"Ah! Excuse me," said the little prince. But upon reflection he added, "What does TAMED mean?"?

Once Upon a Line Podcast:
The Little Prince 

"You become responsible forever for what you've tamed."
  - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Speaking of the little prince and chickens:-)

Meghan and Harry spark interest in ‘Archie’s Chick Inn’

When I read 'The Little Prince' a few weeks ago for the first time in my life (the English translation) one line in the book really struck me as being wrong, even though I knew what the author was trying to convey in the story, if not in exact (translated) words.

Well, it was more the English word "TAMED" that struck me as the wrong word to use for the relationship that the fox was trying to establish with the prince, more than the lines it was used in.

Not that I'm an expert by any means when it comes to English words, not even close to being an "expert" (whatever that word means anyway when it comes to life) in the English language being a high school dropout.

But I am well read and do have a feel for words when they don't feel right to me.

Once Upon a Line Podcast

I was a bit like Mei Ling in the "Once Upon a Line" podcast above when trying to figure out the perfect English word to replace "tame" in the English translation of 'The Little Prince', and unlike Mei I can't read or speak French that good.
But I'm glad the word "tamed" was used in this English translation of the story, because it acted like a Zen koan for my inner fox to solve or ponder on, and this morning the perfect English word dropped into my mind to replace that word "tamed", ... "befriend":-)

A befriending is a two-way street that can turn into love over time, whether that be romantic love or a platonic love ... or both.

The Metaphor of The Rose ... and What Does it Really Mean (Sex or Love ... or Both)?

The Little Prince and his Rose

To me the profound platonic relationships in my life are the most enduring and spiritual ones and I think people put too much emphasis on finding a romantic partner, or soulmate.

There are soulmates scattered all throughout your life and just because you aren't, or don't want to f#ck them, doesn't mean they aren't a "soulmate" I reckon.

The relationship between the fox and the prince is just one example of this kind of "soulmate" relationship.

Life is just a sandy beach, or desert ... and then you die ... again?-)
Life is Beaches, Songs and Popcorn ... and Then ... The End?   

But upon reflection he added, "What does TAMED mean?

A Gift of Wings, Too?

"Please follow your heart, win or lose."
- J.D. Salinger

Ironically, my favourite 'Once Upon a Line' podcast episode is the one above released on November 19th, which happens to be my old wedding anniversary:-)

Unfortunately, my ex-wife was never the wind beneath my wings, she was my brick:-)

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 44 times Around the Sun and the Elephant in the Hat?