雪人

\"It's so beautifully cold that my whole body crackles!\" said the Snow Man. \"This is a kind of wind that can blow life into one; and how the gleaming one up yonder is staring at me.\" He meant the sun， which was just about to set. \"It shall not make me wink--I shall manage to keep the pieces.\"

He had two triangular pieces of tile in his head instead of eyes. His mouth was made of an old rake， and consequently was furnished with teeth.

He had been born amid the joyous shouts of the boys， and welcomed by the sound of sledge bells and the slashing of whips.

The sun went down， and the full moon rose， round， large， clear， and beautiful in the blue air.

\"There it comes again from the other side，\" said the Snow Man. He intended to say the sun is showing himself again. \"Ah! I have cured him of staring. Now let him hang up there and shine， that I may see myself. If I only knew how I could manage to move from this place， I should like so much to move. If I could， I would slide along yonder on the ice， just as I see the boys slide; but I don't know how to run.\"

\"Off! Off!\" barked the old Yard Dog. He was somewhat hoarse. He had got the hoarseness from the time when he was an indoor dog， and lay by the fire. \"The sun will teach you to run! I saw that last winter in your predecessor， and before that in his predecessor. Off! Off!--and they all go.\"

\"I don't understand you， comrade，\" said the Snow Man. \"That thing up yonder is to teach me to run?\" He meant the moon. \"Yes， it was running itself， when I looked hard at it a little while ago， and now it comes creeping from the other side.\"

\"You know nothing at all，\" retorted the Yard Dog.

\"But then you've only just been patched up. What you see yonder is the moon， and the one that went before was the sun. It will come again tomorrow， and will teach you to run down into the ditch by the wall. We shall soon have a change of weather; I can feel that in my left hind leg， for it pricks and pains me; the weather is going to change.\"

\"I don't understand him，\" said the Snow Man; \"but I have a feeling that he's talking about something disagreeable. The one who stared so just now， and whom he called the sun， is not my friend. I can feel that.\"

\"Off!Off!\" barked the Yard Dog; and he turned round three times， and then crept into his kennel to sleep.

The weather really changed. Towards morning， a thick damp fog lay over the whole region; later there came a wind， an icy wind. The cold seemed quite to seize upon one; but when the sun rose， what splendour!Trees and bushes were covered with hoar-frost， and looked like a complete forest of coral， and every twig seemed covered with gleaming white buds. The many delicate ramifications， concealed in summer by the wreath of leaves， now made their appearance: it seemed like a lacework， gleaming white. A snowy radiance sprang from every twig. The birch waved in the wind--it had life， like the trees in summer. It was wonderfully beautiful. And when the sun shone， how it all gleamed and sparkled， as if diamond dust had been strewn everywhere， and big diamonds had been dropped on the snowy carpet of the earth! Or one could imagine that countless little lighets were gleaming， whiter than even the snow itself.

\"That is wonderfully beautiful，\" said a young girl， who came with a young man into the garden. They both stood still near the Snow Man， and contemplated the glittering trees. \"Summer cannot show a more beautiful sight，\" said she; and her eyes sparkled.

\"And we can't have such a fellow as this in summer-time，\" replied the young man， and he pointed to the Snow Man. \"He is capital.\"

The girl laughed， nodded at the Snow Man， and then danced away over the snow with her friend--over the snow that cracked and crackled under her tread as if she were walking on starch.

\"Who were those two?\" the Snow Man inquired of the Yard Dog. \"You've been longer in the yard than I. Do you know them?\"

\"Of course I know them，\" replied the Yard Dog. \"She has stroked me， and he has thrown me a meat bone. I don't bite those two.\"

\"But what are they?\" asked the Snow Man.

\"Lovers!\" replied the Yard Dog. \"They will go to live in the same kennel， and gnaw at the same bone. Off!Off!\"

\"Are they of as much consequence as you and I?\" asked the Snow Man.

\"Why， they belong to the master，\" retorted the Yard Dog. \"People certainly know very little who were only born yesterday. I can see that in you. I have age and information. I know everyone here in the house， and I know a time when I did not lie out here in the cold， fastened to a chain. Off! Off!\"

\"The cold is charming，\" said the Snow Man. \"Tell me， tell me--But you must not clank with your chain， for it jars within me when you do that.\"

\"Off! Off!\" barked the Yard Dog. \"They told me I was a pretty little fellow; then I used to lie in a chair covered with velvet， up in master's house， and sit in the lap of the mistress of all. They used to kiss my nose， and wipe my paws with an embroidered handkerchief. I was called 'Ami--dear Ami--sweet Ami' . But afterwards I grew too big for them， and they gave me away to the housekeeper. So I came to live in the basement story. You can look into that from where you are standing， and you can see into the room where I was master; for I was master at the housekeeper's. It was certainly a smaller place than upstairs， but I was more comfortable， and was not continually taken hold of and pulled about by children as I had been. I received just as good food as ever， and much more. I had my own cushion， and there was a stove， the finest thing in the world at this season. I went under the stove， and could lie down quite beneath it. Ah! I still dream of that stove. Off! Off!\"

