Show notes
Chapter 14
The fifth planet was very strange. It was the smallest of all. There was just enough room on it for a street lamp and a lamplighter. The little prince was not able to reach any explanation of the use of a street lamp and a lamplighter, somewhere in the heavens, on a planet which had no people, and not one house. But he said to himself, nevertheless:
"It may well be that this man is absurd. But he is not so absurd as the king, the conceited man, the businessman, and the tippler. For at least his work has some meaning. When he lights his street lamp, it is as if he brought one more star to life, or one flower. When he puts out his lamp, he sends the flower, or the star, to sleep. That is a beautiful occupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful."
When he arrived on the planet he respectfully saluted the lamplighter.
"Good morning. Why have you just put out your lamp?"
"Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter. "Good morning."
"What are the orders?"
"The orders are that I put out my lamp. Good evening."
And he lighted his lamp again.
"But why have you just lighted it again?"
"Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter.
"I do not understand," said the little prince.
"There is nothing to understand," said the lamplighter. "Orders are orders. Good morning."
And he put out his lamp.
Then he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief decorated with red squares.
"I follow a terrible profession. In the old days it was reasonable. I put the lamp out in the morning, and in the evening I lighted it again. I had the rest of the day for relaxation and the rest of the night for sleep."
"And the orders have been changed since that time?"
"The orders have not been changed," said the lamplighter. "That is the tragedy! From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed!"
"Then what?" asked the little prince.
"Then--the planet now makes a complete turn every minute, and I no longer have a single second for repose. Once every minute I have to light my lamp and put it out!"
"That is very funny! A day lasts only one minute, here where you live!"
"It is not funny at all!" said the lamplighter. "While we have been talking together a month has gone by."
"A month?"
"Yes, a month. Thirty minutes. Thirty days. Good evening."
And he lighted his lamp again.
As the little prince watched him, he felt that he loved this lamplighter who was so faithful to his orders. He remembered the sunsets which he himself had gone to seek, in other days, merely by pulling up his chair; and he wanted to help his friend.
"You know," he said, "I can tell you a way you can rest whenever you want to. . ."
"I always want to rest," said the lamplighter.
For it is possible for a man to be faithful and lazy at the same time.
The little prince went on with his explanation:
"Your planet is so small that three strides will take you all the way around it. To be always in the sunshine, you need only walk along rather slowly. When you want to rest, you will walk--and the day will last as long as you like."
"That doesn't do me much good," said the lamplighter. "The one thing I love in life is to sleep."
"Then you're unlucky," said the little prince.
"I am unlucky," said the lamplighter. "Good morning."
And he put out his lamp.
"That man," said the little prince to himself, as he continued farther on his journey, "that man would be scorned by all the others: by the king, by the conceited man, by the tippler, by the businessman. Nevertheless he is the only one of them all who does not seem to me ridiculous. Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something else besides himself."
He breathed a sigh of regret, and said to himself, again:
"That man is the only one of them all whom I could have made my friend. But his planet is indeed too small. There is no room on it for two people. . ."
What the little prince did not dare confess was that he was sorry most of all to leave this planet, because it was blest every day with 1440 sunsets!
Vocabulary:
1. a street lamp 街燈 A street lamp on a street can be romantic.
2. Tragedy (n) 悲劇 It is a tragedy that John lost his parents at the age of 4 years old.
3. Confess (v) 坦承 I have to confess that I ate your cookies last night.
中文翻譯:
第五顆行星是很奇特的。它是所有行星當中最小的一顆。那裡剛剛有足夠的地方放一座街燈和一個點燈的人。小王子沒辦法解釋在這天上的某個地方，在一顆既沒有房子也沒有住戶的星球上面，一座街燈和一位點燈的人會有什麼用處。雖是這樣，他自己對自己說：
「也許這個人士是荒謬的。但是他不會比那位國王，那位愛好虛榮者，那位實業家和那位酒鬼更荒謬。至少他的工作有意義。當他點亮街燈的時候，他好像使一顆星星或者一朵花活起來。當他熄滅街燈的時候，他使那朵花或那顆星入睡。這是一項美麗的工作。這才真正有用，因為它是美麗的。」
當他登上那顆行星的時候，他恭恭敬敬地向那位點燈的人致敬，並且說：
「早安！為什麼你剛剛把你的街燈熄滅掉？」
「這是信號。」點燈的人回答：「早安！」
「信號是什麼？」
「就是熄滅掉我的街燈。晚安！」
而他又重新點亮了它。
「但是為什麼你重新把它點亮了呢？」
「這是信號。」點燈的人回答。
「我不明白。」小王子說。
點燈的人說：「沒有什麼要明白的。信號就是信號。早安！」
而他熄滅了他的燈。
「我在這裡做一件很繁重的工作。這工作以前挺合理的。我早上點燃燈，晚上熄掉它。白天剩下的時間我可以休息，晚上剩下的時間可以睡覺… …」
「那麼這些年來，信號改了？」
「信號沒有改。」點燈的人說：「癥結就在這裡！星球一年比一年轉得更快，而信號沒有改！」
「那麼… …」小王子說。
「那麼，現在它一分鐘轉一次，而我連一秒鐘的休息時間都沒有。我每分鐘點一次又熄一次！」
「這就奇怪了！你的一天就是一分鐘！」
「這一點也不奇怪。」點燈的人說：「我們已經談了一個月了。」
「一個月？」
「是的，三十分鐘，三十天。早安！」
而他又重新點亮他的街燈。
小王子看他並且喜歡他，因為他非常忠實於他的信號。他回憶起以前他挪移椅子追尋日落的事。他很願意幫助他的朋友。小王子說：
「你知道… …我懂得一個方法可以使你要休息就可以休息… …」
「我經常要休息。」點燈的人說。
因為一個人，可以同時是盡責的又是偷懶的。
小王子接著說：
「你的行星是這樣小，你只要跨三步就可以走一圈。你只要慢慢的走就可以一直在太陽下。當你要休息的時候你就去散步，而白天就像你所希望的停留得那麼久。」
「這個對我沒多大的好處。」點燈的人說：「我一生最喜歡的事就是睡覺。」
「這樣就沒有辦法了。」小王子說。
「這樣就沒有辦法。」點燈的人說。「早安！」
而他熄滅掉他的街燈。
當小王子繼續趕他的路時，他對自己說，這個人將會被其他所有的人輕視，被那位國王，那位醉漢，那位實業家。然而他是唯一我不覺得可笑的人。這個也許是因為不是自己的事。
他惋惜地嘆了一口氣，並繼續對自己說：「這個人是唯一可以跟他交朋友的人。但是他的行星確實太小了，沒有地方容納兩個人。」
小王子不敢坦白說出來的，是他尤其惋惜離開這顆二十四小時內有一千四百四十四次落日的行星！
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