Little Prince — Chapter 16
Little Prince
小王子 - Chapter 16
- the narrator discusses the Earth"s lamplighters
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.
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Little Prince | |
- The secret garden — Chapter Two Across the moors
- The secret garden — Chapter One The child who was left behind
- The secret garden — Chapter Three Meeting Martha
- The secret garden — Chapter Four The Robin and the gardener
- The secret garden — Chapter Five The strange cry
- The secret garden — Chapter Six There was someone crying
- The secret garden — Chapter Seven The key to the garden
- The secret garden — Chapter Eight The Robin shows the way
- The secret garden — Chapter Nine Behind the garden walls
- The secret garden — Chapter Ten Dickon