\"Does a stove look so beautiful?\" asked the Snow Man. \"Is it at all like me?\"

\"It' s just the reverse of you. It's as black as a crow， and has a long neck and a brazen drum. It eats firewood， so that the fire spurts out of its mouth. One must keep at its side， or under it， and there one is very comfortable. You can see it through the window from where you stand.\"

And the Snow Man looked and saw a bright polished thing with a brazen drum， and the fire gleamed from the lower part of it. The Snow Man felt quite strangely; an odd emotion came over him， he knew not what it meant， and could not account for it; but all people who are not snow men know the feeling.

\"And why did you leave her?\" asked the Snow Man， for it seemed to him that the stove must be of the female sex. \"How could you quit such a comfortable place?\"

\"I was obliged，\" replied the Yard Dog. \"They turned me out of doors， and chained me up here. I had bitten the youngest young master in the leg， because he kicked away the bone I was gnawing. 'Bone for bone， ' I thought. They took that very much amiss， and from that time I have been fastened to a chain and have lost my voice. Don't you hear how hoarse I am? Off! Off! That was the end of the affair.\"

But the Snow Man was no longer listening to him. He was looking in at the housekeeper's basement lodging， into the room where the stove stood on its four iron legs， just the same size as the Snow Man himself.

\"What a strange crackling within me!\" he said. \"Shall I ever get in there? It is an innocent wish， and our innocent wishes are certain to be fulfilled. It is my highest wish， my only wish， and it would be almost an injustice if it were not satisfied. I must go in there and lean against her， even if I have to break through the window.\"

\"You will never get in there，\" said the Yard Dog; \"and if you approach the stove then you are off! off!\"

\"I am as good as gone，\" replied the Snow Man. \"I think I am breaking up.\"

The whole day the Snow Man stood looking in through the window. In the twilight hour the roombecame still more inviting; from the stove came a mild gleam， not like the sun nor like the moon; no， it was only as the stove can glow when he has something to eat. When the room door opened， the flame started out of his mouth; this was a habit the stove had. The flame fell distinctly on the white face of the Snow Man， and gleamed red upon his bosom.

\"I can endure it no longer，\" said he;\"how beautiful it looks when it stretches out its tongue!\"

The night was long; but it did not appear long to the Snow Man， who stood there lost in his own charming reflections， crackling with the cold.

In the morning the window-panes of the basement lodging were covered with ice. They bore the most beautiful ice-flowers that any snow man could desire; but they concealed the stove. The window-panes would not thaw; he could not see her. It crackled and whistled in him and around him; it was just the kind of frosty weather a snow man must thoroughly enjoy. But he did not enjoy it; and， indeed， how could he enjoy himself when he was stove-sick?

\"That's a terrible disease for a Snow Man，\" said the Yard Dog. \"I have suffered from it myself， but I got over it. Off! Off!\" he barked; and he added， \"the weather is going to change.\"

And the weather did change; it began to thaw.

The warmth increased， and the Snow Man decreased. He said nothing and made no complaint--and that's an infallible sign.

One morning he broke down. And， behold， where he had stood， something like a broomstick remained sticking up out of the ground. It was the pole round which the boys had built him up.

\"Ah!now I can understand why he had such an intense longing，\" said the Yard Dog. \"The Snow Man has had a stove-rake in his body， and that is what moved within him. Now he has got over that too. Off! off!\"

And soon they had got over the winter.

\"Off! Off!\" barked the Yard Dog; but the little girls in the house sang:

\"Spring out， green woodruff， fresh and fair;

Thy woolly gloves， O willow， bear.

Come， lark and cuckoo， come and sing，

Already now we greet the Spring.

I sing as well: twit-twit! cuckoo!

Come， darling Sun， and greet us too.\"

And nobody thought any more of the Snow Man.

“天冷得真夠舒服的，我渾身都發(fā)出‘咔咔’的響聲!”雪人說，“這樣的風兒，可以把生命的活力吹進你身體里。瞧那個閃閃發(fā)光的家伙瞪著我的樣子!”他指的是太陽，那時正在落山。“它是不能讓我眨眼的——我要保住瓦片兒?！?/p>

