Chapter 14 不辞辛苦的点灯人

Chapter 14

The fifth planet was very strange. It was the smallest of all.

第五颗行星非常奇怪。它是所有中最小的一颗。

There was just enough room on it for a street lamp and a lamplighter.

它上面的空间只够一盏街灯和一个点灯的人。

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.

一盏街灯和一个点灯人的用途，小王子没法想到任何解释，在天上的某处，在一个没有人没有房子的星球上。

But he said to himself, nevertheless: "It may well be that this man is absurd.

不过他还是对自己说：“可能这个人很荒谬。

But he is not so absurd as the king, the conceited man, the businessman, and the tippler.

但他没有国王，那个爱虚荣的人，商人和酒鬼那么荒谬。

For at least his work has some meaning.

至少他的工作还有点意义。

When he lights his street lamp, it is as if he brought one more star to life, or one flower.

当他点着了他的路灯时，就好像他唤醒了更多的一颗星星，或者是一朵花。

When he puts out his lamp, he sends the flower, or the star, to sleep.

当他熄灭了路灯时，他送花或者是星星入眠。

That is a beautiful occupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful".

那真是一份美丽的差事。而且因为它是美丽的，所以它确实有用。

When he arrived on the planet he respectfully saluted the lamplighter.

当他到达这个行星上时，他很尊敬地向点路灯的人问候：

"Good morning. Why have you just put out your lamp"?

“早上好。你刚才为什么把路灯灭了呢？”

"Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter. "Good morning".

“那些是命令，”点灯的回答道。“早上好。”

"What are the orders"?

“命令是什么？”

"The orders are that I put out my lamp. Good evening". And he lighted his lamp again.

“命令就是我熄灭我的灯。晚上好。”于是他又点燃了路灯。

"But why have you just lighted it again"?

“但是为什么你又把它点着了呢？”

"Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter.

“那些是命令。”点灯的人回答道。

"I do not understand," said the little prince.

“我不明白。”小王子说。

"There is nothing to understand," said the lamplighter. "Orders are orders. Good morning".

“没什么要明白的，”点灯的回答说。“命令就是命令。早上好。”

And he put out his lamp.

于是他又熄灭了路灯。

Then he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief decorated with red squares.

然后他拿一块饰有红方格子的手绢擦着额头。

"I follow a terrible profession. In the old days it was reasonable.

“我从事的是一种可怕的职业。在过去它是合理的。

I put the lamp out in the morning, and in the evening I lighted it again.

我早上熄灯，晚上点灯。

I had the rest of the day for relaxation and the rest of the night for sleep".

剩下的白天我可以休息，剩下的晚上睡觉。”

"And the orders have not been changed since that time"?

“命令从那个时候就没有改变过吗？”

"The orders have not been changed," said the lamplighter.

“命令没有改，”点灯的人说。

"That is the tragedy! From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed"!

“惨就惨在那里了！这颗行星一年比一年转得更快，而命令却没有改。”

"Then what"? asked the little prince.

“然后呢？”小王子问。

"Then--the planet now makes a complete turn every minute, and I no longer have a single second for repose.

“然后，这颗行星现在每分钟转一圈，我连一秒钟的休息时间都没有了。

Once every minute I have to light my lamp and put it out"!

每分钟我就要点一次灯，熄一次灯！”

"That is very funny! A day lasts only one minute, here where you live"!

“真有趣！一天只持续一分钟，就在你住的这里！”

"It is not funny at all"! said the lamplighter. "While we have been talking together a month has gone by".

“一点趣味也没有！”点灯的说，“我们俩在一块说话时一个月已经过去了。”

"A month"?

“一个月？”

"Yes, a month. Thirty minutes. Thirty days. Good evening".

“是的，一个月。三十分钟。三十天！晚上好。”

And he lighted his lamp again.

于是他又点着了他的路灯。

As the little prince watched him, he felt that he loved this lamplighter who was so faithful to his orders.

当小王子瞅着他时，他觉得他喜欢这个如此忠守命令的点灯人。

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.

他想起了日落，以前，他只通过拉动他的椅子去追求的日落；然后他想帮助他的朋友。

"You know," he said, "I can tell you a way you can rest whenever you want to. . ."

“你知道嘛，”他说，“我能告诉你一个方法，你什么时候想休息就可以休息......”

"I always want to rest," said the lamplighter.

“我老是想休息。”点灯人说。

For it is possible for a man to be faithful and lazy at the same time.

因为一个人可以同时是忠实的又是懒惰的。

The little prince went on with his explanation:

小王子继续着他的解释：

"Your planet is so small that three strides will take you all the way around it.

“你的这颗行星这样小，你三步就可以绕它一圈。

To be always in the sunshine, you need only walk along rather slowly.

要一直在阳光下，你只要走得相当慢就可以。

When you want to rest, you will walk, and the day will last as long as you like".

当你想休息的时候，你就走，那么，你要白天有多长它就有多长。”

"That doesn't do me much good," said the lamplighter. "The one thing I love in life is to sleep".

“那给不了我多少好处，”点灯人说，“生活中我最喜欢的就是睡觉。”

"Then you're unlucky," said the little prince.

“那么你真不幸。”小王子说。

"I am unlucky," said the lamplighter. "Good morning". And he put out his lamp.

“我是不幸，”点灯人说。“早上好。”于是他又熄灭了路灯。

"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.

“那个人，”小王子在继续更远的旅行时，对自己说道：“那个人会被其他那些人，国王呀，爱虚荣的呀，酒鬼呀，商人呀，所瞧不起。

Nevertheless he is the only one of them all who does not seem to me ridiculous.

尽管他是他们所有人中唯一一个我不觉得荒唐可笑。

Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something else besides himself".

那可能是因为他所关心的是别的事，而不是他自己。”

He breathed a sigh of regret, and said to himself, again:

他惋惜地叹了口气，并且又对自己说道：

"That man is the only one of them all whom I could have made my friend.

“那个人是他们所有人中唯一一个我能变成我的朋友的人。

But his planet is indeed too small. There is no room on it for two people. .."

可是他的星球确实太小了，住不下两个人……”

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!

小王子没有勇气承认的是：他最不愿离开这个星球，是因为它每天被赐予1440次日落。