🔊 The fifth planet was very strange. It was the smallest of all. There was a lamplighter, somewhere in the heavens, on a planet which had no people.

第五顆行星非常奇特。它是所有行星中最小的。在浩瀚蒼穹中的某處,有一顆沒有居民的星球,上面住著一位點燈人。

🔊

lamplighter /ˈlæmplaɪtər/

n. 點燈人；街燈管理員

🔊 "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, that sends the flower, or the star, to sleep. That is a beautiful occupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful."

「這個人也許很荒謬,但他不像國王、愛虛榮的人、商人和酒鬼那樣荒謬。至少他的工作有意義。當他點亮路燈時,彷彿喚醒了一顆星星,或一朵花。當他熄滅路燈時,就像讓那朵花或那顆星星沉入夢鄉。這是一份美好的職業。正因為它美好,所以確實有用。」

🔊

absurd /əbˈsɜːrd/

adj. 荒謬的；不合理的

🔊

conceited /kənˈsiːtɪd/

adj. 自負的；自命不凡的

🔊

tippler /ˈtɪplər/

n. 酒徒；酗酒者

🔊

occupation /ˌɑːkjuˈpeɪʃn/

n. 職業；佔領

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

當他抵達這顆行星時,他恭敬地向點燈人致意。

🔊

respectfully /rɪˈspektfəli/

adv. 恭敬地；有禮貌地

🔊

saluted /səˈluːtɪd/

v. 向…致敬；向…行禮

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

「早安。你為什麼剛剛熄滅了你的燈？」

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

「這是命令,」點燈人回答。「早安。」

🔊 "What are the orders?"

「什麼命令？」

🔊 "The orders are that I put out my lamp. Good evening."

「命令就是我必須熄滅我的燈。晚安。」

🔊 And he lighted his lamp again.

然後他又點亮了燈。

🔊 "But why have you just lighted it again?"

「但你為什麼又點亮了它？」

🔊 "Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter.

「這是命令,」點燈人回答。

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

「我不明白,」小王子說。

🔊 "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.

「沒什麼需要明白的,」點燈人說。「命令就是命令。早安。」然後他熄滅了燈,用一塊印著紅色方格的手帕擦了擦額頭。

🔊

mopped /mɑːpt/

v. 用布擦乾（汗水等）

🔊

forehead /ˈfɔːrhed/

n. 額頭；前額

🔊

handkerchief /ˈhæŋkərtʃɪf/

n. 手帕；手絹

🔊

decorated /ˈdekəreɪtɪd/

v. 裝飾；點綴

🔊 "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."

「我從事一份可怕的職業。從前這很合理:早上熄燈,晚上點燈。白天剩下的時間可以休息,夜晚剩下的時間可以睡覺。」

🔊

profession /prəˈfeʃn/

n. 職業；專業

🔊

reasonable /ˈriːznəbl/

adj. 合理的；通情達理的

🔊

relaxation /ˌriːlækˈseɪʃn/

n. 放鬆；消遣

🔊 "And the orders have been changed since that time?"

「那之後命令改變了嗎？」

🔊 "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!"

「命令沒有改變,」點燈人說。「這正是悲劇所在！年復一年,行星轉得越來越快,但命令卻沒有改變！」

🔊

tragedy /ˈtrædʒədi/

n. 悲劇；慘事

🔊

rapidly /ˈræpɪdli/

adv. 迅速地；快速地

🔊 "Then what happens?" asked the little prince.

「那會怎樣？」小王子問。

🔊 "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!"

「結果就是——現在行星每分鐘自轉一圈,我連一秒鐘的休息時間都沒有。每分鐘我都得點亮燈,然後再熄滅它！」

🔊

repose /rɪˈpoʊz/

n. 休息；安眠

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

「這真有趣！在你居住的地方,一天只有一分鐘！」

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

「一點也不有趣！」點燈人說。「就在我們說話的這段時間,一個月已經過去了。」

🔊 "Yes, a month. Thirty minutes. Thirty days. Good evening." And he lighted his lamp again.

「是啊,一個月。三十分鐘。三十天。晚安。」他又點亮了燈。

🔊 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.

小王子注視著他,覺得自己喜歡上了這位如此忠於命令的點燈人。他想起了從前自己只需挪動椅子就能追尋的日落；他想幫助這位朋友。

🔊

faithful /ˈfeɪθfl/

adj. 忠實的；忠誠的

🔊

sunsets /ˈsʌnsets/

n. 日落；傍晚

🔊

merely /ˈmɪrli/

adv. 僅僅；只不過

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

「你知道嗎,」他說,「我可以告訴你一個方法,讓你想休息時就能休息……」

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

「我一直都想休息,」點燈人說。

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

因為一個人是有可能同時既忠誠又懶惰的。

🔊

lazy /ˈleɪzi/

adj. 懶惰的；怠惰的

🔊 The little prince went on with his explanation:

小王子繼續解釋:

🔊 "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."

「你的星球太小了,三步就能繞它一圈。想一直待在陽光下,你只需要慢慢地走。當你想休息時,你就走動——這樣一天想多長就有多長。」

🔊

strides /straɪdz/

n. 大步；步幅

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

「這對我沒什麼用,」點燈人說。「我生活中唯一熱愛的事就是睡覺。」

🔊 "Then there's no help for it," said the little prince.

「那就沒辦法了,」小王子說。

🔊 "There is no help for it," said the lamplighter. "Good morning."

「確實沒辦法,」點燈人說。「早安。」

🔊 And he put out his lamp.

然後他熄滅了燈。

🔊 "That man," the little prince said 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 who does not seem to me ridiculous. Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something else besides himself."

「那個人,」小王子繼續他的旅程時,心裡想著,「那個人會被其他所有人鄙視:被國王、被愛虛榮的人、被酒鬼、被商人鄙視。然而,在我看來,他是唯一不顯得荒謬的人。也許這是因為他心中想著自身以外的事情。」

🔊

scorned /skɔːrnd/

v. 輕蔑；鄙視

🔊

ridiculous /rɪˈdɪkjələs/

adj. 可笑的；荒謬的

🔊 He sighed regretfully, and said to himself again:

他遺憾地嘆了口氣,又對自己說:

🔊

regretfully /rɪˈɡretfəli/

adv. 遺憾地；懊悔地

🔊 "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..."

「那個人是他們之中唯一一個我可能與之成為朋友的人。但他的星球實在太小了。上面容不下兩個人……」

Chapter XIV (第十四章)