The tamed yellow

The Little Prince said, “What does ‘tame’ mean?”

The fox said, “It is an act too often neglected. It means to *establish ties*.”

“To establish ties?”

“Just that,” said the fox. “To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…”

“I’m beginning to understand,” said the Little Prince. “There’s a flower... I think she has tamed me…”

“My life is very monotonous,” the fox said. “I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are alike, and all the men are alike. So I’m rather bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underground. Yours will call me out of my burrow like music. And look! Do you see the wheat fields down there? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields say nothing to me. Which is sad. But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The wheat, which is golden, will remind me of you. And I shall love the sound of the wind in the wheat…”

The fox fell silent and looked at the Little Prince for a long time. “Please — tame me!” he said at last. “One only understands the things that one tames.”