Yes， the smile is the unaffected， unplanned， natural connection between people. I tell this story in my work because I’d like people to consider that underneath all the layers we construct to protect ourselves， our dignity， our titles， our degrees， our status and our need to be seen in certain ways and underneath all that， remains the authentic， essential self. I’m not afraid to call it the soul. 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. I sadly conclude that all those other layers， which we so carefully construct through our lives， distance and insulate us from truly contacting others. Saint-Exupery’s story speaks of that magic moment when two souls recognize each other.

I’ve had just a few moments like that. Falling in love is one example. And looking at a baby. Why do we smile when we see a baby？ Perhaps it’s because we see someone without all the defensive layers， someone whose smile for us we know to be fully genuine and without guile. And that baby-soul inside us smiles wistfully in recognition.

在美國(guó)，安東尼？圣？埃克蘇佩里的《小王子》幾乎家喻戶曉。小孩子覺得那是個(gè)神奇的童話，成年人則認(rèn)為那是個(gè)哲理故事，發(fā)人深省。至于圣？埃克蘇佩里的其他作品和故事，很少有人知道。

圣？埃克蘇佩里是名空軍士兵，參加過(guò)反納粹戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，在執(zhí)行任務(wù)時(shí)不幸身亡。“二戰(zhàn)”前，他參加了西班牙內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，抗擊法西斯，以此為素材，他寫了篇感人至深的《微笑》。現(xiàn)在，我們就來(lái)回味這個(gè)故事。故事是否真實(shí)無(wú)從考證，我寧愿相信那是作者的親身所歷。

作者說(shuō)，他被敵人俘虜并關(guān)進(jìn)了監(jiān)獄，看到看守那輕蔑的眼神、粗暴的態(tài)度，他肯定自己明天就會(huì)命喪九泉。下面，我根據(jù)我的回憶，用我的語(yǔ)言把這個(gè)故事講給你們聽。

“明天便是我的末日，一想到這兒，我就恐懼慌亂、狂躁不安起來(lái)。我翻遍所有的口袋，終于找到了一支煙。我的手顫抖著，好不容易才把它放到嘴里，但沒有火柴，全被他們搜走了。

“透過(guò)鐵欄，我看見外面的警衛(wèi)。他并不看我，畢竟，我只是他們眼里的一件‘物品’、一具‘尸體’。我沖他喊道：‘能借個(gè)火嗎？’他看著我，聳了聳肩，走過(guò)來(lái)點(diǎn)燃我的香煙。

“他靠近我，給我點(diǎn)火，無(wú)意間，他掃了我一眼，不知怎地，我笑了起來(lái)。也許是緊張，也許是人與人近距離接觸時(shí)，很難不笑出來(lái)，不管出于何種原因，那一瞬，我笑了。這笑，猶如一朵跳躍的火花，打破了心靈的隔膜，拉近了兩個(gè)人的靈魂。我知道他本來(lái)并沒打算微笑，但我的微笑好像越過(guò)了鐵欄，啟動(dòng)了他的雙唇，他竟然也笑了。他幫我點(diǎn)燃了香煙，并未立刻離開，而是注視著我，依舊笑著。

“我也笑著，仿佛他是我的朋友，而非看守。他的表情似乎柔和了許多，‘你有小孩嗎？’他問道。

“‘有，有，你看。’說(shuō)著，我摸出皮夾，哆哆嗦嗦地掏出了家人的照片。他也拿出家人的照片，并開始講述他的計(jì)劃和夢(mèng)想。我的眼里噙滿了淚水，我說(shuō)，我恐怕以后再也見不到家人，無(wú)法看著孩子長(zhǎng)大成人了。聽到這些，他也流下了淚水。

“突然，沒有說(shuō)一句話，他打開牢門，帶我出去，悄悄地從后面的小路將我?guī)С隽顺恰Ｔ诔鞘械倪吘墸帕宋遥裁匆矝]說(shuō)，便轉(zhuǎn)身回去了。

“是微笑拯救了我。”

是的，微笑是聯(lián)結(jié)人與人之間自然、真摯、難以預(yù)料的紐帶。在這里，我之所以講述這個(gè)故事，是希望人們能認(rèn)識(shí)到：為了維護(hù)尊嚴(yán)、頭銜、身份、地位和形象，我們建立了層層保護(hù)屏障，來(lái)掩飾自己。在這些掩飾之下，人人都有一個(gè)真實(shí)的本我，姑且就叫它靈魂吧。我堅(jiān)信，如果我們能以誠(chéng)相待，世間將會(huì)成為友愛之邦，仇恨、嫉妒、恐懼會(huì)消失殆盡。遺憾的是，我們生活中精心建立起來(lái)的保護(hù)膜使我們彼此疏遠(yuǎn)了，失去了真正的交流溝通。圣？埃克蘇佩里的故事，講述了那個(gè)神奇的瞬間——那個(gè)人與人之間心際相通的時(shí)刻。

那個(gè)神奇的瞬間，我也曾歷經(jīng)過(guò)，比如，墜入情網(wǎng)，還有，看著嬰兒的笑臉。為何我們看到嬰兒就會(huì)綻放笑容？或許就是那不設(shè)防的心、那純真的笑，頃刻間打破了我們的心理防線。

1. At that moment， I_________. I don’t know_________ I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness， perhaps it was because， when you get very close， one to another， it is very_________ 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_________.

2. I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my_________. He，_________， took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with_________. I said that I feared that I’d_________ see my family again， never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his_________， too.

1. 小孩子覺得那是個(gè)神奇的童話，成年人則認(rèn)為那是個(gè)哲理故事，發(fā)人深省。

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2. 這笑，猶如一朵跳躍的火花，打破了心靈的隔膜，拉近了兩個(gè)人的靈魂。

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3. 是的，微笑是聯(lián)結(jié)人與人之間自然、真摯、難以預(yù)料的紐帶。

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1. Far fewer are aware of Saint-Exupery’s other writings， novels and short stories.

aware of：意識(shí)到；明白；察覺；小心

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2. Saint-Exupery was a fighter pilot who fought against the Nazis and was killed in action.

fight against：與……做斗爭(zhēng)；反對(duì)……

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兩枚硬幣的價(jià)值

A Trick

佚名 / Anonymous

A young man， a student in one of our universities， was one day taking a walk with a professor， who was commonly called the students’ friend， from his kindness to those who waited on his instructions.

As they went along， they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes， which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by， and who had nearly finished his day’s work.

The student turned to the professor， saying， “Let us play the man a trick： we will hide his shoes， and conceal ourselves behind those bushes， and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them.”

“My young friend，” answered the professor， “we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich， and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe， and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him.”

The student did so， and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by.

The poor man soon finished his work， and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes； but feeling something hard， he stooped down to feel what it was， and found the coin.

Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin， turned it round， and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides， but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket， and proceeded to put on the other shoe； but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.