THE SNOW MAN

“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 youder 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 in-stead 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 beed 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 disagree-able．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 hoarfrost，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 lights 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．

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“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 room be-came 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 in-fallible 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．

雪人

 

“天气真是冷得可爱极了，我身体里要发出清脆的裂声来！”雪人说；“风可以把你吹得精神饱满。请看那儿一个发亮的东西吧，她在死死地盯着我。”他的意思是指那个正在下落的太阳。“她想要叫我对她挤眼是不可能的——我决不会在她面前就软下来的。”

他的头上有两大块三角形的瓦片作为眼睛。他的嘴巴是一块旧耙做的，因此他也算是有牙齿了。

他是在一群男孩子欢乐声中出生的；雪橇的铃声和鞭子的呼呼声欢迎他的出现。

太阳下山了，一轮明月升上来了；她在蔚蓝色的天空中显得又圆，又大，又干净，又美丽。

“她又从另一边冒出来了，”雪人说。他以为这又是太阳在露出她的脸面。“啊！我算把她的瞪眼病治好了。现在让她高高地挂在上面照着吧，我可以仔细把自己瞧一下，我真希望有什么办法可以叫我自己动起来。我多么希望动一下啊！如果我能动的话，我真想在冰上滑它几下，像我所看到的那些男孩子一样。不过我不知道怎样跑。”

“完了！完了！”那只守院子的老狗儿说。他的声音有点哑——他以前住在屋子里、躺在火炉旁边时就是这样。“太阳会教给你怎样跑的！去年冬天我看到你的祖先就是这样；在那以前，你祖先的祖先也是这样。完了！完了！他们一起都完了？”

“朋友，我不懂你的意思，”雪人说。“那东西能教会我跑吗？”他的意思是指的月亮。“是的，刚才当我在仔细瞧她的时候，我看到她在跑。现在她又从另一边偷偷地冒出来了。”

“你什么也不懂，”守院子的狗说。

“可是你也不过是刚刚才被人修起来的。你看到的那东西就是月亮呀，而刚才落下的那东西就是太阳啦。她明天又会冒出来的。而且她会教你怎样跑到墙边的那条沟里去。天气不久就要变，这一点我在左后腿里就能感觉得到，因为它有点酸痛。天气要变了。”

“我不懂他的意思，”雪人说。“不过我有一种感觉，他在讲一种不愉快的事情。刚才盯着看我、[后来又落下去]的那东西——他把她叫做‘太阳’——决不是我的朋友。这一点我能够感觉得到。”

“完了！完了！”守院子的狗儿叫着。他兜了三个圈子，然后他就钻进他的小屋里躺下来了。

天气真的变了。天亮的时候，一层浓厚的雾盖满了这整个的地方。到了早晨，就有一阵风吹来——一阵冰冷的风。寒霜紧紧地盖着一切；但是太阳一升起，那是一幅多么美丽的景象啊！树木和灌木丛盖上一层白霜，看起来像一座完整的白珊瑚林。所有的枝子上似乎开满了亮晶晶的白花。许多细嫩的小枝，在夏天全被叶簇盖得看不见，现在都露出面来了——每一根都现出来了。这像一幅刺绣，白得放亮，每一根小枝似乎在放射出一种雪白晶莹的光芒。赤杨在风中摇动，精神饱满，像夏天的树儿一样。这是分外的美丽。太阳一出来，处处是一片闪光，好像一切都撒上了钻石的粉末似的；而雪铺的地上简直像盖满了大颗的钻石！一个人几乎可以幻想地上点着无数比白雪还要白的小亮点。

“这真是出奇的美丽，”一位年轻的姑娘跟一个年轻的男子走进这花园的时候说。他们两人恰恰站在雪人的身旁，望着那些发光的树。“连夏天都不会给我们如此美丽的风景！”她说；她的眼睛也射出光彩。

“而且在夏天我们也不会有这样的一位朋友，”年轻人指着那个雪人说。“他真是漂亮！”

这姑娘格格地大笑起来，向雪人点了点头，然后就和她的朋友蹦蹦跳跳地在雪上舞过去了——雪在她的步子下发出疏疏的碎裂声，好像他们是在面粉上走路似的。

 

“这两个人是谁？”雪人问守院子的狗儿。“你在这院子里比我住得久。你认识他们吗？”

“我当然认识他们的，”看院子的狗说。“她抚摸过我，他扔过一根骨头给我吃。我从来不咬这两个人。”

“不过他们是什么人呢？”雪人问。

“一对恋人——恋人！”守院子的狗说。“他们将要搬进一间共同的狗屋里去住，啃着一根共同的骨头。完了！完了！”

“他们是像你和我那样重要吗？”雪人问。

“他们属于同一个主人，”看院子的狗说。“昨天才生下来的人，所知道的事情当然是很少很少的。我在你身上一眼就看得出来。我上了年纪，而且知识渊博。我知道院子里的一切事情。有一个时期我并不是用链子锁着，在这儿的寒冷中站着的。完了！完了！”

“寒冷是可爱的，”雪人说。“你说吧，你说吧。不过请你不要把链子弄得响起来——当你这样弄的时候，我就觉得要裂开似的。”

“完了！完了！”看院子的狗儿叫着。“我曾经是一个好看的小伙子。人们说，我又小又好看，那时我常常躺在屋子里天鹅绒的椅子上，有时还坐在女主人的膝上。他们常常吻我的鼻子，用绣花的手帕擦我的脚掌。我被叫做最美丽的哈巴哈巴小宝贝。不过后来他们觉得我长得太大了。他们把我交到管家的手上。此后我就住在地下室里。你现在可以望见那块地方；你可以望见那个房间。我曾是它的主人，因为我跟那个管家的关系就是那样。比起楼上来，那儿的确是一个很小的地方，不过我在那儿住得很舒服，不再是像在楼上一样，常常被小孩子捉住或揪着。我同样得到好的食物，像以前一样，而且分量多。我有我自己的垫子，而且那儿还有一个炉子——这是在这个季节中世界上最好的东西。我爬到那个炉子底下，可以在那儿睡一觉。啊！我还在梦想着那个炉子哩。完了！完了！”

