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.

“These are not the same ones,” said the switchman. “It is an exchange.”

“Were they not satisfied where they were?” asked the little prince.

“No one is ever satisfied where he is,” said the switchman.

And they heard the roaring thunder of a third brilliantly lighted express.

“Are they pursuing the first travelers?” demanded the little prince.

“They are pursuing nothing at all,” said the switchman. “They are asleep in there, or if they are not asleep they are yawning. Only the children are flattening their noses against the windowpanes.”

“Only the children know what they are looking for,” said the little prince. “They waste their time over a rag doll and it becomes very important to them; and if anybody takes it away from them, they cry…”

“They are lucky,” the switchman said.

Appendix

“早上好”，小王子说。

“早上好”，铁路调车工说。

小王子问调车工，他在这里做什么。

调车工回答说，他负责调度火车的顺序，什么时候该往左，什么时候该往右。

一辆火车从他们身边飞驰而过。

小王子问，他们看起来都很忙，他们在找什么？

调车工说，他们什么都不找。

一辆火车从反方向飞驰而过。

小王子又问，他们这么快就回来了？

调车工说，他们不是同一批人。人们总是从一个地方，移动到另一个地方。

小王子问，他们是对自己的处境不满意吗？

调车工说，人们什么时候都不会满意自己的处境。

另一辆火车从他们身边飞驰而过。

小王子说，他们在追逐第一辆车吗？

调车工说，他们什么都不追逐。他们在车里睡觉，如果没有在睡觉，就是在打哈欠。只有小孩子会看着窗外。

小王子说，只有小孩子知道他们在寻找什么。他们会把时间花费在一只布娃娃上，如果布娃娃丢了，他们就会哭。

调车工说，小孩子是幸运的。