：　Lewis　Galantiere　
　　Publisher：　Harcourt　Brace　Javanovich；　New　York；　1967　
　　Date　first　posted：　February　2000　
　　Date　most　recently　updated：　January　2006　
　　XML　markup　by　Wesman　02/23/2000。　
　　Wind　Sand　and　Stars
　　Antoine　de　Saint…Exupery
　　8
　　Prisoner　of　the　Sand
　　After　three　years　of　life　in　the　desert；　I　was　transferred　out。　The　fortunes　of　the　air　service　sent　me　wandering　here　and　there　until　one　day　I　decided　to　attempt　a　long…distance　flight　from　Paris　to　Saigon。　When；　on　December　29；　1935；　I　took　off；　I　had　no　notion　that　the　sands　were　preparing　for　me　their　ultimate　and　culminating　ordeal。　
　　This　is　the　story　of　the　Paris…Saigon　flight。　
　　I　paid　my　final　visit　to　the　weather　bureau；　where　I　found　Monsieur　Viaud　stooped　over　his　maps　like　a　medieval　alchemist　over　an　alembic。　Lucas　had　e　with　me；　and　we　stared　together