The fifth planet was very strange.It was the smallest of all.
第五颗行星非常奇怪。它是所有行星中最小的。
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:
它上面刚好有足够的空间容纳一盏路灯和一个点灯人。小王子无法理解，在没有人的星球上，在天堂的某个地方，一盏路灯和一个点灯人有什么用。但他仍然对自己说：
"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.
“很可能这个人很荒谬。但他不像国王、自负的人、商人和酒鬼那样荒谬。因为至少他的工作有一些意义。
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."
当他点亮路灯时，就好像他给一颗星星或一朵花带来了生命。当他熄灭灯时，他就让花或星星去睡觉。那是一项美丽的工作。而且既然它是美丽的，它就是真正有用的。”
When he arrived on the planet he respectfully saluted the lamplighter.
当他到达那个星球时，他恭敬地向点灯人致敬。
"Good morning. Why have you just put out your lamp?"
“早上好。你为什么刚熄灭你的灯？”
"Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter. "Good morning."
“那些是命令，”点灯人回答。“早上好。”
"What are the orders?"
“有什么命令？”
"The orders are that I put out my lamp. Good evening."
“命令是我熄灭我的灯。晚安。”
And he lighted his lamp again.
然后他又点亮了他的灯。
"But why have you just lighted it again?"
“但是你为什么又要点亮它呢？”
"Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter.
“那些就是命令，”点灯人回答说。
"I do not understand," said the little prince.
“我不明白，”小王子说。
"There is nothing to understand," said the lamplighter.
“没有什么可明白的，”点灯人说。
"Orders are orders.Good morning."
“命令就是命令。早上好。”
And he put out his lamp.
然后他熄灭了他的灯。
Then he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief decorated with red squares.
然后他用一块装饰着红色方块的手帕擦了擦额头。
"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."
“我从事着一份可怕的职业。在过去，这是合理的。我早上熄灭灯，晚上我又点亮它。我白天有时间放松，晚上有时间睡觉。”
"And the orders have been changed since that time?"
“那么，从那时起，命令就被更改了吗？”
"The orders have not been changed," said the lamplighter.
“命令没有被更改，”点灯人说。
"That is the tragedy!From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed!"
“那就是悲剧！”“年复一年，这颗行星转动得越来越快，而命令却没有改变！”
"Then what?" asked the little prince.
“那又怎么样？”小王子问道。
"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!"
“那么——现在这颗行星每分钟完成一次完整的转动，我再也没有一秒钟的休息时间了。”每分钟我都要点亮我的灯，然后把它熄灭！
"That is very funny! A day lasts only one minute, here where you live!"
“那太有趣了！你住的地方一天只有一分钟！”
"It is not funny at all!" said the lamplighter."While we have been talking together a month has gone by."
“一点都不有趣！”点灯人说。“就在我们一起说话的时候，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。晚安。”
And he lighted his lamp again.
然后他又点亮了他的灯。
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.
当小王子看着他时，他感到他爱这位忠于职守的点灯人。他想起了过去的日子里，他仅仅通过拉起椅子就去看日落；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，”他说，“我可以告诉你一个你想休息就可以休息的方法……”
"I always want to rest," said the lamplighter.
“我总是想休息，”点灯人说。
For it is possible for a man to be faithful and lazy at the same time.
因为一个人同时做到忠诚和懒惰是可能的。
The little prince went on with his explanation:
小王子继续他的解释：
"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，三步就能绕它一圈。为了永远沐浴在阳光下，你只需要慢慢地走。当你想休息时，你就可以走——这样一天就会像你希望的那么长。”
"That doesn't do me much good," said the lamplighter.
“那对我没什么好处，”点灯人说。
"The one thing I love in life is to sleep."
“我一生中最喜欢的事情就是睡觉。”
"Then you're unlucky," said the little prince.
“那你真不幸，”小王子说。
"I am unlucky," said the lamplighter. "Good morning."
“我真不幸，”点灯人说。“早上好。”
And he put out his lamp.
然后他熄灭了他的灯。
"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. 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."
“那个人，”小王子一边继续他的旅程，一边对自己说，“那个人会被其他人鄙视：被国王，被自负的人，被酒鬼，被商人。然而，他是他们所有人中唯一一个在我看来并不荒谬的人。也许那是因为他想的是除了他自己以外的其他事情。”
He breathed a sigh of regret, and said to himself, again:
他又叹了口气，再次对自己说：
"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. . ."
“那个人是所有人中我唯一可以成为朋友的人。但是他的星球确实太小了。上面没有容纳两个人的空间……”
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!
小王子不敢承认的是，他最舍不得离开这个星球，因为它每天都沐浴着1440次日落！
The fifth planet was very strange.It was the smallest of all.
