带女儿逛书店，随手拿起大名鼎鼎的《小王子》。以前没读过。读完矗立良久。
这本书居然是儿童读物。可是有多少儿童能看懂呢？
当然它讲的是一个小孩子看世界，确切地说是两个，一个总不被大人理解的小时候的作者，和理解不了大人的另一个星球来的小王子。这些大人就好像小王子在其它星球遇见的：热爱权势的国王，或者自恋的先生，或者自暴自弃的酒鬼，或者贪婪爱财的商人，或者无目标奔跑的火车上的人，或者也许小王子尚能理解的循规蹈矩的掌灯人。
可是，就像所有伟大作品一样，这本书讲的其实是个爱情故事。
小王子在他自己的星球拥有了一朵花，花说它是宇宙间独一无二的。花有四根刺，它很确定它能保护自己，要个玻璃罩子只是向小王子撒娇，可是从此让小王子失去了耐心和信任。小王子后来回忆说：
“In those days, I didn’t understand anything. I should have judged her according to her actions, not her words. She perfumed my planet and lit up my life. I should never have run away! I ought to have realized the tenderness underlying her silly pretensions. Flowers are so contradictory! But I was too young to know how to love her. “
小王子离开自己的星球前，花说：
“Of course I love you, ” the flower told him. “It was my fault you never knew. It doesn’t matter. But you were just as silly as I was. Try to be happy… Put that glass thing down. I don’t want it anymore.” … And she naively showed her four thorns. Then she added, “Don’t hang out like this; it’s irritating. You made up your mind to leave. Now go. ” For she didn’t want him to see her crying. She was such a proud flower…
后来小王子来到地球，他发现在一个花园就有五千朵这样的花，名叫玫瑰，他的花并不是独一无二的，失望而哭泣。一只狐狸跑来给小王子讲这个道理，要小王子tame它：
“The only things you learn are the things you tame. Please… tame me!” “What do I have to do?” asked the little prince. “You have to be very patient. First you’ll sit down a little ways away from me. Don’t say anything, language is the sources of misunderstanding. But day by day, you’ll be able to sit a little closer.” “For instance, if you come at four in the afternoon, I’ll begin to be happy by three. The closer it gets to four, the happier I will feel. By four I’ll be all excited and worried; I’ll discover what it costs to be happy!”
小王子再去看那五千多花，明白了他的花和这些花是不同的。”You are not at all like my rose. You are lovely, but you are empty.”” Since she is my rose.”
狐狸告诉小王子一个秘密: “It’s quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” “It's the time you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important.”
从地理学家那里学到一个词 ephemeral （flower is ephemeral）（转瞬即逝）的小王子，终于明白四根刺不能保护花自己的小王子，心心念念地要回到自己的星球的小王子，上了蛇的当。当小王子终于明白要回去也想回去的时候，他是不是真的回去了？
And no grown-up will ever understand how such a thing could be so important.
