——选自《小王子》
《小王子》是安东尼.圣·埃克苏佩里的一部著名法国儿童文学短篇小说，译本最多的法国文学名著。这部作品语言明白晓畅，情节别致曲折，行文富于诗情和哲理，渗透出作者对人类及人类文明深邃的思索。
第二天小王子又来了。
The next day the little prince came back.
狐狸说：“你最好还是在同一时间来找我。”
"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox.
“假设，你下午4:00来，那么3:00的时候我就会开始兴奋。当4:00越来越临近的时候，我便会觉得越来越开心。4:00时，我已经迫不及待地想要见你，我要告诉你我有多么开心。但如果你随时会来的话，我不知道在什么时候我的心会准备好来迎接你。这是必须要执行的仪式。”
"If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you... One must observe the proper rites..."
小王子问：“仪式是什么？”
"What is a rite?" asked the little prince.
狐狸说：“这都是早被人们遗忘的东西了。可以让一天、一个小时变得与众不同。比如，我认识的猎人们就有这种仪式。每周四他们都与村子里的姑娘们跳舞。所以周四对我来说就是最好的一天！我可以走到葡萄园那么远的地方。但是，如果猎人们不确定会在什么时候跳舞的话，那么每一天都是一样的，我也就不会有休息的时间了。”
"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all."