第五颗行星非常奇怪。它是所有行星中最小的。
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:
它上面刚好有足够的空间容纳一盏路灯和一个点灯人。小王子无法理解，在没有人的星球上，在天堂的某个地方，一盏路灯和一个点灯人有什么用。但他仍然对自己说：
"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.
“很可能这个人很荒谬。但他不像国王、自负的人、商人和酒鬼那样荒谬。因为至少他的工作有一些意义。
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."
当他点亮路灯时，就好像他给一颗星星或一朵花带来了生命。当他熄灭灯时，他就让花或星星去睡觉。那是一项美丽的工作。而且既然它是美丽的，它就是真正有用的。”
When he arrived on the planet he respectfully saluted the lamplighter.
当他到达那个星球时，他恭敬地向点灯人致敬。
"Good morning. Why have you just put out your lamp?"
“早上好。你为什么刚熄灭你的灯？”
"Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter. "Good morning."
“那些是命令，”点灯人回答。“早上好。”
"What are the orders?"
“有什么命令？”
"The orders are that I put out my lamp. Good evening."
“命令是我熄灭我的灯。晚安。”
And he lighted his lamp again.
然后他又点亮了他的灯。
"But why have you just lighted it again?"
“但是你为什么又要点亮它呢？”
"Those are the orders," replied the lamplighter.
“那些就是命令，”点灯人回答说。
"I do not understand," said the little prince.
“我不明白，”小王子说。
"There is nothing to understand," said the lamplighter.
“没有什么可明白的，”点灯人说。
"Orders are orders.Good morning."
“命令就是命令。早上好。”
And he put out his lamp.
然后他熄灭了他的灯。
Then he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief decorated with red squares.
然后他用一块装饰着红色方块的手帕擦了擦额头。
"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."
“我从事着一份可怕的职业。在过去，这是合理的。我早上熄灭灯，晚上我又点亮它。我白天有时间放松，晚上有时间睡觉。”
"And the orders have been changed since that time?"
“那么，从那时起，命令就被更改了吗？”
"The orders have not been changed," said the lamplighter.
“命令没有被更改，”点灯人说。
"That is the tragedy!From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed!"
“那就是悲剧！”“年复一年，这颗行星转动得越来越快，而命令却没有改变！”
"Then what?" asked the little prince.
“那又怎么样？”小王子问道。
"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!"
“那么——现在这颗行星每分钟完成一次完整的转动，我再也没有一秒钟的休息时间了。”每分钟我都要点亮我的灯，然后把它熄灭！
"That is very funny! A day lasts only one minute, here where you live!"
“那太有趣了！你住的地方一天只有一分钟！”
"It is not funny at all!" said the lamplighter."While we have been talking together a month has gone by."
“一点都不有趣！”点灯人说。“就在我们一起说话的时候，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。晚安。”
And he lighted his lamp again.
然后他又点亮了他的灯。
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.
当小王子看着他时，他感到他爱这位忠于职守的点灯人。他想起了过去的日子里，他仅仅通过拉起椅子就去看日落；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，”他说，“我可以告诉你一个你想休息就可以休息的方法……”
"I always want to rest," said the lamplighter.
“我总是想休息，”点灯人说。
For it is possible for a man to be faithful and lazy at the same time.
因为一个人同时做到忠诚和懒惰是可能的。
The little prince went on with his explanation:
小王子继续他的解释：
"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，三步就能绕它一圈。为了永远沐浴在阳光下，你只需要慢慢地走。当你想休息时，你就可以走——这样一天就会像你希望的那么长。”
"That doesn't do me much good," said the lamplighter.
“那对我没什么好处，”点灯人说。
"The one thing I love in life is to sleep."
“我一生中最喜欢的事情就是睡觉。”
"Then you're unlucky," said the little prince.
“那你真不幸，”小王子说。
"I am unlucky," said the lamplighter. "Good morning."
“我真不幸，”点灯人说。“早上好。”
And he put out his lamp.
然后他熄灭了他的灯。
"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. 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."
“那个人，”小王子一边继续他的旅程，一边对自己说，“那个人会被其他人鄙视：被国王，被自负的人，被酒鬼，被商人。然而，他是他们所有人中唯一一个在我看来并不荒谬的人。也许那是因为他想的是除了他自己以外的其他事情。”
He breathed a sigh of regret, and said to himself, again:
他又叹了口气，再次对自己说：
"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. . ."
“那个人是所有人中我唯一可以成为朋友的人。但是他的星球确实太小了。上面没有容纳两个人的空间……”
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!
小王子不敢承认的是，他最舍不得离开这个星球，因为它每天都沐浴着1440次日落！