The little prince

 "Goodbye," said the fox. "That's my secret. It 'very simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. L 'essential is invisible to the eye "(Cap.XXI)

We are in the middle of the Cap. XXI of the book "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Lyon, June 29, 1900 - Mar Tirreno, 31 July 1944), and which in the following will simply call Antoine. (Author's note. Ble in the text corresponds to the original book).

  Please draw me a sheep! "

 When the mystery is too amazing, one dare not disobey. Absurd as it seemed to me, a thousand miles from any inhabited place, and in danger of death, ... (Ch. II)

 But at this point, dear reader, it might seem that I want to tell you the plot of the story through a 'alternation of excerpts from the book and related comments. No, excuse me, but it does not. In this way, I would do a disservice you do not deserve. Rather I'm trying to incuriosirti, to get you to read the book. Read it, and you'll thank me!

 Immediately I saw a light in the mystery of his presence; and I demanded, abruptly: "Do you come from another planet?" But I did not answer. (Chap. III)

 So, little by little, Antoine learns facts and amazing things from the little prince, facts and things fabulous, but also the facts and things of so much humanity and poetry, and that is how they made the days of the little lives of little maliconica Prince, the sunsets on his little planet, its habits, the drama of the baobabs, and around a microscopic and elemental world, but also extremely interesting, sometimes even dramatic, as when the little prince, fearing that the sheep can eat his pink, explodes into a 'passionate and dramatic speech in defense of his world ... to the point that Antoine does not know how to calm him and comfort him!

 I did not know what to tell him. I felt very awkward. I did not know how to reach it, where to find it ... It 'so mysterious, the land of tears! (Chap. VII).

 Now you can stop reading this article to start reading the Little Prince; but still be patient a little, because I have other interesting things to bring to your attention, such as the Antoine poetic language to describe certain situations. For example, back to Ch. XXI, when the fox asks the little prince to be tamed. The fox says:

 ... But if you tame me, my life will be as enlightened. I recognize the sound of footsteps that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me holed up underground. Your you will make me out of my burrow like music. And then, look! See there, the wheat fields? I do not eat bread. The grain for me is useless. Wheat fields say nothing to me. And what is sad! But you have of 'gold-colored hair. Then it will be wonderful when you have tamed me. The wheat, which is golden, will remind me of you. And I shall love the wind in the wheat ...

 There would be many things to highlight, but it is necessary to conclude. Then we jump to Chap. XXVI - In this penultimate chapter the little prince prepares to die, to be able to get back on his little planet where the 'awaits her pink, the pink one of which he had occupied, and from which it was domesticated.

 ... The tomb doucement comme tombs a arbree. Ca ne fit meme pas de bruit, à cause du sable. So ends the Cap. XXVI, the penultimate of the book, where Antoine takes leave the reader with the following prayer: ... And, if you happen to pass that way, I beg you, do not hurry, take a moment right under the stars! And then if a child comes to you, if you laugh, if he has d 'golden hair, if it does not respond when you questions, you certainly guess who it is. So you are kind! Do not let me sad: write me at once that he returned ...

 Some news on 'Author: July 31, 1944, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, civil and military pilot, is sent on a reconnaissance to prepare the landing in Provence. His plane is shot down by a German pilot and sinks into the sea. In the following years, a fisherman found entangled in his net a canteen as Saint-Exupéry (1998), and later (2003) the wreckage of his plane was found at the 'ile de Riou. But her body has never been found.

 I like to finish this article before a general consideration, and then with an invitation to my beloved grandchildren.
We live in a country of great traditions and culture, and that was transformed a few decades also an industrial country with a moderate level of well-being (... at least until a few years ago!). Today, unfortunately, is replacing the fear of losing this wealth, we do fewer children, and we believe we can solve the problems of globalization looming focusing on technology, which in itself is certainly useful, but it can not possibly be a guiding tool for our future.
And then, we try to do with the heart. Obviously, the heart which I refer is it the heart of the ancient Romans, the heart of Poets, the brave, the lovers, the dreamers, but it is still, more precisely, that part of our mind fast seat of emotions, feelings, the dreams, the aspirations, as opposed to 'other hemisphere slow, more logical, rational, deductive. Ultimately, while the heart for Medicine is a simple pump for the circulation of the blood, the mind is instead absolute (read Neurology and related sciences) the 'more complex object, despite its relative smallness, compared to' undetermined, immense Universe. We will discover the secrets of the 'Universe, and we are well under way, but hardly find out everything on our mind. But what science can not tell us, they tell us the poets, the artists, the Dreamers. Tells us, so fable, even Antoine de Saint Exupery. So, in this time of deep global crisis, we must return to understand things from the heart, we must return to dream and to dare.
Never forget the "I Have A Dream" by Martin Luther King. Do not forget that, in the visual arts, including Joshua Reynolds, a nineteenth-century painter, was already saying: << Beauty, of which we are all constantly looking, is general and intellectual; it resides in the mind; the eye will never perceive. >> And finally, to close the circle, we must realize that, although different areas, Antoine heart and mind of Joshua have the same meaning.
Invitation Finally my dear grandchildren to re-read large "The Little Prince", perhaps in a bilingual format. The simplicity and effectiveness of language helps a lot also in the improvement of 'language learning. On my Kindle I downloaded and read beyond the Italian version, even the French-Italian bilingual format, Spanish-Italian and English-Italian.
Always remember, dear grandchildren:
The secret that the fox (le renard, the fox, el zorro) confides to the little prince:
• in French music is: "on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L 'essential est invisible pour les yeux "
• English is the formal "you can only truly see with the heart. What is important is invisible to the eye. "
• folclorisico in Spanish, it sounds like "sólo con el corazón se puede ver bien; the esencial es invisible para los oyos "
Interesting links, to improve the pronunciation of French, of 'English and Spanish:
• Le Petit Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) Bernard Giraudeau
• Audiobooks - The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• El Principito antoine de saint exupery

 Grandfather Zef

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