Learn Italian with The Little Prince (A2–B1) | Simplified Italian text with English Translation

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