English
thelittleprincevisitsthegeographer
Thesixthplanetwastentimeslargerthanthelastone.Itwasinhabitedbyanoldgentlemanwhowrotevoluminousbooks.
"Oh,look!Hereisanexplorer!"heexclaimedtohimselfwhenhesawthelittleprincecoming.
Thelittleprincesatdownonthetableandpantedalittle.Hehadalreadytraveledsomuchandsofar!
"Wheredoyoucomefrom?"theoldgentlemansaidtohim.
"Whatisthatbigbook?"saidthelittleprince."Whatareyoudoing?"
"Iamageographer,"theoldgentlemansaidtohim.
"Whatisageographer?"askedthelittleprince.
"Ageographerisascholarwhoknowsthelocationofalltheseas,rivers,towns,mountains,anddeserts."
"Thatisveryinteresting,"saidthelittleprince."Hereatlastisamanwhohasarealprofession!"Andhecastalookaroundhimattheplanetofthegeographer.Itwasthemostmagnificentandstatelyplanetthathehadeverseen.
"Yourplanetisverybeautiful,"hesaid."Hasitanyoceans?"
"Icouldn'ttellyou,"saidthegeographer.
"Ah!"Thelittleprincewasdisappointed."Hasitanymountains?"
"Icouldn'ttellyou,"saidthegeographer.
"Andtowns,andrivers,anddeserts?"
"Icouldn'ttellyouthat,either."
"Butyouareageographer!"
"Exactly,"thegeographersaid."ButIamnotanexplorer.Ihaven'tasingleexploreronmyplanet.Itisnotthegeographerwhogoesouttocountthetowns,therivers,themountains,theseas,theoceans,andthedeserts.Thegeographerismuchtooimportanttogoloafingabout.Hedoesnotleavehisdesk.Buthereceivestheexplorersinhisstudy.Heasksthemquestions,andhenotesdownwhattheyrecalloftheirtravels.Andiftherecollectionsofanyoneamongthemseeminterestingtohim,thegeographerordersaninquiryintothatexplorer'smoralcharacter."
"Whyisthat?"
"Becauseanexplorerwhotoldlieswouldbringdisasteronthebooksofthegeographer.Sowouldanexplorerwhodranktoomuch."
"Whyisthat?"askedthelittleprince.
"Becauseintoxicatedmenseedouble.Thenthegeographerwouldnotedowntwomountainsinaplacewheretherewasonlyone."
"Iknowsomeone,"saidthelittleprince,"whowouldmakeabadexplorer."
"Thatispossible.Then,whenthemoralcharacteroftheexplorerisshowntobegood,aninquiryisorderedintohisdiscovery."
"Onegoestoseeit?"
"No.Thatwouldbetoocomplicated.Butonerequirestheexplorertofurnishproofs.Forexample,ifthediscoveryinquestionisthatofalargemountain,onerequiresthatlargestonesbebroughtbackfromit."
Thegeographerwassuddenlystirredtoexcitement.
"Butyou--youcomefromfaraway!Youareanexplorer!Youshalldescribeyourplanettome!"
And,havingopenedhisbigregister,thegeographersharpenedhispencil.Therecitalsofexplorersareputdownfirstinpencil.Onewaitsuntiltheexplorerhasfurnishedproofs,beforeputtingthemdowninink.
"Well?"saidthegeographerexpectantly.
"Oh,whereIlive,"saidthelittleprince,"itisnotveryinteresting.Itisallsosmall.Ihavethreevolcanoes.Twovolcanoesareactiveandtheotherisextinct.Butoneneverknows."
"Oneneverknows,"saidthegeographer.
"Ihavealsoaflower."
"Wedonotrecordflowers,"saidthegeographer.
"Whyisthat?Thefloweristhemostbeautifulthingonmyplanet!"
"Wedonotrecordthem,"saidthegeographer,"becausetheyareephemeral."
"Whatdoesthatmean--'ephemeral'?"
"Geographies,"saidthegeographer,"arethebookswhich,ofallbooks,aremostconcernedwithmattersofconsequence.Theyneverbecomeold-fashioned.Itisveryrarelythatamountainchangesitsposition.Itisveryrarelythatanoceanemptiesitselfofitswaters.Wewriteofeternalthings."
"Butextinctvolcanoesmaycometolifeagain,"thelittleprinceinterrupted."Whatdoesthatmean--'ephemeral'?"
"Whethervolcanoesareextinctoralive,itcomestothesamethingforus,"saidthegeographer."Thethingthatmatterstousisthemountain.Itdoesnotchange."
"Butwhatdoesthatmean--'ephemeral'?"repeatedthelittleprince,whoneverinhislifehadletgoofaquestion,oncehehadaskedit.
"Itmeans,'whichisindangerofspeedydisappearance.'"
"Ismyflowerindangerofspeedydisappearance?"
"Certainlyitis."
"Myflowerisephemeral,"thelittleprincesaidtohimself,"andshehasonlyfourthornstodefendherselfagainsttheworld.AndIhaveleftheronmyplanet,allalone!"
Thatwashisfirstmomentofregret.Buthetookcourageoncemore.
"Whatplacewouldyouadvisemetovisitnow?"heasked.
"TheplanetEarth,"repliedthegeographer."Ithasagoodreputation."
Andthelittleprincewentaway,thinkingofhisflower.
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