地球可不是普通行星。如果真的要算的話，地球上有111個國王（當然，不要忘記當中也有黑人國王）、7000個地理學家、90萬個企業家、750萬個酒鬼、3億1千1百萬個自負的人，也就是說大約有20億個大人。
為了讓你瞭解地球有多大，我可以給你一個概念，人類在發明電以前，為了讓街燈持續亮著，整個地球六大洲，共計有46萬2千5百11個點燈人組成一支點燈大隊。
這支點燈大隊的動作，就像歌劇院裡的芭蕾舞者一樣秩序井然，從稍遠的距離看起來，真是壯觀。
首先，紐西蘭和澳洲的點燈者登場，他們點亮了燈，然後睡覺去了。其次輪到中國和西伯利亞的點燈人登場，然後下臺去，再來輪到蘇俄和印度的點燈者登場、接著是非洲和歐洲、南美洲，最後輪到北美洲登場，他們登場的秩序從不錯亂，這真是個壯觀的表演。
只有北極那個點燈的人和他的同事--南極那個點燈的人，過著悠哉的日子，他們一年只忙兩次。
So then the seventh planet was the Earth.
The Earth is not just an ordinary planet! One can count, there, 111 kings (not forgetting, to be sure, the Negro kings among them), 7000 geographers, 900,000 businessmen, 7,500,000 tipplers, 311,000,000 conceited men--that is to say, about 2,000,000,000 grown-ups.
To give you an idea of the size of the Earth, I will tell you that before the invention of electricity it was necessary to maintain, over the whole of the six continents, a veritable army of 462,511 lamplighters for the street lamps.
Seen from a slight distance, that would make a splendid spectacle. The movements of this army would be regulated like those of the ballet in the opera. First would come the turn of the lamplighters of New Zealand and Australia. Having set their lamps alight, these would go off to sleep. Next, the lamplighters of China and Siberia would enter for their steps in the dance, and then they too would be waved back into the wings. After that would come the turn of the lamplighters of Russia and the Indies; then those of Africa and Europe; then those of South America; then those of South America; then those of North America. And never would they make a mistake in the order of their entry upon the stage. It would be magnificent.
Only the man who was in charge of the single lamp at the North Pole, and his colleague who was responsible for the single lamp at the South Pole--only these two would live free from toil and care: they would be busy twice a year.
註：《小王子》是法國童話，法文原書名為Le Petit Prince，作者是聖艾修伯里，1943年在紐約出版，被譯成超過 180種語言，銷售量超過8千萬冊，還有拍成電影和動畫片、改編成話劇和音樂劇演出。
圖片出處：http://www.odaha.com
沒有留言:
張貼留言