Chapter 9

I believe that for his escape he took advantage of the migration of a flock of wild birds. On the morning of his departure he put his planet in perfect order. He carefully cleaned out his active volcanoes. He possessed two active volcanoes; and they were very convenient for heating his breakfast in the morning. He also had one volcano that was extinct. But, as he said, "One never knows!" So he cleaned out the extinct volcano, too. If they are well cleaned out, volcanoes burn slowly and

steadily régulièrement
constantemente, regularmente

, without any eruptions. Volcanic eruptions are like fires in a chimney.

On our earth we are obviously much too small to clean out our volcanoes. That is why they bring no end of trouble upon us.

The little prince also

pulled up arracha
arrancó

, with a certain sense of

dejection mélancolie
melancolía

, the last little shoots of the baobabs. He believed that he would never want to return. But on this last morning all these familiar tasks seemed very precious to him. And when he watered the flower for the last time, and prepared to place her under the shelter of her glass globe, he realized that he was very close to tears.

"Goodbye," he said to the flower.

But she made no answer.

"Goodbye," he said again.

The flower coughed. But it was not because she had a cold.

"I have been

silly sot
tonto

," she said to him, at last. "I ask your forgiveness. Try to be happy..."

He was surprised by this absence of reproaches. He stood there all

bewildered déconcentré
desconcertado

, the glass globe held arrested in mid-air. He did not understand this quiet sweetness.

"Of course I love you," the flower said to him. "It is my fault that you have not known it

all the while pendant tout ce temps
todo este tiempo

. That is of no importance. But you--you have been just as foolish as I. Try to be happy... Let the glass globe be. I don't want it any more."

"But the wind--"

"My cold is not so bad as all that... The cool night air will do me good. I am a flower."

"But the animals--"

"Well, I must

endure supporter
soportar

the presence of two or three

caterpillars chenilles
orugas

if I wish

to become acquainted with me familiariser avec
familiarizarme con

the butterflies. It seems that they are very beautiful. And if not the butterflies--and the caterpillars--

who will call upon me qui viendra me voir ?
¿quién vendrá a verme ?

? You will be far away... As for the large animals--I am not at all afraid of any of them. I have my claws."

And, naďvely, she showed her four thorns. Then she added: "

Don't linger like this Ne traîne pas comme ça
No pierdas más el tiempo

. You have decided to go away. Now go!" For she did not want him to see her crying. She was such a proud flower.

chapter 8          en anglais           chapter 10