chapter 1 The meeting in the desert
My name is Antoine and when I was a child I wanted to become
a great artist One day when I was 6 I drew a boa constrictor digesting an elephant It was a
very simple drawing but the adults didn't understand it They said it looked like a hat
So I stopped drawing I grew up and became a pilot I liked flying above
the world in the clouds away from the confusion of life But one day my plane broke down
I was in the middle of the Sahara desert alone No phone no village just sand
I had to fix the engine myself and I had water for just a week The first evening I
fell asleep under the stars It was all silent but in the morning something incredible happened
A sweet voice woke me up Please draw me a sheep I turned around quickly
In front of me there was a child He was blond with serious eyes dressed in a strange way He didn't seem lost
or scared He seemed calm curious What did I ask thinking I was dreaming Can you draw me a sheep
please he repeated I didn't know what to say I was in the desert with an engine to repair and this
child asked me for a drawing but there was something about him that made me say yes I took out
a pen and paper and tried to draw a sheep but he didn't like the first drawing No this
is sick The second no she's too old The third no this one has horns I want a sheep In the
end I drew a box with holes Here's your sheep inside I said a little tired
The child smiled She's perfect It's just how I wanted it And so our friendship began That
day I understood something important Children understand things that adults have forgotten
Chapter 2 The planet of the Little Prince As the days went by, the Little Prince and I
became friends. Every morning while I was trying to repair the plane's engine he asked me
questions. They weren't common questions like the ones adults ask, they were strange little poems and he never
answered right away. He seemed to think a lot before speaking. One day he asked me "What is
that thing?" he pointed to the plane "It's a plane flying in the sky" I replied "So you fell from the sky?"
"Exact." "How funny!" he exclaimed and burst out laughing. He felt a little offended but his laughter was so
contagious that I ended up laughing too. Then he looked at me seriously. You too are from another planet.
That question struck me. He said "You too, then, are you really from another planet?" I asked him
The little prince didn't answer immediately but from that moment he began to tell me his story
Little by little, day after day as if each word were a small seed that had to germinate
He told me that he came from a very small planet, so small that you only had to move a
chair to see the sunset again. Sometimes he watched the sun go down 44 times in a day
just because he felt sad. On his planet there were three small volcanoes, two active and one
extinct. "But you never know," he told me. "I clean the extinct one every day too. week" It seemed so
strange to me to clean volcanoes like you clean your teeth but he spoke with a disarming seriousness In addition to the
volcanoes on his planet there was a very particular plant growing. It wasn't just any plant it was a
rose. A beautiful rose with delicate petals and proud thorns but he would tell me
more about that later. He also explained to me that he had to be careful of the Baobabs. If you don't tear them up when
they were small he told me they become enormous and destroy the whole planet. He drew a baubab for me and I
understood how important it was to be careful. On his planet every day he cleaned he removed
the dangerous shoots he cleaned the volcanoes he watered the rose It was all a ritual a way to take
care of his world The Little Prince spoke with love about his planet Even if he was alone it seemed
that everything there was alive and important The fire of the volcanoes the winds the light of the sun the silent
company of his rose He once asked me: "If a person loves a flower that is found on only one
planet among millions of stars, isn't he happy just looking at the sky knowing that his flower is there?"
I didn't know what to answer but yes he was right. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever heard
The little prince was not just a child he was something more a heart that saw with the eyes
of the soul Chapter 3 The rose and the departure The little prince often spoke about his rose but
at the beginning he didn't say much only small hints it was very beautiful it was a little complicated it could be very
proud I listened in silence and I understood that for him that rose was not just a plant it was the
rose the only one his He told me that one day it had suddenly appeared among many banal plants
it was different elegant mysterious Before opening the The rose had taken a long
time to prepare its petals. It had carefully chosen its colors. It wanted to appear perfect. When it finally
bloomed, it was a spectacle. The little prince was enchanted. "How beautiful she is!" he said to her "Yes but
don't you think I need to be protected the wind could ruin me and also the cold
Do you want me to cover you with a glass bell perhaps and remember to water me The rose spoke
sweetly but also with a vain tone She always seemed to want attention One day she said: "
Are there tigers on your planet?" "No there are no tigers So I'm not afraid But if there were my
thorns they would be of some use The little prince took care of her every day he covered her
with his glass when it was cold protected her from the wind she listened to her but over time she began to
feel sad She didn't quite understand why the rose never seemed to be satisfied Sometimes
she was kind and sometimes too proud to say "Thank you or sorry." "I should have understood her better""
he told me melancholy "But I was too young, despite everything, he loved her." But one day
he felt the need to leave. He wanted to discover other worlds, other hearts, perhaps even understand himself better
. On the morning of his departure, he put the planet in order, cleaned the volcanoes, tore out the last
Baobab shoots and once again took care of the rose. For the first time she was sweet without being
proud. Sorry" she said to him "I was stupid but I love you" "Me too" replied the little
prince with his shining eyes She added: "Don't bring the bell, I don't need it anymore"
She had grown up too In silence the little prince looked at her once again then left
With the help of some migratory birds he left his little planet to begin a journey full
of encounters and reflections And so the Little Prince's adventure among the stars began
Chapter 4 The king, the vain and drunkard The little prince left his planet
and began to visit other worlds The planets he encountered were tiny, each inhabited by
only one person The first one he met was a king The king sat on a huge throne even though
he was completely alone "Ah a subject!" he exclaimed upon seeing the little prince "Good morning" the
child said politely "I order you to greet me" the king said in a solemn voice "Er I just
did it" the little prince replied a little confused The king was happy to have someone to command but
he only gave orders that could be executed I command the sun to set but only this
evening around 7:00 when the time is right the little prince found all this a bit
funny "And your subjects?" he asked "I command them all" said the king "even the stars always obey"
The little prince understood that the king was not bad just very lonely and believed he commanded everything to
feel important "I have to go" said the little prince "I appoint you as my ambassador!" shouted the king
proudly. On the next planet he met a vain man. As soon as he saw him the man exclaimed:
"Ah an admirer." "Good morning" said the little prince "You admire me, right, what does admiring mean?"