他的頭上有兩塊三角形的瓦片，就算是他的眼睛了。他的嘴是用一個舊耙做的，因此上面裝點著牙齒。

他是在一群孩子歡鬧的叫聲中生下來的，受到了雪橇的鈴聲和鞭子抽打聲的熱烈歡迎。

太陽落山，一輪圓月升了起來。月亮又圓又大又明亮，在蔚藍的天空里十分美麗。

“它又從另一邊跑出來了，”雪人說。他的意思是說太陽又露出來了?！鞍?，我算是把它瞪眼的毛病治好啦?，F(xiàn)在讓它掛在那兒照吧，我好來瞧瞧我自己。我要是知道怎么才能從這兒挪一挪就好了，我真是想動一動呀。我要是能動，我會在那邊的冰上滑一滑，就像我看到的孩子們滑的那樣。但我不知道怎么才能跑?！?/p>

“汪!汪!”院子里的老狗叫道。他的嗓音有點啞，這是他在屋子里的時候，睡在爐子邊得的毛病?！疤枙棠阍趺磁艿?我去年冬天看到你的前輩是這樣的，在那之前也看過你前輩的前輩也是這樣。汪!汪!他們都走了?！?/p>

“我不明白你的意思，朋友，”雪人說，“那個掛在天上的東西會教我跑嗎?”他指的是月亮，“是啊，它自己倒是會跑，剛才我盯它看時還覺得刺眼，現(xiàn)在它又從另一邊爬上來了?！?/p>

“你真是什么都不懂，”護院的狗說。

“也難怪，你也是剛剛被堆起來的，你看見的那個東西是月亮，原先落山的那個是太陽。它明天還會出來的，會教你怎么在墻邊水溝里跑。我們這里天氣很快就要變了，我通過自己左后腿就可以感覺得到，因為它有刺痛感。天氣是要變了?！?/p>

“我不明白他的意思，”雪人說，“但我能感覺得到，他講的是件不愉快的事兒。剛才盯著我的那個家伙，就是他說叫太陽的，不是我的朋友。我能覺察到這點?！?/p>

“汪!汪!”護院狗叫道。他轉(zhuǎn)了三圈，然后爬回自己的窩里睡大覺了。

天氣真地變了。天快亮的時候，濃濕的大霧覆蓋了整個地區(qū)。然后刮起一陣風，冰冷冰冷的風。寒冷好像要緊緊地抓住一切，但當太陽升起的時候，四周多么漂亮!樹林和灌木叢蓋上了一層白霜，看起來像個完整的珊瑚礁，所有的樹枝上都覆蓋著亮白的花蕾。許多柔嫩的枝條，在夏天里都被葉子給罩住了，現(xiàn)在卻能展露出來。這很像一張刺繡，白光閃閃的。雪亮的光輝從每一個枝條放射出來。白樺樹在風中搖擺，它生機勃勃，像夏季的樹木一樣。景色真是美極了。太陽照出來的時候，所有的東西都閃閃發(fā)光，好像鉆石的粉粒兒撒得到處都是，而地面的雪毯上好像落著大顆的鉆石!你也可以想像有無數(shù)盞小小的燈在照耀，比雪還要白亮。

“這真是太美啦!”一個年輕的姑娘說。他和一個小伙子走進花園。他們都站在雪人身邊，對著閃爍的樹木沉思?！跋奶斓木吧膊槐冗@更美，”姑娘說。她的眼睛忽閃忽閃的。

“在夏天里我們可不會有這樣一個伙伴，”小伙子指著雪人答道，“他真好看。”

姑娘笑了起來，沖雪人點點頭。然后，她和自己的朋友在雪地上蹦蹦跳跳地走了——雪在她的腳下咔咔作響，好像是走在硬面漿上似的。

“那兩個人是誰呀?”雪人問護院的狗，“你在院子里的時間比我長，你認識他們嗎?”

“當然認識，”護院狗答道，“她撓過我，他還扔給我一根帶肉的骨頭吃。我才不會咬他們倆呢?！?/p>

“但他們是干什么的呀?”雪人問道。

“戀人!”護院狗答道，“他們將會住在一個窩里，啃同一根骨頭。汪!汪!”

“他們和我們都是平起平坐的嗎?”

“噢，他們是屬于這兒的主人的?！弊o院狗說，“昨天剛出生的人，知道的事情當然很少啦。我看你就是這樣。我上了年紀，知道的事情也多。我認識這個房子里的每一個人，有一段時間，我可不是這樣躺在寒冷的門外，系在一根鏈子上的。汪!汪!”

“天冷得真好，”雪人說，“再給我講，再給我講——但你不要老是把鏈子弄得嘩嘩響，你這樣會搞得身上好像要爆裂似的。”

“汪!汪!”護院狗叫道，“他們曾經(jīng)講過，說我是一個漂亮的小家伙。那時我躺在屋里一個天鵝絨椅子上，還坐在太太的膝上。他們親我的嘴和鼻子，還用繡花的手帕擦我的爪子。他們叫我‘阿咪——親愛的阿咪——心愛的阿咪’。但后來我的個頭長得太大了，他們就把我交給了管家。所以我就住到了地下室里。你從自己站的地方可以看見里面，可以看見屬于我的那個房間，因為在管家那里，我就是主人。那兒確實比樓上小多了，但我覺得更舒服，不會像在樓上一樣，被孩子們抓住，推來搡去的。我得到的食物和以前一樣好，而且量更大。我有自己的墊子，還有一個爐子，在這個季節(jié)里它算是最好的東西啦。我鉆到爐子下面，正好躺在那底下。啊，我還在夢想著那個爐子。汪!汪!”

