第一章[第1页/共3页]

此次大人们做出的反应是：他们建议我把这些画着看起来仿佛敞开肚皮的蟒蛇的丹青放在一边，然后把精力放在地理、汗青、计算和语法上。这就是为甚么，在我六岁时，我放弃了成为一名职业画家的斑斓胡想。第一号、第二号作品的不胜利，令我非常懊丧。这些大人们本身甚么都不懂，还需求孩子们不竭地、不竭地解释给他们听，这真是令人感到腻烦。

In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this:

但是，我画的不是一顶帽子，画里代表的是一条蟒蛇正在消化着一头大象。为了让这些大人们能够了解，我只好又画了一张画：我把大蟒蛇肚子里的环境画了出来――这些大人们老是需求解释。我的第二号作品是如许的：

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:"That is a hat."Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

以是从当时起，我挑选了别的一个职业，我学会了开飞机。我几近飞遍了天下的每个角落。的确，地理学对我非常有效。飞过天下各地的我一眼就能辩白出中国和亚利桑那州。如果夜里丢失了航向，如许的知识是很有代价的。