− the little prince visits the lamplighter

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.(这颗行星小到刚好容得下一盏路灯和一个点灯人) 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. (小王子怎么也解释不通这个坐落在天空某一角落，既没有房屋又没有居民的行星上，要一盏路灯和一个点灯人有什么用)

But he said to himself, nevertheless(他只好猜想):

"It may well be that this man is absurd.(这个点灯人可能脑子不太正常) But he is not so absurd as the king, the conceited man, the businessman, and the tippler. (但他至少比起那个爱慕虚荣的人，那个商人还有酒鬼，要好些)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. 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." (当他点起路灯时，就像是为他增添了一颗星星，或是一朵花;当他把路灯熄灭了，就像是让星星或者花朵睡着了似的)

When he arrived on the planet he respectfully saluted(v.赞扬，致意) the lamplighter. (小王子一到了这个行星上，就很尊敬地向点灯人打招呼)

"Good morning. Why have you just put out (熄灭)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.

"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." (没什么好明白的，命令就是命令)

And he put out his lamp. Then he mopped(擦拭) his forehead with a handkerchief decorated with red squares.

"I follow a terrible profession. (我干的是一种可怕的职业(๑ó﹏ò๑))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." (以前还说的过去，早上熄灯，晚上点灯，剩下的时间里，白天可以休息，晚上可以睡觉)

"And the orders have been changed since that time?" (那么后来命令改变了吗？)

"The orders have not been changed," said the lamplighter. "That is the tragedy!(命令没有改变过，惨就惨在这里)

From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed!" (这颗行星转的一年比一年快，而命令却没有变)

"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!" (结果现在每分钟转一圈，我连一秒钟的休息时间都没有了，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，你这里每天只有一分钟吗)

"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！我们俩在一块说话就已经有一个月的时间了)

"A month?"

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

And he lighted his lamp again.

As the little prince watched him, he felt that he loved this lamplighter who was so faithful to his orders.(他喜欢这个点灯人如此忠守命令) 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. (他想起了从前他挪动椅子寻找日落的事了，他想帮助这位朋友)

"You know," he said, "I can tell you a way you can rest whenever you want to..." (我想到一个方法能让你休息，你想什么时候休息都可以的)

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

For it is possible for a man to be faithful and lazy at the same time. (因为一个人既可以是懒惰的也可以是忠诚的)

The little prince went on with his explanation:

"Your planet is so small that three strides(大步伐) will take you all the way around it. To be always in the sunshine, you need only walk along rather slowly.(你只要走慢一点，就能一直在阳光之下了，就能一直休息不用点灯了) When you want to rest, you will walk−− and the day will last as long as you like." (你就这样走，白天要多长就有多长)

"That doesn't do me much good," said the lamplighter. "The one thing I love in life is to sleep." (这对我来说并没有太大用处，我最爱的只有睡觉)

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

"I am unlucky," said the lamplighter. "Good morning."

And he put out his lamp.

"That man," said the little prince to himself, as he continued farther on his journey, "that man would be scorned(嘲笑) by all the others: by the king, by the conceited man, by the tippler, by the businessman.(这个人一定会被国王呀，爱慕虚荣的人呀，酒鬼呀还有商人所瞧不起) Nevertheless he is the only one of them all who does not seem to me ridiculous. (可唯有他并不使我觉得荒唐可笑)Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something else besides himself." (可能是因为他关心的是别的事而不是他自己的事吧)

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..." (本来他是唯一一个我可以和他交上朋友的人，可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(adj. 幸福的；被祝福的v. 祝福；保佑（bless的过去分词形式)) every day with 1440 sunsets!(小王子没有勇气承认的是:他留恋这颗令人赞美的星球是因为在那里每24小时就有1440次日落)