2009年9月，參考消息舉辦讀者譯文大賽，來自海內外的參賽者近萬人。設一等獎5名，二等獎10名，三等獎15名；優秀獎30名（另為大學生設一、二、三等獎共30名）。 我有幸獲得二等獎第一名。
下面是我的參賽譯文。已發現兩處錯誤：“無人知曉”應為“無人認識”；“很快就深感敬畏地意識到”應為“很快就更加深感敬畏地意識到”。歡迎大家挑錯，希望能挑出所有的毛病。預先致謝！
歡迎登陸天涯論壇參與討論： http://www.tianya.cn/publicforum/content/english/1/156858.shtml，
那里有一等獎第一名的譯文。有人認為我的譯文比他的好，您的意見呢？
還有個網址，也有討論：http://www.ecocn.org/thread-28986-5-1.html，上面有一篇三等獎的譯文。
One small step back to where westarted
回到我們出發地的一小步
TheApollo missions were supposed to reveal the truth about the Moon.In fact, they taught us about the Earth – andourselves
----Mark Mason
阿波羅登月計劃的使命，本應當是揭示月球的真相，然而事實上，它卻使我們進一步認識了地球——還有我們自身。 ----馬克·梅森
In July 1969, soon after their return from themoon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were shown footage of theworld’s reaction to the lunar landing. They saw the US newscasterWalter Cronkite wiping away his tears; people gathered aroundtelevisions from China to Brazil; pavements outside TV shopscrammed as people watched in awe. Aldrin turned to Armstrong.“Neil,” he said, “we missed the whole thing”.
1969年7月，剛從月球返回不久的尼爾·阿姆斯特郎和巴茲·奧爾德林被邀觀看了記錄全世界對登月反應的影片。他們看到美國新聞評論員沃爾特·克朗凱特在抹眼淚；看到從中國到巴西，人們圍在電視機旁；看到人們帶著崇敬的表情，擠在電視機商店外的人行道上觀看。奧爾德林轉向阿姆斯特朗，“尼爾，”他說，“我們全錯過了。”
That comment (reminiscent of George Harrison’scomplaint that the Beatles felt left out because “We were the onlypeople who never got to see the Beatles”) reveals the surprisingtruth about the Apollo missions: they weren’t about the Moon. Theywere about the Earth.
他的話（使人想起披頭士樂隊的吉他手喬治·哈里森曾抱怨說，披頭士們覺得被遺漏，是因為“我們是僅有的、從來沒有機會觀看披頭士演出的人。”）揭示了一個令人驚訝的事實：阿波羅登月飛行所關涉的不是月亮，而是地球。
The clues had been there from the start, when thecrew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to leave their homeplanet’s orbit. Orbiting the Moon on Christmas Eve 1968, fulfillingdreams as old as mankind itself, their real wonder was not at thedead grey planet beneath them, but at the vibrant blue globe in thedistance. The first three men to see the Moon up close soonrealised — with a much deeper sense of reverence — that they werethe first three men to see the Earth from a distance. Witnessing anearthrise made them feel humble. They read the opening chapters ofGenesis to a worldwide audience of millions, signing off with,“Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the goodEarth.”
其實從一開始，當阿波羅8號上的宇航員們作為人類中的第一批飛離自己家園-地球的軌道時，就有這種情況。1968年圣誕節前夕，當他們實現了同人類本身一樣古老的夢想，繞著月球飛行時，真正使他們驚嘆的，不是他們下面那顆死寂的、灰色的星體，而是遠處充滿活力的、藍色的地球。這三個最先在天上近距離看月球的人，很快就深感敬畏地意識到，他們是最先從遠距離看地球的三個人。目睹地球從“月平線”升起的情景，使他們感到了自身的卑微。他們向全世界數以百萬計的聽眾朗讀了《創世紀》的開頭部分，并以這樣的話結束：“圣誕快樂，上帝保佑你們大家，所有生活在美好地球上的人們。”
Over the next four years, Apollo taught us whatit means to be human: in a word, restless. Curiosity is neversatisfied, it merely finds new targets.
在接下來的4年里，阿波羅飛行使我們懂得，作為人類意味著什么。簡而言之：永無休止。好奇心是永遠不會滿足的，它總是尋找新的目標。
Quite how quickly the shift can occur was learntby Pete Conrad, the third man to walk on the Moon (and the first tofall over on it). Once Armstrong and Aldrin had claimed the prize,no one was interested in Apollo 12. Conrad later appeared in anAmerican Express advert of famous Americans nobody recognised.(Others included Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny.)
