小王子 第34期:既忠實(shí)又懶惰

Then he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief decorated with red squares.

然后他拿一塊有紅方格子的手絹擦著額頭。

I follow a terrible profession.

我干的是一種可怕的職業(yè)。

In the old days it was reasonable.

以前還說得過去，

I put the lamp out in the morning, and in the evening I lighted it again.

早上熄燈，晚上點(diǎn)燈，

I had the rest of the day for relaxation and the rest of the night for sleep."

剩下時間，白天我就休息，夜晚我就睡覺.

And the orders have been changed since that time?

那么，后來命令改變了，是嗎?

"The orders have not been changed," said the lamplighter.

點(diǎn)燈的人說：“命令沒有改."

"That is the tragedy! From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed!"

"慘就慘在這里了!這顆行星一年比一年轉(zhuǎn)得更快，而命令卻沒有改。”

"Then what?" asked the little prince.

“結(jié)果呢?”小王子問。

Then the planet now makes a complete turn every minute, and I no longer have a single second for repose.

結(jié)果現(xiàn)在每分鐘轉(zhuǎn)一圈，我連一秒鐘的休息時間都沒有了。

Once every minute I have to light my lamp and put it out!

每分鐘我就要點(diǎn)一次燈，熄一次燈!

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

真有趣，你這里每天只有一分鐘長?

"It is not funny at all!" said the lamplighter.

“一點(diǎn)趣味也沒有，”點(diǎn)燈的說，

While we have been talking together a month has gone by.

我們倆在一塊說話就已經(jīng)有一個月的時間了。

A month?

一個月?

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

“對。三十分鐘。三十天!——晚上好。”于是他又點(diǎn)著了了他的路燈。

As the little prince watched him, he felt that he loved this lamplighter who was so faithful to his orders.

小王子瞅著他，他喜歡這個點(diǎn)燈人如此忠守命令。

He remembered the sunsets which he himself had gone to seek,in other days, merely by pulling up his chair;

這時，他想起了他自己從前挪動椅子尋找日落的事。

and he wanted to help his friend.

他很想幫助他的這位朋友。

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

“告訴你，我知道一種能使你休息的辦法，你要什么時候休息都可以。”

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

“我老是想休息。”點(diǎn)燈人說。

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

因?yàn)?，一個人可以同時是忠實(shí)的，又是懶惰的。