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

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vast　swamplands　of　the　earth　！　Do　you　realize　that　there　are　lands　on　the　globe　where；　when　men　meet　you；　they　bring　up　their　rifles　to　their　cheeks？　Do　you　know　that　there　are　deserts　on　earth　where　men　lie　down　on　freezing　nights　to　sleep　without　roof　or　bed　or　snowy　sheet？　〃What　a　wild　lad！〃　you　would　say。　
　　I　could　no　more　shake　her　faith　than　I　could　have　shaken　the　faith　of　a　candle…woman　in　a　church。　I　pitied　her　humble　destiny　which　had　made　her　blind　and　deaf。　
　　But　that　night　in　the　Sahara；　naked　between　the　stars　and　the　sand；　I　did　her　justice。　
　　What　is　going　on　inside　me　I　cannot　tell。　In　the　sky　a　thousand　stars　are　magnetized；　and　I　lie　glued　by　the　swing　of　the　planet　to　the　sand。　A　different　weight　brings　me　back　to　myself。　I　feel　the　weight　of　my　body　drawing　me　towards　so　many　things。　My　dreams　are　more　real　than　these　dunes；　than　that　moon；　than　these　presences。　My　civilization　is　an　empire　more　imperious　than　this　empire。　The　marvel　of　a　house　is　not　that　it　shelters　or　warms　a　man；　nor　that　its　walls　belong　to　him。　It　is　that　it　leaves　its　trace　on　the　language。　Let　it　remain　a　sign。　Let　it　form；　deep　in　the　heart；　that　obscure　range　from　which；　as　waters　from　a　spring；　are　born　our　dreams。　
　　Sahara；　my　Sahara！　You　have　been　bewitched　by　an　old　woman　at　a　spinning…wheel！　
　　Wind；　Sand　and　Stars　by　Antoine　de　Saint…Exupery　
　　Chapter　5　…　The　Plane　and　the　PlanetTitle：　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
　　6
　　0asis
　　I　have　already　said　so　much　about　the　desert　that　before　speaking　of　it　again　I　should　like　to　describe　an　oasis。　The　oasis　that　es　into　my　mind　is　not；　however；　remote　in　the　deep　Sahara。　One　of　the　miracles　of　the　airplane　is　that　it　plunges　a　man　directly　into　the　heart　of　mystery。　You　are　a　biologist　studying；　through　your　porthole；　the　human　ant…hill；　scrutinizing　objectively　those　towns　seated　in　their　plain　at　the　centre　of　their　highways　which　go　off　like　the　spokes　of　a　wheel　and；　like　arteries；　nourish　them　with　the　quintessence　of　the　fields。　A　needle　trembles　on　your　manometer；　and　this　green　clump　below　you　bees　a　universe。　You　are　the　prisoner　of　a　greensward　in　a　slumbering　park。　
　　Space　is　not　the　measure　of　distance。　A　garden　wall　at　home　may　enclose　more　secrets　than　the　Great　Wall　of　China；　and　the　soul　of　a　little　girl　is　better　guarded　by　silence　than　the　Sahara's　oases　by　the　surrounding　sands。　I　dropped　down　to　earth　once　somewhere　in　the　world。　It　was　near　Concordia；　in　the　Argentine；　but　it　might　have　been　anywhere　at　all；　for　mystery　is　everywhere。　
　　A　minor　mishap　had　forced　me　down　in　a　field；　and　I　was　far　from　dreaming　that　I　was　about　to　live　through　a　fairy…tale。　The　old　Ford　in　which　I　was　driven　to　town　betokened　nothing　extraordinary；　and　the　same　was　to　be　said　for　the　un…remarkable　couple　who　took　me　in。　
　　〃We　shall　be　glad　to　put　you　up　for　the　night；〃　they　said。　
　　But　round　a　corner　of　the　road；　in　the　moon…light；　I　saw　a　clump　of　trees；　and　behind　those　trees　a　house。　What　a　queer　house！　Squat；　massive；　almost　a　citadel　guarding　behind　its　tons　of　stone　I　knew　not　what　treasure。　From　the　very　threshold　this　legendary　castle　promised　an　asylum　as　assured；　as　peaceful；　as　secret　as　a　monastery。　
　　Then　two　young　girls　appeared。　They　seemed　astonished　to　see　me；　examined　me　gravely　as　if　they　had　been　two　judges　posted　on　the　confines　of　a　forbidden　kingdom；　and　while　the　younger　of　them　sulked　and　tapped　the　ground　with　a　green　switch；　they　were　introduced　：　
　　〃Our　daughters。〃　
　　The　girls　shook　hands　without　a　word　but　with　a　curious　air　of　defiance；　and　disappeared。　I　was　amused　and　I　was　charmed。　It　was　all　as　simple　and　silent　and　furtive　as　the　first　word　of　a　secret。　
　　〃The　girls　are　shy；〃　their　father　said；　and　we　went　into　the　house。　