“那个炉子是很美丽的吗？”雪人问。“它像我一样吗？”

“它跟你恰恰相反。它是黑得像炭一样，有一个长长的脖子和一个黄铜做的大肚子。它吞下木柴，所以它的嘴里喷出火来。你必须站在它旁边，或者躺在它底下——那儿是很舒服的，你可以从你站着的这地方穿过窗子望见它。”

雪人瞧了瞧，看见一个有黄铜肚子的、擦得发亮的黑东西。火在它的下半身熊熊地烧着。雪人觉得有些儿奇怪；他感觉到身上发生出一种情感，他说不出一个理由来。他身上发生了一种变化，他一点也不了解；但是所有别的人，只要不是雪做的，都会了解的。

“那末为什么你离开了她呢？”雪人问。因为他觉得这火炉一定是一个女性。“你为什么要离开这样一个舒服的地方呢？”

“我是被迫离开的呀，”守院子的狗说。“他们把我赶出门外，用一根链子把我套在这儿。我把那个小主人的腿子咬过一口，因为他把我正在啃着的骨头踢开了。‘骨头换骨头’，我想。他们不喜欢这种作法。从那时起，我就被套在一根链子上，同时我也失去了我响亮的声音。你没有听到我声音是多么哑吗？完了！完了！事情就这样完了。”

不过雪人不再听下去了，而且在朝着管家住的那个地下室望；他在望着那房间里站在四只腿上的、跟雪人差不多一样大的火炉。

“我身上有一种痒痒的奇怪的感觉！”他说。“我能不能到那儿去一趟呢？这是一种天真的愿望，而我们天真的愿望一定会得到满足的。这也是我最高的愿望，我唯一的愿望。如果这个愿望得不到满足的话，那也真是太不公平了。我一定要到那儿去，在她身边偎一会儿，就是打破窗子进去也管不了。”

“你永远也不能到那儿去，”看院子的狗说。“如果你走近火炉的话，那末你就完了！完了！”

“我也几乎等于是完了，”雪人说。“我想我全身要碎裂了。”

这一整天雪人站着朝窗子里面望。在黄昏的时候，这个房间变得更逗人喜爱；一种温和的火焰，既不像太阳，也不像月亮，从炉子里射出来；不，这是一个炉子加上了柴火以后所能发出的那种亮光。每次房门一开，火焰就从它的嘴里燎出来——这是炉子的一种习惯。火焰明朗地照在雪人洁白的面上，射出红光，一直把他的上半身都照红了。

“我真是吃不消了，”他说。“当她伸出她的舌头的时候，她是多么美啊！”

夜是很长的，但是对雪人说来，可一点也不长。他站在那儿，沉浸在他美丽的想象中；他在寒冷中起了一种痒酥酥的感觉。

早晨，地下室的窗玻璃上盖满了一层冰。冰形成了雪人所喜爱的、最美丽的冰花，不过它们却把那个火炉遮掩住了。它们在窗玻璃上融不掉；他也就不能再看到她了。他的身体里里外外都有一种痒酥酥的感觉。这正是一个雪人所最欣赏的寒冷天气。但是他却不能享受这种天气。的确，他可以、而且应该感到幸福的，但当他正在害火炉相思病的时候，他怎样能幸福起来呢？

“这种病对于一个雪人说来，是很可怕的，”守院子的狗儿说。“我自己也吃过这种苦头，不过我已经渡过了难关。完了！完了！现在天气快要变了。”

天气的确变了。雪开始在融化。

雪融化得越多，雪人也就越变得衰弱起来。他什么也不说，什么牢骚也不发——这正说明相思病的严重。

有一天早晨，他忽然倒下来了。看哪，在他站过的那块地方，有一根扫帚把直直地插在地上。这就是孩子们做雪人时用作支柱的那根棍子。

“现在我可懂得了他的相思病为什么害得那样苦，”守院子的狗儿说。“原来雪人的身体里面有一个火钩，它在他的心里搅动。现在他也可算是渡过难关了。完了！完了！”

不久冬天就过去了。

“完了！完了！”守院子的狗儿叫着；不过那屋子里的小女孩们唱起歌来：

快出芽哟，绿色的车叶草，新鲜而又美丽；

啊，杨柳啊，请你垂下羊毛一样软的新衣。

来吧，来唱歌啊，百灵鸟和杜鹃，

二月过去，紧接着的就是春天。

我也来唱：滴丽！滴丽！布谷！

来吧，快些出来吧，亲爱的太阳。

于是谁也就不再想起那个雪人了。

 

这个小故事发表在1861年哥本哈根出版的《新的童话和故事集》第2卷第1部里。这是一个雪人单恋火炉的故事，很有风趣：“‘现在我可懂得了他的相思病为什么害得那样苦，’守院子的狗儿说。‘原来雪人的身体里面有一个火钩，它在他的心里搅动。现在他也算是渡过难关了。’”因为“不久冬天就也过去了。”关于这个故事的背景，安徒生在手记中写道：“我在巴士纳斯农庄过圣诞节，写了《雪人》。这是我许多故事中较满意的一篇。”在1861年1月1日安徒生又写道：“外面的雪看上去像天上洒下的珍珠一样。我写完我的童话《雪人》。”