《老路燈》，1847 年

the old Street Lamp, 1847

你聽說過那盞老路燈的故事嗎？

did you ever hear the story of the old street lamp?

它並不是特別有趣，但偶爾你不妨也聽聽看。

It is not remarkably interesting, but for once in a way you may as well listen to it.

它是一盞非常可敬的老路燈，已經服役了很多很多年，現在就要領退休金退休了。

It was a most respectable old lamp, which had seen many, many years of service, and now was to retire with a pension.

就在今晚，它最後一次堅守崗位，為街道照明。

It was this evening at its post for the last time, giving light to the street.

它的心情有點像劇院裡一位老舞蹈演員的心情，這位演員正在跳最後一支舞，並且知道明天自己就會待在閣樓裡，孤獨又被人遺忘。

his feelings were something like those of an old dancer at the theatre, who is dancing for the last time, and knows that on the morrow she will be in her garret, alone and forgotten.

這盞路燈對第二天非常擔憂，因為它知道自己得第一次到市政廳去，接受市長和市議會的檢查，他們要決定它是否還適合繼續服役；—— 也就是這盞路燈是否好到足以用來為郊區居民照明，或者在鄉下某個工廠照明；如果不行，它就會立刻被送到一家鑄鐵廠去熔化掉。

the lamp had very great anxiety about the next day, for he knew that he had to appear for the first time at the town hall, to be inspected by the mayor and the council, who were to decide if he were fit for further service or not; — whether the lamp was good enough to be used to light the inhabitants of one of the suburbs, or in the country, at some factory; and if not, it would be taken at once to an iron foundry, to be melted down.

要是後一種情況發生，它可能會被變成任何東西，它非常想知道到時候自己是否還能記得曾經是一盞路燈，這讓它極為苦惱。

In this latter case it might be turned into anything, and he wonde