The smile Antoine de Saint-Exupery

David

The smile     Antoine de Saint-Exupery

　　"I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous. I fumbled in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes, which had escaped their search. I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could barely get it to my lips. But I had no matches, they had taken those. "I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. I called out to him 'Have you got a light?' He looked at me, shrugged and came over to light my cigarette. "As he came close and lit the match, his eyes inadvertently locked with mine. At that moment, I smiled. I don't know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness, perhaps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very hard not to smile. In any case, I smiled. In that instant, it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts, our two human souls. I know he didn't want to, but my smile leaped through the bars and generated a smile on his lips, too. He lit my cigarette but stayed near, looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.

　　 “I kept smiling at him, now aware of him as a person and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new dimension too. 'Do you have kids?' he asked. ‘Yes, here, here.’ I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my family. He, too, took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared that I'd never see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes, too. "Suddenly, without another word, he unlocked my cell and silently led me out，out of the jail, quietly and by back routes, out of the town. There, at the edge of town, he released me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town.
    "My life was saved by a smile." Yes, the smile―the unaffected, unplanned, natural connection between people.. I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other, we wouldn't be enemies. We couldn't have hate or envy or fear.


译文
微笑        安东尼•圣•艾修伯里
    “我敢肯定我就要被杀死了。我感到非常的紧张不安。我把手伸进自己的口袋，看看是否还有没被他们搜走的香烟。我摸到了一支，但是那双不停颤抖的手让我几乎没有办法把香烟放到嘴边。但是当我把香烟放到嘴边的时候，我发现我没有火柴，火柴被搜走了。透过监狱的铁栏，我看着看守我的狱卒。他没有看着我。我向他叫到：‘你有火吗？’他看着我，无所谓地耸了耸肩，走过来帮我点上了烟。“随着他的走近，他帮我点上了烟，不注意地，他的眼神和我的眼神对在了一起。在那个时候，我笑了一下。我不知道我为什么要这样做。也许是因为紧张，也许是因为当两个人靠得很近的时候，很难不笑吧。不管怎样，我笑了。立即地，这微笑就像火花一样，跨过了两颗心的隔阂。我知道，本来他是不想笑的，但是我的微笑跨过了铁栏，感染了他，让他的唇边也溢出一丝微笑。他点上了我的烟，就呆在我旁边，直直地看着我，就那样微笑着。
    “我一直朝他笑着，我知道他也是一个有感情的人，不仅仅是一个狱卒。他看着我，对我的态度也有了变化。‘你有孩子吗？’他问我。‘有的，看这里。’我拿出了皮夹，紧张地寻找着家人的照片。他也拿出了家人的照片，对我诉说着他的对家人的计划以及期望。我的眼眶了充满了泪水。我对他说，恐怕我再也见不到我的家人了，也没有机会看到孩子们长大了。听完我的话，他的眼里也流出了泪水。”突然，没有任何征兆地，他打开了监狱的门，让我出来，他和我走出了监狱，沿着监狱后面的小路，我们走出了小镇。在小镇边缘，他释放了我。然后，他一眼不发，转身走向小镇。
    “一个微笑拯救了我的生命。”是的，就是微笑，人们之间不矫揉造作，没有计划，自然的微笑。我相信，如果你我之间能够互相理解，那么我们不会成为敌人。我们之间就不可能存在厌恶、嫉妒、恐惧。


参考译文
微 笑

　　“一想到自己明天就没命了，不禁陷入极端的惶恐。我翻遍了口袋，终于找到一支没被他们搜走的香烟，但我的手紧张得不停发抖，连将烟送进嘴里都成问题，而我的火柴也在搜身时被拿走了。 “我透过铁栏望着外面的警卫，他并没有注意到我在看他，我叫了他一声：‘能跟你借个火吗？’他转头望着我，耸了耸肩，然后走了过来，点燃我的香烟。 “当他帮我点火时，他的眼光无意中与我的相接触，这时我突然冲着他微笑。我不知道自己为何有这般反应，也许是过于紧张，或者是当你如此靠近另一个人，你很难不对他微笑。不管是何理由，我对他笑了。就在这一刹那，这抹微笑如同火花般，打破了我们心灵间的隔阂。受到了我的感染，他的嘴角不自觉地也现出了笑容，虽然我知道他原无此意。他点完火后并没立刻离开，两眼盯着我瞧，脸上仍带着微笑。

　　“我也以笑容回应，仿佛他是个朋友，而不是个守着我的警卫。他看着我的眼神也少了当初的那股凶气，‘你有小孩吗？’他开口问道。 “‘有，你看。’我拿出了皮夹，手忙脚乱地翻出了我的全家福照片。他也掏出了照片，并且开始讲述他对家人的期望与计划。这时我眼中充满了泪水，我说我害怕再也见不到家人。我害怕没机会看着孩子长大。他听了也流下两行眼泪。 “突然间，他二话不说地打开了牢门，悄悄地带我从后面的小路逃离了监狱，出了小镇，就在小镇的边上，他放了我，之后便转身往回走，不曾留下一句话。

　　“一个微笑居然能救自己一条命。”“是的，微笑是人与人之间最自然真挚的沟通方式。如果我们能用心灵去认识彼此，世间不会有结怨成仇的憾事；恨意、妒嫉、恐惧也会不复存在。

　　背景介绍：

　　《微笑》是法国作家安东尼•圣艾修伯里的作品，圣艾修伯里是名飞行员，二次大战对抗纳粹时被击落身亡，之前他也曾参加西班牙内战打击法西斯分子。他根据这次经验写了一篇精彩的故事――《微笑》。他的代表作《小王子》是美国人都很熟悉的童话故事。

Cinderella

looking at me directly in the eyes 直直地看着我————应该是“直视着我”，“直直地”和“直视”还是有区别的。

我一直朝他笑着，我知道他也是一个有感情的人，不仅仅是一个狱卒。——————应是“意识到他也是个人，而不仅仅是守卫”，用“我知道他也是。。。。”比较突兀，好像有预谋地朝守卫笑，事实上是我now aware of，这会才知道，才意识到

I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could barely get it to my lips. But I had no matches我摸到了一支，但是那双不停颤抖的手让我几乎没有办法把香烟放到嘴边。但是当我把香烟放到嘴边的时候，我发现我没有火柴，————这里你用重复的手法来使字句通顺，但是显得累赘了。你可以改进这句话的翻译，关键在理解和翻译“barely”，“我摸到了一根，可手抖得不行，好不容易才把烟送进嘴里。可是我没有火柴，火柴也被搜走了。”

Tears came to his eyes, too听完我的话，他的眼里也流出了泪水。——“听完我的话”可以省略

Suddenly, without another word, he unlocked my cell and silently led me out，out of the jail, quietly and by back routes, out of the town. There, at the edge of town, he released me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town——参考译文译得很好，很忠实也很流畅