Here is a story. A participant in the long-distance race got his shoes filled with sand when he was crossing a beach. He had to stop to get the sand out hastily before he resumed running.1 Unfortunately a grain of sand remained rubbing the sole and became increasingly telling so that each step meant a twinge of pain.2 Reluctant to halt and get rid of the sand， he continued to run in spite of the pain until he could stand no more.3 He dropped out of the contest just a few yards from the finishing line. As he managed to get out of the shoe painfully， he was surprised to find the cause of his lasting torment was only a grain of sand.
It seems that the greatest obstacle on one's way forward may not be a high mountain or a deep valley but a grain of sand that is hardly visible.4 To avoid blame on a minor fault one may tell a lie. That adds a burden to a heavy heart and weighs it down.5 In the days to come he will have to fabricate one falsehood after another to cover the lie he told and the fault he committed. Thus he will never be able to free himself from lingering anxiety, worry and regret, to the ignorance that all his sufferings originate in only a grain of sand--the first lie he told.6
有这么一个故事：有一个参加长跑比赛的选手在经过一片沙滩时，鞋子里灌满了沙子，他匆匆把鞋子脱下，胡乱地把沙子倒出，便又急忙地继续往前跑。可是有一粒沙子仍留在他的鞋里，在他以后的路程中，那粒沙子磨着他的脚，使他走一步，痛一步。但他并没有停下把鞋子脱掉，抖出那粒磨自己脚的沙子，而仍是匆匆前行，在离终点不远的地方，因脚痛难忍，他不得不止步，最后放弃了比赛。当他忍着揪心的痛把鞋脱掉时，他发现让自己痛苦并放弃比赛的竟仅仅是一粒沙子。
看来，有时阻挠我们前进的不是高山、深渊，而是极细小的一粒沙子。为了避免因一次轻微的过失遭指责，我们便编出谎言来掩盖。于是从编造第一个谎言开始，我们便背上了两个沉甸甸的包袱："过失"与"谎言"。以后的日子，便常常为掩饰"过失"与"谎言"而不得不再造出新的谎言，从此自己便不得不在紧张、担心、痛苦的岁月中熬过。那第一个谎言，就是一粒沙。
Notes 注释：
1.原句很长，只好分译成两句。原文"脱鞋"、"倒出"是两个短句，译时采用紧缩法改译成一个短语to get the sand out。
2."磨着他的脚，使他走一步痛一步"这样的两句汉语要转化成英语应考虑有个过渡，即磨脚造成的影响愈来愈大，终于达到"走一步痛一步"的程度，故译文中出现became increasingly telling这一部分。
3."因脚痛难忍，他不得不止步"译时作了"分"的处理，即将"忍痛"(in spite of the pain)移前，接在"匆匆前行"(continued to run)上，"不得不止步"由原文主句改为状语分句(until he could stand no more)。
4."高山、深渊"一般可译成复数，但此处与"一粒沙"并列就不宜作复数，故译为单数。"极细小"改译that is hardly visible更形象化。
5."背上两个沉甸甸的包袱"是实词虚指，很难按字面译。所谓包袱，实指沉重的心情，如此译成一句，既可体现原意，又起承前启后的作用。
6.这是把原文正说(肯定句)改为反说(否定句)，译句最后部分加强了原句的意思，使全文的主旨更为鲜明。