Dreaming of Silver Roses

          In the book, by Antoine De Saint-Exup`ery, the fox begs the little prince to “tame” him. The fox says,

“One only understands the things that one tames… Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at shops. But there is not shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more.” The prince asks how to tame the fox. The fox explains about patience and traditions and time invested. The prince tames the fox. (from chapters 20-21, The Little Prince, St. Exupery) I have never found a more profound or better explaination of how to develop friendships and intimacies.

           This is a clip from the film adaptation of the book.(Paramount Pictures 1974 release featuring here Steven Warner as the little prince,Gene Wilder as the fox,and Richard Kiley as the pilot). It features one of my favorite lines from the book. I recommend both the book and the movie (if you like musicals- Bob Fossey is in the movie as the character “the snake”.) The book is best of course, but Stanley Donen- director and Jay Lerner- writer did well in the film adaptation. Both the book and the film are very bittersweet. Preview the film before sharing with small children because it is a bit sad.

People matter…. “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.” (pg. 71,the fox, The Little Prince, St. Exupery)

Filed under: life, poetry, relating well, relationships, wonder, writing on June 4th, 2008