這種轉換會有多快，皮特·康拉德深有體會。他是第三個在月亮上行走（第一個在那兒跌倒）的人。但是在阿姆斯特郎和奧爾德林獲取了第一的榮耀之后，就沒有人對阿波羅12號感興趣了。后來，康拉德出現在美國運通公司的“無人知曉的美國名人”廣告中（廣告中的其他人包括兔八哥的配音演員梅爾?布蘭克）。
Yet in many ways Conrad’s was the mostinteresting Apollo mission of all. His fellow moonwalker, Al Bean,never the most naturally gifted astronaut, compensated with sheerhard work. Finally standing on the lunar surface, he threw hissilver NASA badge into the distance, knowing that the moonwalk hadearned him a gold one. But as they flew back to Earth, he turned toConrad and admitted disappointment in the Moon itself: “It’s kindof like the song Is That All There Is?” Another timeless truth:achievements themselves aren’t what count, it’s the fact that youworked for them.
其實，在許多方面，康拉德的那次登月都是所有阿波羅登月飛行中最有意思的一次。跟他一起漫步月球的伙伴，阿爾?比恩，絕不是最有天賦的宇航員，他是靠非常的努力彌補了自己的天賦之不足。當最終踏上月球表面時，比恩把他的銀質NASA（國家航空航天局）徽章遠遠地拋掉了，因為他知道他在月面上的行走已經為自己贏得了一枚金質的。但是，當他們飛回地球時，他對康拉德坦承了自己對月球本身的失望：“它有點像那首歌：《難道這就是一切？》”這就是另一條永恒的真理：成就本身不算什么，重要的是你為之工作過。
When Bean returned to Earth he would sit inshopping malls, simply to marvel at the variety of human life. Andhe has never again complained about the weather: “I’m just gladthere is weather.” As so often, a journey into the unknown hadrevealed more about the traveler’s home than about thedestination.
當比恩回到地球，他會坐在大型購物中心，僅僅為人類生活的多樣性而感嘆不已。而且，他再也沒有抱怨過天氣。他說：“我很高興我們這兒有天氣。”正如經常發生的那樣，到一個未知地方的旅行，揭示更多的是旅行者的家，而不是目的地。
Virtually every Apollo astronaut came back with adeep sense of the Earth’s fragility. Ed Mitchell, Moonwalker No 6:“When we see ourselves in this bigger perspective — call it the ETpoint of view, the God point of view — a shift takes place in yourperception and you start to think quite differently.” Apollo 16’sCharlie Duke describes Earth as “hanging in space like a jewel”.“People are always asking what we discovered when we went to theMoon,” says Dick Gordon, of Apollo 12. “What we discovered was theEarth.”
實際上，每一位阿波羅宇航員都是帶著對地球脆弱性的深刻感受返回的。第六個在月球上行走的埃德加·D·米切爾說：“當我們以更開闊的眼界——可以稱之為外星人的眼光，上帝的眼光——看我們自己的時候，你的感覺會有所改變，你會開始以很不同的方式思考。”阿波羅16號的查理·杜克形容地球就像“懸浮在太空中的一顆寶石”。“人們總是問我們到月球時發現了什么，”阿波羅12號的迪克·戈登說，“我們發現的是地球。”
The discovery gave a big boost to the nascentGreen movement. Sir Jonathon Porritt cites the “deep and lastingeffect” that Apollo had on “many environmentalists — including me”.Friends of the Earth was founded in the same year that man firstwalked on the Moon. The inaugural Earth Day happened a year later.Everyone seemed to agree with Michael Collins’s thought as hesplashed back down into the Pacific with Armstrong and Aldrin:“Nice ocean you got here, planet Earth.”
這一發現大大推動了新生的綠色運動。喬納森·波利特爵士提到阿波羅登月對“許多環境保護論者——包括我”所產生的“深遠而持久的影響”。地球之友組織就是在人類首次在月球上行走那一年建立的。一年以后，開始有了地球日。看來，所有的人都會同意邁克爾·柯林斯跟阿姆斯特朗和奧爾德林一起濺落在太平洋中時的想法：“行星地球，你這兒的大海真好。”
Politically, too, there was a shift. The Earthfrom space looks just like a map — except without the nationalborders. Collins remembers people of every nation saying to him,“‘We did it’ — it was a wonderful thing.” Ed Mitchell, on his wayback from the Moon, realised that “the molecules of my body and ofthe spacecraft and of my partners were manufactured in some ancientgeneration of stars — and that was an overwhelming sense of onenessand connectedness”. Inspired by the landings, René Dubos coined thephrase “Think globally, act locally”. T minus zero for Apollo was Tplus one for globalisation.
政治方面也發生了變化。從太空看，地球就像一幅地圖，只是沒有國界。柯林斯回憶說，每一個國家的人都對他說，“‘我們登上了月球’——這真是太好了！”埃德加·D·米切爾在從月球返回途中，意識到“組成我的身體、太空船和我伙伴身體的分子都是在某些古老的星球上制造出來的——這是一種非常強烈的對萬物同源和相互關聯的感覺。”勒內·杜博斯從登月獲得靈感，創造出了如下的警句：“思考要有全球意識，行動要從本地著手。”阿波羅的起飛，就是全球化的邁進。
Yet despite the astronauts’ protestations thatthe Moon itself was a letdown, which of us, given the chance,wouldn’t want to go there? The Chinese are planning missions oftheir own, and the commercial investment being ploughed into spacetourism proves just how much we yearn for new experiences. So muchso that we resent anyone who dampens our excitement.
