译《小王子》：第十四章 点灯的人

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."

第五颗行星有些独特，它是这些星球当中最小的一颗，仅容得下一盏路灯和一个点灯的人。这颗行星斗绝一隅，无人居住，也无人往来，小王子怎么也想不明白，路灯和点灯人的作用何在。然而他却暗自想到：

“这位先生看起来似乎有些荒诞不经。但是他再怎么样也不及国王、虚荣先生、企业家和酒鬼等人那般离谱。他的工作总算还有些意义，在他点亮路灯的时候，就好像星星焕发光芒，或是花儿重新绽放那样。而当他将路灯熄灭那一刻，似乎又将花儿或星星送回梦乡。这是一份美妙的工作，正因其美妙而更觉有用。”

点灯人

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.

小王子抵达这个星球后，便谦逊有礼地向点灯人打招呼。

“早上好！你刚才为什么要把路灯熄灭呢？”

“这是命令！”点灯人回答，“早上好！”

“命令是什么？”

“命令就是将路灯熄灭。晚上好！”

话音刚落，他又把路灯点燃了。

"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.

“那你为什么又要把它点亮呢？”

“这是命令。”点灯人回答。

“我还是不理解。”小王子说道。

“什么都不用理解。”点灯人说，“命令就是命令。早上好！”

接着，他再次将路灯熄灭。

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!"

点灯人拿出一块带有红色方格的手帕轻拭着额头。

“我正做着一份糟糕的差事。之前倒也说得过去，我只要早上熄灯，晚上点灯。在空闲的时间里，我可以白天休息，晚上睡觉。”

“那之后是改变命令了吗？”

“命令倒是没有改变。”点灯人说，“不过却是造成悲剧的关键。这颗行星转的速度一年比一年快，而命令却没有改变。”

"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.

“所以呢？”

“所以现在行星每分钟就转完一圈，也就是说我根本机会闲下来休息。我必须每分钟都要将路灯点亮，再熄灭。”

“这太好玩了！您住在这里，一天就只有一分钟！”

“这可一点都不好玩！”点灯人说道，“就在刚才我们聊天的工夫，一个月都已经过去了。”

“一个月？”

“没错，一个月。三十分钟，就是三十天。晚上好！”

说完他又点燃了路灯。

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.

小王子十分欣赏眼前的这位点灯人能够如此恪守本分。他回忆起自己当初搬着椅子追寻日落的经历，就很想为这位朋友尽点绵薄之力。

“你知道吗？”他开口说道，“我晓得一个安排休息的方法，可以让你想什么时候休息都行……”

“我每分每秒都想着休息。”点灯人说。

一个尽忠职守的人，可能同时还是一个好吃懒做的人。

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.

小王子继续作出说明：

“你的星球体积小到只要三个跨步就能走完一圈，那只要将脚步趋于转速，你就能一整天都沐浴在阳光下。当你想休息的时候，就走起来……这样你想让白天有多长就能有多长。”

“这个办法对我来说帮助不大。”点灯人说，“我这辈子就喜欢做的一件事情就是睡觉。”

“那就没办法咯！”小王子说道。

“唉！真拿自己没办法。”点灯人说道，“早上好。”

于是他又将灯灭了。

"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."

“这位先生……”小王子在离开之后，独自感叹道，“这位先生若被其他人撞见，比如国王、虚荣先生、酒鬼，还有那位生意人，想必都会瞧不起他吧。可是我反倒觉得在这些人当中就属他最为正常。或许是因为他所考虑的不是自己，而是其他事情吧。”

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!

他叹了口气，又一脸遗憾地对自己说道：

“在遇到过的几个人里，我最希望和这位先生成为朋友，可惜他的星球实在太小，想多住一个人都不行……”

然而小王子离开这个星球会感到惋惜，其实还有一个更重要的原因他不愿承认，那就是他可以每天沉浸在幸福当中，伴随着一千四百四十四次日落！