Chapter 14
The fifth planet was very strange. It wasthe smallest of all. There was just enough room on it for a street lamp and alamplighter. The little prince was not able to reach any explanation of the useof a street lamp and a lamplighter, somewhere in the heavens, on a planet whichhad 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, andthe tippler. For at least his work has some meaning. When he lights his streetlamp, it is as if he brought one more star to life, or one flower. When he putsout his lamp, he sends the flower, or the star, to sleep. That is a beautifuloccupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful."
When he arrived on the planet herespectfully saluted the lamplighter.
"Good morning. Why have you just putout your lamp?"
"Those are the orders," repliedthe lamplighter. "Good morning."
"What are the orders?"
"The orders are that I put out mylamp. Good evening."
And he lighted his lamp again.
"But why have you just lighted itagain?"
"Those are the orders," repliedthe lamplighter.
"I do not understand," said thelittle prince.
"There is nothing tounderstand," said the lamplighter. "Orders are orders. Goodmorning."
And he put out his lamp.
Then he mopped his forehead with ahandkerchief decorated with red squares.
"I follow a terrible profession. Inthe old days it was reasonable. I put the lamp out in the morning, and in theevening I lighted it again. I had the rest of the day for relaxation and therest of the night for sleep."
"And the orders have been changedsince that time?"
"The orders have not beenchanged," said the lamplighter. "That is the tragedy! From year toyear the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not beenchanged!"
"Then what?" asked the littleprince.
"Then-- the planet now makes acomplete 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 onlyone minute, here where you live!"
"It is not funny at all!" saidthe lamplighter. "While we have been talking together a month has goneby."
"A month?"
"Yes, a month. Thirty minutes. Thirtydays. Good evening."
And he lighted his lamp again.
As the little prince watched him, he feltthat he loved this lamplighter who was so faithful to his orders. He rememberedthe sunsets which he himself had gone to seek, in other days, merely by pullingup his chair; and he wanted to help his friend.
"You know," he said, "I cantell you a way you can rest whenever you want to…"
"I always want to rest," saidthe lamplighter.
For it is possible for a man to befaithful and lazy at the same time.
The little prince went on with hisexplanation:
"Your planet is so small that threestrides will take you all the way around it. To be always in the sunshine, youneed only walk along rather slowly. When you want to rest, you will walk-- andthe day will last as long as you like."
"That doesn't do me much good,"said the lamplighter. "The one thing I love in life is to sleep."
"Then you're unlucky," said thelittle prince.
"I am unlucky," said thelamplighter. "Good morning."
And he put out his lamp.
"That man," said the littleprince to himself, as he continued farther on his journey, "that man wouldbe 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 notseem to me ridiculous. Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something elsebesides himself."
He breathed a sigh of regret, and said tohimself, again:
"That man is the only one of them allwhom I could have made my friend. But his planet is indeed too small. There isno room on it for two people…"
What the little prince did not dareconfess was that he was sorry most of all to leave this planet, because it wasblest every day with 1440 sunsets!