　　One　thing　that　I　had　loved　in　Paraguay　was　the　ironic　grass　that　showed　the　tip　of　its　nose　between　the　pavements　of　the　capital；　that　slipped　in　on　behalf　of　the　invisible　but　ever…present　virgin　forest　to　see　if　man　still　held　the　town；　if　the　hour　had　not　e　to　send　all　these　stones　tumbling。　
　　I　liked　the　particular　kind　of　dilapidation　which　in　Paraguay　was　the　expression　of　an　excess　of　wealth。　But　here；　in　Concordia；　I　was　filled　with　wonder。　Here　everything　was　in　a　state　of　decay；　but　adorably　so；　like　an　old　oak　covered　with　moss　and　split　in　places　with　age；　like　a　wooden　bench　on　which　generations　of　lovers　had　e　to　sit　and　which　had　grown　sacred。　The　wainscoting　was　worn；　the　hinges　rusted；　the　chairs　rickety。　And　yet；　though　nothing　had　ever　been　repaired；　everything　had　been　scoured　with　zeal。　Everything　was　clean；　waxed；　gleaming。　
　　The　drawing…room　had　about　it　something　extraordinarily　intense；　like　the　face　of　a　wrinkled　old　lady。　The　walls　were　cracked；　the　ceiling　stripped；　and　most　bewildering　of　all　in　this　bewildering　house　was　the　floor：　it　had　simply　caved　in。　Waxed；　varnished　and　polished　though　it　was；　it　swayed　like　a　ship's　gangway。　A　strange　house；　evoking　no　neglect；　no　slackness；　but　rather　an　extraordinary　respect。　Each　passing　year　had　added　something　to　its　charm；　to　the　plexity　of　its　visage　and　its　friendly　atmosphere；　as　well　as　to　the　dangers　encountered　on　the　journey　from　the　drawing…room　to　the　dining…room。　
　　〃Careful！〃　
　　There　was　a　hole　in　the　floor；　and　I　was　warned　that　if　I　stepped　into　it　I　might　easily　break　a　leg。　This　was　said　as　simply　as　〃Don't　stroke　the　dog；　he　bites。〃　Nobody　was　responsible　for　the　hole；　it　was　the　work　of　time。　There　was　something　lordly　about　this　sovereign　contempt　for　apologies。　
　　Nobody　said；　〃We　could　have　these　holes　repaired　；　we　are　well　enough　off；　but　。　。　。〃　And　neither　did　they　say　…　which　was　true　enough　…　〃we　have　taken　this　house　from　the　town　under　a　thirty…year　lease。　They　should　look　after　the　repairs。　But　they　won't；　and　we　won't；　so　。　。　。〃　They　disdained　explanation；　and　this　superiority　to　circumstance　enchanted　me。　The　most　that　was　said　was：　
　　〃The　house　is　a　little　run　down；　you　see。〃　
　　Even　this　was　said　with　such　an　air　of　satisfaction　that　I　suspected　my　friends　of　not　being　saddened　by　the　fact。　Do　you　see　a　crew　of　bricklayers；　carpenters；　cabinetworkers；　plasterers　intruding　their　sacrilegious　tools　into　so　vivid　a　past；　turning　this　in　a　week　into　a　house　you　would　never　recognize；　in　which　the　family　would　feel　that　they　were　visiting　strangers？　A　house　without　secrets；　without　recesses；　without　mysteries；　without　traps　beneath　the　feet；　or　dungeons；　a　sort　of　town…hall　reception　room？　
　　In　a　house　with　so　many　secret　passages　it　was　natural　that　the　daughters　should　vanish　before　one's　eyes。　What　must　the　attics　be；　when　the　drawing…room　already　contained　all　the　wealth　of　an　attic？　When　one　could　guess　already　that；　the　least　cupboard　opened；　there　would　pour　out　sheaves　of　yellowed　letters；　grandpapa's　receipted　bills；　more　keys　than　there　were　locks　and　not　one　of　which　of　course　would　fit　any　lock。　Marvelously　useless　keys　that　confounded　the　reason　and　made　it　muse　upon　subterranean　chambers；　buried　chests；　treasures。　
　　〃Shall　we　go　in　to　dinner？〃　
　　We　went　in　to　dinner。　Moving　from　one　room　to　the　next　I　inhaled　in　passing　that　incense　of　an　old　library　which　is　worth　all　the　perfumes　of　the　world。　And　particularly　I　liked　the　lamps　being　carried　with　us。　Real　lamps；　heavy　lamps；　transported　from　room　to　room　as　in　the　time　of　my　earliest　childhood；　stirring　into　motion　as　they　passed　great　wondrous　shadows　on　the　walls。　To　pick　one　up　was　to　displace　bouquets　of　light　and　great　black　palms。　Then；　the　lamps　finally　set　down；　there　was　a　settling　into　motionlessness　of　the　beaches　of　clarity　and　the　vast　reserves　of　surrounding　darkness　in　which　the　wainscoting　went　on　creaking。　
　　As　mysteriously　and　as　silently　as　they　had　vanished；　the　girls　reappeared。　Gravely　they　took　their　places。　Doubtless　they　had　fed　thei