Chapter 16 Coming to Earth
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.
所以第7个星球就是地球。
地球可不简单！这里有111个国王（没有统计错哦，黑人国王也在里面），七千个地理学家，就是九十万个商人，七百五十万个酒鬼，三亿一千一百万个自大的人。也就是说，大约有20亿大人。
为了让你们对地球大小有个基本的概念，我给你们打个比方。当地球还没有电的时候，要四十六万两千五百一十一个点灯人来点亮路灯。
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 North America. And never would they make a mistake in the order of their entry upon the stage. It would be magnificent.
wave back into the wings 谢幕
从稍远一点看，这将是非常壮观的场景。这支大军会像歌剧里的芭蕾舞演员一样规律地移动。首先登场的是新西兰和澳大利亚的点灯人，他们点亮的灯之后，就去睡觉了。然后中国和西伯利亚将会加入舞蹈行列，等他们谢幕之后。俄罗斯和印度将会登场；然后就是非洲和欧洲；然后就是南美；然后就是北美；他们从来不会在登台顺序中出错。真是令人叹为观止。
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.
live free from toil and care 远离辛苦
只有负责北极那盏灯的人，还有他那位掌管南极那盏灯的同事——只有这个两个地方远离辛苦，他们一年只用点2次灯。