盡管宇航員們聲稱月球本身是令人失望的，但只要有機會，我們當中又有誰不想到那兒去呢？中國人正在規劃自己的登月飛行，而不斷投入太空旅游的商業投資證明，我們是多么渴望新的體驗。這種渴望是如此強烈，它使我們討厭任何掃我們興的人。
PeteConrad used to say he was prouder of his work on the Skylabmissions than his walk on the Moon. “Some people even get mad,” hesaid. “‘What do you mean, the Moon isn’t the biggest thing in yourlife?’ I say: ‘Well, it isn’t’. They think, ‘Well, it should be’. Isay: ‘Why? I’m the guy that did this’.” Maybe life is one long “wetpaint” sign: you don’t believe it until you reach out andtouch.
皮特·康拉德曾常說，與在月球上行走相比，他更感到自豪的是他在太空實驗室的工作。“有些人甚至很不高興，”他說。“‘你說什么？月球難道不是你人生中最重大的事？’我說：‘嗯，不是。’他們認為：‘可是，它應該是。’我說：‘為什么？我就是做這件事的人。’”也許，生活就是一個長期的“油漆未干”提示牌，直到你伸手摸到它，你才會相信。
Certainly, Dave Scott, of Apollo 15, thought so. Standing on theMoon, he voiced his thoughts to Houston: “I realize there’s afundamental truth to our nature: man must explore.” Home is neverfar from our thoughts, though. How many times have you lookedforward for months to a holiday, only to find that on day threeyou’re already dreaming of your own bed? But when you return, theprocess starts all over again. This idea of life as a perpetualcycle seems particularly comforting in a recession. Even thoughwe’ve overreached (and over borrowed), and been reminded of somehome truths, we know that one day we’ll reach out once more.
的確，戴夫·斯科特，阿波羅15號的宇航員，認為就是這樣。當他站在月球上時，他對休斯頓中心說出了自己的想法：“我發現，對我們的天性來說，有一條基本的真理：人肯定要探索。”不過，我們總是會掛念自己的家。有過多少次，你一連幾個月盼望去度假，結果卻發現，假日還沒過三天，你就已經開始夢見自己家的床？而等你回家后，這個過程又會從頭開始。認為生活就是無窮的循環，這種想法在經濟衰退時看來特別令人感到安慰。即使我們已經走得太遠（也借債太多），并且聽到一些忠告，但我們知道，有一天，我們還將再次出發。
When Bean retired from Nasa he became an artist. His paintings ofthe lunar landscape, which fetch tens of thousands of dollars, bearthe lessons of his time as an astronaut. Just as he worked hard toreach the Moon, now he works hard to perfect his painting. “That’swhat I tell myself when the colours don’t come out right or ithasn’t worked like I thought it would: ‘That’s why they call itart’.”
比恩從國家航空航天局退休后，成了一名畫家。在那些給他帶來數萬美元的月球景色畫中，凝結著他從宇航員生涯中獲得的啟示。就像當年為登月而努力奮斗一樣，他現在正努力使自己的畫更完美。“當顏色顯得不對頭，或與我預期的效果不一樣時，我就會對自己說：‘這就是為什么人們稱它為藝術。’”
Another of Bean’s thoughts sums up the very essence of the Apollomissions, indeed of all human travel: that it isn’t about whereyou’re going, it’s about who you are. “Everybody came back justmore like I knew them. I think maybe success doesn’t change you asmuch as reveal you.”
比恩的另一個想法概括了阿波羅登月飛行、甚至人類所有旅行的精髓：它所關涉的不是‘你要到哪兒去’，而是‘你是誰’。“每個人返回時都更像我所了解的他們。我想，成功也許更能展現你的個性，而不是改變你。”
Which is why thegreatest reason to celebrate this 40th anniversary isn’t scientificor environmental or political; it’s personal. The next time you godown a footpath just to see where it leads, or when the only thingthat will stop your baby crying is taking it for a drive, rememberthe 12 men who stood on the Moon and looked at Earth. As T. S.Eliot put it:
這就是為什么慶祝登月40周年的最大理由不是科學的、環境的或政治的，而是個人的。下一次，當你沿著一條小路走下去，僅僅是為了看看它通向哪里；或者，當唯一能讓你的嬰兒停止哭鬧的辦法，是開車帶他兜風時，別忘了那12位曾經站在月球上看地球的人。正如T·S·艾略特詩中所說：
We shall not cease from exploration
Andthe end of all our exploring
Willbe to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
我們將不會停止探索，
而我們所有探索的最后，
都將是到達我們出發的地方，
并重新認識這一處所。
(完）
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評委請注意：“‘我們登上了月亮’——這真是太好了！”這句話中的“我們”必須是黑體字，讀時必須重讀，否則無法表現原文中的強調意味。