"It means recognizing that I am the most handsome most elegant and intelligent man on the planet But
you are the only one on the planet it doesn't matter admire me anyway The little prince didn't understand The adults
seemed so strange always wanting to be noticed even if they were alone The third planet was
inhabited by a drunkard He kept some empty bottles and some full ones He looked sad "What are you doing?"
asked the little prince I drink because to forget Forgetting what to be ashamed of
Ashamed of what to drink The little prince didn't know what to say That man was trapped
in an endless circle and it seemed like there was no one who cared After
leaving that planet too the little prince began to feel a little more alone All these
adults he thought were strange they lived in a world of their own made of
meaningless appearances and habits but he didn't stop There were other planets to discover and maybe sooner or later someone who
could really understand Chapter 5 The businessman and the lamplighter The journey of the Little Prince
continued Every new planet was a surprise On the fifth planet he met a very busy businessman
He was sitting at his desk doing calculations on large sheets of paper
Good morning" said the little prince "I don't have time I'm very busy What are you doing counting
the stars." "The stars?" "Yes I have them all" The little prince was surprised "And what do you
do with the stars?" "I put them in my records then I lock the records in a drawer
so I know I have them" The child didn't understand It's like saying you have flowers but you don't take care of them or that
you have shells and never listen to them What's the point of owning if you don't take care of what
you have the businessman looked at him but didn't answer He was too busy with his numbers The little prince
went away a little sad The grown ups he thought don't know how to see Really on the next planet
he met a lamplighter He was a simple man but with a specific mission to turn on the lamp
in the evening and turn it off in the morning "Good morning" said the little prince "Good morning"
the man replied as he turned on the lamp "Why do I turn it on?" Because it's my job the planet was
so small that the day lasted one minute Every 60 seconds the sun set and rose again So the
lamplighter had to turn the lamp on and off continuously without ever stopping
It's tiring" said the little prince "Yes but it's my duty and I like to know that when
I turn on the light somewhere a little beauty comes from" The little prince looked at him with
admiration Finally an adult who doesn't think only of himself does something for others
even if no one sees him He said hello the lamplighter with respect He was tired but he didn't complain
he did his job with dedication "That man" thought the little prince "could I become his
friend?" But he had to continue his journey Other planets were waiting for him and inside himself he felt
many questions growing Chapter 6 The geographer and the meaning of the journey The seventh planet was inhabited
by a geographer, an old gentleman with a large white beard and huge books open in front
of him "Good morning" said the little prince "Good morning" the geographer replied without looking up
"What job do you do?" "I am a geographer I study where seas, mountains, rivers and deserts are found"
Oh interesting You have traveled a lot then Traveling no I stay here I wait for
the explorers to arrive and tell me what they see Then I write it in my books The little prince
was perplexed But how do you know if the explorers are telling the truth I question them
carefully and if I see that they are lying I don't take note But I never take note of ephemeral things
What does ephemeral mean? asked the little prince "It means destined to disappear" For example, a
flower is ephemeral, an extinct volcano too The little prince remained silent
He thought about his flower, that very fragile flower with the thin thorns that he left alone on his
planet And if something is ephemeral it's not important he asked softly "It's not because of geography" replied
the old man The child felt his heart ache "My flower is ephemeral" he thought "and I
left it alone Maybe it's in danger maybe it feels abandoned "Do you advise me to visit the earth?"
