第二十二章 - 小王子 - 圣埃克苏佩里(法)
“你好。”小王子说。
“你好。”扳道工说。
“你在这里做什么?”小王子问。
“我在分流旅客,按每千人为单位。”扳道工说,“我调配这些运载旅客的列车,一会儿发往右方,一会儿发往左方。”
这时,一列灯火明亮的快车雷鸣般地响着,沿着扳道工的小屋飞驰而过,小屋被震得颤颤悠悠。
“他们真匆忙呀,”小王子说,“他们要寻找什么?”
“就连开火车的人自己也不知道。”扳道工说道。
这时,第二列灯火通明的快车又朝着相反的方向轰隆轰隆地开过去。
“他们又回来了吗?”小王子问道。
“他们不是原来那些人了。”扳道工说,“这是一次对开列车。”
“他们不满意他们原来所在的地方吗?”
“人们是从来也不会满意自己所在的地方的。”扳道工说。
此时,第三列灯火明亮的快车又隆隆而过。
“他们是在追随第一批旅客吗?”小王子问道。
“他们什么也不追随。”扳道工说,“他们在里面睡觉,或是在打哈欠。只有孩子们把鼻子贴在玻璃窗上往外看。”
“只有孩子知道他们自己在寻找什么。”小王子说,“他们为一个破布娃娃花费不少时间,这个布娃娃就成了很重要的东西,如果有人夺走他们的布娃娃,他们就哭泣……”
“他们真幸运。”扳道工说。
Chapter 22
"Good morning," said the little prince.
"Good morning," said the railway switchman.
"What do you do here" the little prince asked.
"I sort out travelers, in bundles of a thousand," said the switchman. "I send off the trains that carry them; now to the right, now to the left."And a brilliantly lighted express train shook the switchman's cabin as it rushed by with a roar like thunder.
"They are in a great hurry," said the little prince. "What are they looking for""Not even the locomotive engineer knows that," said the switchman.
And a second brilliantly lighted express thundered by, in the opposite direction.
"Are they coming back already" demanded the little prince.