第十四章[第5页/共7页]

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

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

“我老是想歇息。”点灯人说。

小王子一到了这个行星上，就很尊敬地向点灯的人还礼打号召：“早上好。你刚才为甚么把路灯灭了呢？”

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. 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:"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, he sends the flower, or the star, to sleep. That is a beautiful occupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful."When he arrived on the planet he respectfully saluted the lamplighter.