Explore Chapter 17 of 'The Little Prince' with the original English text, English translation, detailed IELTS vocabulary and explanations, and audio of the English original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
When someone tries to be clever, they sometimes stray a bit from the truth. I have not been completely honest about what I told you about the lamplighters. And I know I risk giving a wrong impression of our planet to those who don't know it. People take up very little space on Earth. If all two billion people living on its surface stood up and crowded together, like at a big event, they could easily fit into a square twenty miles by twenty miles. All of humanity could be stacked on a small island in the Pacific.
The adults, for sure, won't believe you when you tell them this. They think they take up a lot of space. They believe they are as important as baobabs. You should tell them to do the math themselves. They love numbers, and that will make them happy. But don't waste your time on this extra work. It's not needed. I know you trust me.
When the little prince reached Earth, he was very surprised not to see anyone. He started to worry he had landed on the wrong planet, when a golden coil, the color of moonlight, slid over the sand. "Good evening," said the little prince politely. "Good evening," said the snake. "What planet is this where I've landed?" asked the little prince. "This is Earth; this is Africa," the snake replied. "Ah! So there are no people on Earth?" "This is the desert. There are no people in the desert. Earth is big," said the snake. The little prince sat on a stone and looked up at the sky. "I wonder," he said, "if the stars are lit up in the sky so that one day each of us can find our own star again... Look at my planet. It's right above us. But it's so far away!" "It is beautiful," the snake said. "What brought you here?" "I've had some trouble with a flower," said the little prince. "Ah!" said the snake. And they were both quiet. "Where are the people?" the little prince finally spoke again. "It's a bit lonely in the desert..." "It's also lonely among people," the snake said. The little prince looked at him for a long time. "You are a strange animal," he said at last. "You're as thin as a finger..." "But I am stronger than a king's finger," said the snake.
The little prince smiled. "You're not very strong. You don't even have feet. You can't even travel..." "I can take you further than any ship," said the snake. He wrapped himself around the little prince's ankle, like a golden bracelet. "Whoever I touch, I send back to the earth where they came from," the snake said again. "But you are innocent and honest, and you come from a star..." The little prince didn't answer. "You make me feel sorry for you—you are so weak on this hard Earth," the snake said. "I can help you, someday, if you get too homesick for your own planet. I can—" "Oh! I understand you well," said the little prince. "But why do you always talk in puzzles?" "I solve all puzzles," said the snake. And they were both silent.