- − the narrator learns about the secret of the little prince’s life
On the fifth day−− again, as always, it was thanks to the sheep−− the secret of the little prince’s life was revealed to me. Abruptly, without anything to lead up to it, and as if the question had been born of long and silent meditation(又是表达沉默的新式表达方式) on his problem, he demanded:
"A sheep−− if it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too?"
"A sheep," I answered, "eats anything it finds in its reach."
"Even flowers that have thorns?"
"Yes, even flowers that have thorns."
"Then the thorns−− what use are they?"
I did not know. At that moment I was very busy trying to unscrew a bolt that had got stuck in my engine.(那会儿，我正忙着要从发动机上卸下一颗拧得太紧的螺丝) I was very much worried, for it was becoming clear to me that the breakdown of my plane was extremely serious.(我无暇顾及其他，我发现机器故障真的很严重) And I had so little drinking−water left that I had to fear for the worst. (饮水也快用完了，我不得不做最坏的打算)
"The thorns−− what use are they?"
The little prince never let go of a question, once he had asked it.(小王子一旦抛出一个问题，就会一直刨根问底) As for me, I was upset over that bolt. (而我快要被这该死的螺丝弄疯)And I answered with the first thing that came into my head: (我只是随口说了一句)
"The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite!" (刺么，什么用都没有，那只不过是花的恶劣表现)
"Oh!"
There was a moment of complete silence. (沉默，沉思的表达方式足够丰富了，到这里已经出现6，7回了)Then the little prince flashed back at me(flash back, 追溯，回忆), with a kind of resentfulness: (在这里不如译为小王子极为不满地回怼了我一句)
"I don’t believe you! Flowers are weak creatures. They are naïve. They reassure themselves as best they can. (她们总设法保护自己)They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons..."
I did not answer.(我默不作声，我脑海中想的只有如何处理这个螺丝) At that instant I was saying to myself: "If this bolt still won’t turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer." Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts. (而小王子只是不停地扰乱我的思绪)
"And you actually believe that the flowers−−"
"Oh, no!" I cried. "No, no no! I don’t believe anything.(我终于忍不住爆发了) I answered you with the first thing that came into my head. Don’t you see−− I am very busy with matters of consequence!" (你难道看不见吗，我正有正经事要做)
He stared at me, thunderstruck.
"Matters of consequence!"
He looked at me there, with my hammer in my hand, my fingers black with engine−grease, (greasen.润滑油)bending down over an object which seemed to him extremely ugly... (他瞅了瞅，正拿着锤子，手指上沾满了油污，伏在一个对他来说丑不可言的机件上的我)
"You talk just like the grown−ups!" (你说话就和那些大人一样)
That made me a little ashamed. But he went on, relentlessly: (他的讽刺令我羞愧难当)
"You mix everything up together... You confuse everything..."
He was really very angry. He tossed(v.轻微的动作) his golden curls(n.卷发) in the breeze. (他着实非常恼火，摇晃着脑袋，金黄色的卷发在风中摇曳)
"I know a planet where there is a certain red−faced gentleman. He has never smelled a flower. He has never looked at a star. He has never loved any one. He has never done anything in his life but add up figures.(他除了算账外，什么都没做过) And all day he says over and over, just like you: ’I am busy with matters of consequence!’ And that makes him swell up with pride.(这使他傲气十足) But he is not a man−− he is a mushroom!" (他简直不像一个人，他是一个蘑菇！)
"A what?"
"A mushroom!"
The little prince was now white with rage.
"The flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years. For millions of years the sheep have been eating them just the same. And is it not a matter of consequence to try to understand why the flowers go to so much trouble to grow thorns which are never of any use to them? Is the warfare between the sheep and the flowers not important? Is this not of more consequence than a fat red−faced gentleman’s sums? And if I know−− I, myself−− one flower which is unique in the world, which grows nowhere but on my planet, but which one little sheep can destroy in a single bite some morning, without even noticing what he is doing−−(如果我认识一朵人世间唯一的花，只有我的星球上有她，别的地方都不存在...)
Oh! You think that is not important!"
His face turned from white to red as he continued:
(小王子对他挚爱的花深情告白)"If some one loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars. He can say to himself, ’Somewhere, my flower is there...’ But if the sheep eats the flower, in one moment all his stars will be darkened... And you think that is not important!" (如果有人爱上了这亿万颗星星中独一无二的一株花，当他看到这些星星时，就已足以让他幸福，他可以自豪的说，我的那朵花就在那颗星星上，可是如果有一天，羊吃了这朵花，对他来说，好像所有星星都黯淡无光了，难道这也不重要吗？！)
He could not say anything more. His words were choked by sobbing.
The night had fallen. I had let my tools drop from my hands. (夜幕已经降临，我终于放下了手中所有的工具)Of what moment now was my hammer, my bolt, or thirst, or death? On one star, one planet, my planet, the Earth, there was a little prince to be comforted. (在一颗星球上，在一颗行星上，在我的行星上，在地球上有一个小王子需要安慰)
I took him in my arms, and rocked him. I said to him:
"The flower that you love is not in danger. I will draw you a muzzle(罩子) for your sheep. I will draw you a railing(栏杆) to put around your flower. I will−−"
I did not know what to say to him. I felt awkward and blundering(笨拙). I did not know how I could reach him, where I could overtake him and go on hand in hand with him once more.
It is such a secret place, the land of tears.