Chapter 22

"Good morning," said the little prince.

"Good morning," said the

railway switchman aiguilleur
guardavía

.

"What do you do here?" the little prince asked.

"

I sort out j’arrange, trie
preparo, ordeno

travelers, in

bundles paquets
lotes, paquetes

of a thousand," said the switchman. "

I send off j'expédie
despacho

the trains that carry them: now to the right, now to the left."

And a brilliantly lighted express train

shook agita, secoua
sacudió, hizo temblar

the switchman's cabin as it rushed by with a

roar grondement
estruendo

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 gronda
rugió

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 en train de bâiller
bostezando

. Only the children

are flattening écrasent
aplastan

their noses against the

windowpanes vitres
vidrios

."

"Only the children know what they are looking for," said the little prince. "They waste their time over a

rag doll poupée de chiffons
muñeca de trapo

and it becomes very important to them; and if anybody takes it away from them, they cry…"

"They are lucky," the switchman said.

chapter 21           en anglais           chapter 23