TheLittlePrince小王子 第十四章

"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!"
"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."

"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."

第五个星球，
是个不同于前四个星球的人，
小王子甚至都想同他做好朋友了。
但是，
一个忠诚的，
尽职的点灯人，
也无法容纳小王子，
因为，
星球太小，
世界太小，
格局也就小了。
除了点灯，
没有时间思考。

而且，
那也是一种忙，
身不由己，
越转越快，
无法摆脱，
满是无奈。
忙，
却不知为何而忙的人，
我们是否也向他致敬呢?
或者，
会有一丝悲哀。

因为这个，
无奈的人，
就是是生活中，
真实的自己。

转:
stride 大步走
mop 擦干
absurd 荒唐的
repose 休息
lamplighter 点灯人
put out 熄灭

TheLittlePrince小王子 第十四章