he asked the geographer Yes he replied He has a good reputation and is very interesting The little
prince greeted him and resumed his journey but this time something had changed He was no longer
just curious Now he was homesick He had met strange, funny, sad or too busy adults He had
learned a lot but the further he went the more he felt how important what he had left was
Chapter 7 landing on earth and meeting the fox The little prince finally arrived
on Earth, a planet much larger than all the others he had visited. He landed in the middle
of the desert where there was no one. He walked for a long time until one day in the middle of a wheat field
he saw a fox. "Good morning" said the little prince. Good morning, the fox replied. "Do you want to play
with me?" asked the child "I can't" replied the fox "I'm not tamed" What does it mean
to tame it means to create a bond For now you are just a child to me like many others
But if you tame me I will be unique to you in the world and you will be to me The little prince
had never heard anything like that I have a flower I left it on a distant planet I believe
he has tamed me The fox smiled It's possible when someone tames you the world changes
Look to me the wheat means nothing but if you tame me the wheat will be special
because it has the color of your hair What should I do asked the child You have to be patient
You will sit a little far away from me Every day you will sit a little closer So
trust will be born The little prince did as the fox said every day he got a little closer
and every day the silence between them became sweeter At the end the fox said: "
The time has come to say goodbye" The little prince was sad "It's your fault" he said "Now I will suffer"
Yes" said the fox "but thanks to you my life will have been beautiful and I'll give you a
secret." The child looked at her carefully. You can only see clearly with the heart, the essential is
invisible to the eyes. The little prince remained silent. Those words entered his soul.
People forget this truth," continued the fox. "But don't forget it, you are
forever responsible for what you have tamed." The little prince thought about his flower Maybe
it was fragile maybe he was vain but it was his flower and he had tamed it Chapter 8
the snake the echo and the rose garden After saying goodbye to the fox the little prince continued
to walk on the earth The desert seemed infinite and there was not a living soul around him
Suddenly he saw something moving among the rocks It was a snake as thin as a
golden thread "Good morning" said the little prince "Good morning" whispered the snake "Who are you?"
"I am a snake. Can I take you back to where you came from?" "I don't understand. Whoever I touch returns to the land
from which it came." "But you seem pure, you have a light heart." The little prince was not afraid
That snake did not seem evil only mysterious You are more powerful than a king replied the snake But
I do not hurt those who carry love in their hearts the little prince greeted him and continued his journey
Pensively he reached the top of a mountain and shouted: "Hello!" But a distant voice replied:
"Bye bye it was an echo The little prince felt alone What a strange planet he thought It's hard and dry and
people don't speak it just repeats what you say He came down from the mountain and after a long walk he found a
garden full of roses There were so many beautiful ones all smelling the same as his flower The little
prince sat on the ground sad I thought my flower was unique in the world and instead there
are thousands like him And he started to cry At that moment he remembered the words of the fox:
"Your flower is unique because you you took care of him you wasted time with him you loved him This
makes him special." The roses in the garden were beautiful yes but they didn't have the voice of his
flower they didn't laugh like his flower they hadn't been tamed by him and then he understood you are never
really alone when you love Chapter 9 the plane in the desert and thirst The narrator i.e. the pilot
was in the desert because his plane had broken down He was trying to repair it alone
without help without water and without knowing how long he would resist It was there that he met
the little prince The child appeared as if from silent nowhere with his calm look.
Please" he said "can you draw me a sheep?" And from there their friendship began Eight
days had passed since the pilot had fallen in the desert The water had run out He was tired, sweaty and worried
The little prince looked at him "Are you thirsty too?" "Yes" said the pilot Let's go and look for a well"
proposed the child They walked in the silence of the desert side by side The sun was burning and the
sand seemed infinite but the little prince was smiling "The desert is beautiful" he said "Do you know why?"
"Why?" asked the pilot "Why does he hide a well somewhere?" The pilot looked at him
amazed In fact even the silence and emptiness of the desert had their own poetry They walked
again Then in the darkness of the night they saw a small stone wall and next to that a real well The
pilot bent down and he pulled up the fresh, clear water The little prince drank His eyes shone
This water is different he said It's not just water it's like a gift It has the song of the wheelbarrow the
effort of looking for it the joy of finding it The pilot stopped to reflect The child was right
When something is sought with the heart it becomes precious Then the little prince said softly:
"Tomorrow is the anniversary of my arrival on earth A year has passed" The pilot looked at him
he felt a strange sadness within himself He knew that their time together was about to end Chapter 10
the return and the invisible presence of love The little prince was very serious he looked at the sky
as if he was waiting for something The pilot had finally managed to fix his plane He was happy
of course but also worried The little prince had told him: "Today is the day I have to go back to my
planet" The pilot did not want to let him go You are not just a child you have become my friend I
cannot lose you The little prince smiled sweetly If you love someone you never lose them
even if you no longer see them Then he approached the stone wall where the day before they had found the
well There waiting for him was the yellow snake The pilot understood The snake would help him
get home but at a price The little prince spoke softly It seems terrible but it is nothing My
body is just a shell It is too heavy for the journey The real me is invisible The pilot
knelt His eyes were full of tears I will miss you The little prince looked at him
When you look at the sky at night you will see the stars but one of those stars will laugh because I
will be there and it will be as if all the stars are laughing You will hear me laugh in every corner of the sky
Then he lay down gently on the sand the snake touched him and the little body fell silently But
the pilot knew it wasn't over The little prince had returned home Maybe to his rose
maybe to his tiny planet Every time he raised his eyes to the sky he smiled because a
star was laughing for him And still today if you listen to the silence of the night maybe you can hear it too