第十四章[第1页/共5页]

“那么，厥后号令窜改了，是吗？”

“这是号令。”点灯人答复道。

"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"

“成果现在每分钟转一圈，我连一秒钟的歇息时候都没有了。每分钟我就要点一次灯，熄一次灯！”

“真风趣，你居住的处所，一分钟就是一天。”

因而他又扑灭了路灯。

小王子一到了这个行星上，就很尊敬地向点灯的人还礼打号召：“早上好。你刚才为甚么把路灯灭了呢？”

“我不明白。”小王子说。

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.