My day started just like all the other days for the past 15 years where I get up, make some coffee, shower, get dressed and leave for the train station at precisely 7:35 A.M. to arrive at work by 8:30. While on the train I would always choose a seat away from the crowd so I can read the newspaper in peace and quiet.
这一天的开始，与过去15年没什么两样——起床、煮咖啡、淋浴、穿好衣服、出门赶7:35准时出发的火车、8:30到达工作单位。在火车上，我总是会选择一个远离人群的座位，这样我就可以平静地看看报纸。
At work I am always being bombarded with questions from co-workers, suppliers, telephone calls and then those dreaded meetings so the last thing I need is some stranger to sit beside me and start small talk.
在工作中，我总是会受到来自同事的提问、供应商、电话，还有那些可怕的会议的轮番轰炸，所以在这样的一天后，我最不需要的就是——有那么个陌生人坐在我旁边，与我闲聊点儿什么。
I don't know why but for some reason when I got on the train today it was unusually full, something I don't recall ever happening in the past. With hesitation I sat down in the only seat available beside a middle-aged man that had his head down and seemed to be lost in his thoughts. I was glad that he didn't notice when I sat next to him as he just continued to look down towards the floor.
我不清楚为什么，但出于某种原因，今天我上了火车就发现车上不同寻常地坐满了乘客，我完全没有印象以前出现过这样的情况。我犹豫了一下，然后坐在了一位中年男士旁边的唯一座位上。当时，这位中年男士正低着头，似乎在沉思着什么。我坐下时，他仍继续看着地板，我很高兴他没注意到我。
Shortly after the train left for my 30-minute ride downtown I found myself wondering what this man was thinking about. What could be so important that he didn't even see me sitting next to him? I tried to forget about it and started to read my paper. However, for some strange reason this "inner voice" kept prompting me to talk to this man. I tried to ignore the "voice" as there was no way I was starting a conversation with a complete stranger.
火车驶离车站，我的30分钟市中心车程开始了，但不久后，我就发现自己真的想了解这个人正在思考着什么。有什么事如此重要，甚至都没看到我坐在他身边？我试图忘掉这个念头，就开始看我的报纸。然而，出于某种奇怪的原因，这种“内心的声音”一直在促使我和这个人交谈。我试着忽视这个“声音”，因为我不知道该怎么开始与一个完全陌生的人交谈。

As you probably guessed I eventually broke down and came up with an excuse to ask him a question. When he raised his head and turned his eyes towards me I could see that he must have been really upset as he had red eyes and still had some tears rolling down the side of his face despite his feeble attempt to wipe them away. I can't describe the sadness I felt seeing someone in so much pain.
正如你可能猜到的，我终于克服了心理障碍，找到了一个借口，向他提出了一个问题。当他抬起头，眼睛转向我时，我可以看得出他一定是真的很伤心，他双眼满是血丝，而且仍有泪水从面颊滚落下来，尽管他还在毫无意义地尝试着擦去泪水。我无法形容当我看到有人这么痛苦时自己内心的悲伤。
We talked for about 20 minutes and in the end he seemed to be doing better. As we were leaving the train he thanked me profusely for being an angel by taking the time to talk. I never did find out what was making his heart so heavy with pain but was glad I listened to the "voice" that day.
我们聊了大约20分钟，最后他似乎心情好多了。我们下车时，他表示非常感谢我能够花时间陪他说话，成为他的天使。我完全没有从交谈中发现是什么让他的心情如此沉重，但还是很高兴自己听到了那天的那个“声音”。
Several weeks had passed when I noticed an envelope on my desk after returning from lunch. It was not addressed to anyone and only had the word "Angel" written on it. My receptionist attached a note saying a gentleman dropped it off saying he did not know my name but had described me well enough that the receptionist knew it was for me.
几星期后的一天，我吃完午餐回到办公室，发现办公桌上有一个信封。信封上没有收信人姓名，只写着“天使收”。我的接待员附上了一张纸条，大意是：一位先生留下了这封信，说他不知道我的名字，但把我描述得非常细致，这让接待员知道这封信是给我的。
When I read the note inside the envelope I was so filled with emotions that I couldn't contain myself. It was a letter from the man I met on the train thanking me again for talking to him and saving his life that day.
当我看到信封里的纸条时，我的内心思绪澎湃，无法抑制。这封信来自我在火车上遇到的那个人，他在信中再次感谢了我那天能够与他交谈，挽救了他的生命。
Apparently he had some very hurtful personal problems that were so overwhelming he was planning to take his life that day. In his letter he went on to explain that he was a religious person and in desperation screamed out to God that if God really cared about him he would send someone to prevent him from taking his life. In his eyes I was that someone, that Angel sent by God.
显然，他遇到了一些非常令人伤痛的个人问题，这些问题已经几乎把他压垮，他打算就在那天结束自己的生命。他在信中接着解释说，他是个宗教信仰者，曾绝望地向上帝呐喊，如果上帝真的关心他，就会派人来阻止他自杀。在他眼里，我就是那个上帝派来的天使。
Not being a religious person myself I don't know what that "voice" was that made me take a chance and talk to a stranger but I do know that it made a difference in someone's life that day. So the next time you feel prompted for no apparent reason to talk to a friend, relative, neighbour or even a complete stranger please remember my story. You just may make a difference in someone's life when you listen to your inner voice.
我本身并不信奉宗教，也不知道那个促使我尝试与一位陌生人交谈的“声音” 代表着什么，但是我知道那个声音就在那天让某个人的生活发生了改变。因此，下次当你体会到那种促使你与一位朋友、一位亲人、一位邻居，或者甚至一位完全陌生的人交谈，却找不到任何明显理由的感觉时，请记起我的故事。倾听自己内心的声音，你可能会改变某个人的人生。