The First Snow

The first snow came. How beautiful it was, falling so silently all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead! All white save the river, that marked its course by a winding¹ black line across the landscape; and the leafless trees, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully thewonderful beauty and intricacies of their branches. What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion²! Every sound was muffled³, every noise changed to something soft and musical. No more tramping hoofs⁴, no more rattling⁵ wheels! Only the chiming of sleigh-bells, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children

初雪悄然降临，如此之美! 整日整夜，雪花静静地，静静地飘落在山岭上，草地上，冬日的屋顶上，和逝者的坟墓上! 一片白茫茫之中，只有河流穿越这美丽的画面，划出一道黑色的曲线; 叶净的树林，映衬着铅灰色的天空，此刻更显得枝丫交错，姿态万千。 初雪飘落，何等宁谧，何等幽静! 一切声响都趋作幽静，一切噪音都化作天籁(之音)。 再也听不见马蹄声声，再也听不见车轮辚辚!唯有雪橇的铃铛，鸣奏和谐的乐章，那明快欢乐的节拍犹如孩子们心房的搏动。