“爐子看上去很漂亮嗎?”雪人間道，“是不是像我一樣好看?”

“和你正相反。它黑得像炭，長著個長脖子，還有個銅肚子。它吃下柴禾，火苗就從它嘴里噴出來。你必須躲在它的一邊，或在它底下，那兒是很舒服的。從你站的地方，透過窗戶可以看得見?！?/p>

于是雪人望過去，看見一個明晃晃的東西，長著個大肚子，火焰從底下躥上來。雪人覺得十分奇怪，一種怪怪的感覺傳過了他的全身，他不知道是怎么回事，也猜不出原因來。但除雪人外，所有人都知道這種感覺是怎么回事。

“你為什么離開她呢?”雪人問，因為他覺得火爐一定是個女性?！澳阍趺茨茈x開這么舒適的地方呢?”

“我是不得已呀，”護院狗答道，“他們把我趕出門，用鏈子系在這兒。我曾經(jīng)在最小的主人的腿上咬過一口，因為他把我正在啃的骨頭給踢飛了?！穷^要用骨頭還!’我想。他們認為這是個大錯，從那時起我就被系在一根鏈子上，好嗓音也沒了。你聽見我的聲音有多啞嗎?汪!汪!這就是故事的結(jié)局?！?/p>

但雪人已經(jīng)不再聽他嘮叨了。他朝管家的地下室張望，看見四條鐵腿支著的那個爐子所在的房間。那個爐子和雪人差不多大。

“我身上的咔咔聲好奇怪呀!”他說，“我能進到那里面去嗎?這個愿望可是光明正大的，而光明正大的愿望總是可以實現(xiàn)的。這是我最大的愿望，我惟一的愿望，如果不被滿足的話，那太不公平了。我要走進那里，靠在她的身上，哪怕打破窗子進去也行?！?/p>

“萬萬不能到那兒去，”護院狗說，“你一旦接近那個爐子，你可就消失啦。汪!”

“我已經(jīng)差不多完蛋了，”雪人回答道，“我覺得自己正在裂開。”

雪人一整天都站在那里，透過窗戶朝里面看。黃昏時分，屋子里更誘人了。爐子里發(fā)出柔和的光亮，既不像陽光，也不像月光。不，只有爐子吃了點東西后才能發(fā)出這種光亮。當房門打開的時候，火焰就從爐子的嘴里躥出來，爐子就是有這種習性?；鸸馇逦卣赵谘┤税装椎哪樕希谒男夭坑吵黾t紅的一片。

“我再也忍不住啦，”他說，“它伸出舌頭時，真是太美了!”

夜很長很長，但在雪人看來，夜晚卻并不算長。它站在那里，出神地想入非非，在寒冷里咔咔作響。

早晨，地下室的窗子上覆蓋了一層冰。那上面有雪人能想像的最美的冰花，但它們卻遮住了爐子，雪人看不見她了。它全身都咔咔作響，這是雪人最喜歡的寒冷天氣。但他卻高興不起來。確實，他害了爐子相思病，怎么能快樂起來呢?

“對于雪人來說，這真是個可怕的病，”護院狗說，“我自己就得過這種病，但我最終戰(zhàn)勝了它。汪!汪!”他大叫道，然后又加上一句，“天氣正在變化呀?！?/p>

天氣確實變了，冰雪開始融化。

天越來越暖和，雪人越縮越小。他一句話也不說，也沒有抱怨——這是最明顯的病癥。

一天早晨，雪人倒塌了。啊，你瞧，在他站立的地方，一個像掃帚柄的東西還支在地上。孩子們就是順著這根桿兒把它壘起來的。

“啊!現(xiàn)在我明白他為什么害那么強烈的相思病了，”護院狗說，“雪人身體里有火鉗子，它在雪人的身體里亂動。現(xiàn)在他總算挺過來了。汪!汪!”

很快，他們就度過了冬天。

“汪!汪!”護院狗叫道。屋里的小姑娘們在唱:

“發(fā)芽吧，碧綠的香車葉草兒，清新又美貌;

啊，柳樹，長出你羊毛般的手套。

來呀，百靈鳥和杜鵑，來唱歌吧，

現(xiàn)在我們已經(jīng)和春天打招呼啦，

我也會唱:啾啾!咕咕!

來吧，親愛的太陽，也來和我們玩吧?！?/p>

于是，沒有人再去想那個雪人了。