There was an old man who had a wife and three daughters. The wife had no love for the eldest of the three, who was her stepdaughter, but was always scolding her. Moreover, she used to make her get up ever so early in the morning, and gave her all the work of the house to do. Before daybreak the girl would feed the cattle and give them to drink, fetch wood and water indoors, light the fire in the stove, give the room a wash, mend the dresses, and set everything in order. Even then her stepmother was never satisfied, but would grumble away at Marfa, exclaiming:“What a lazybones! what a slut! Why here’s a brush not in its place, and there’s something put wrong, and she’s left the muck inside the house!”

從前有一位老人，他有一個妻子和三個女兒。他的妻子對三個孩子中的老大，也就是她的繼女非常不好，總是罵她。妻子總是一大早就叫大女兒起床，并把家里所有的活兒都交給她干。天還沒亮，姑娘就要起床喂牛喝水，把柴和水搬到屋里，生火，打掃房間，縫補衣服，把一切都收拾好。即使這樣，她的繼母也總是不滿意，還會對瑪爾法抱怨：“真是個懶骨頭！真是個蕩婦！哎呀，這里有把刷子放錯了地方，而且還把泥土留在屋里了！”

The girl held her peace, and wept; she tried in every way to accommodate herself to her stepmother, and to be of service to her stepsisters. But they, taking pattern by their mother, were always insulting Marfa, quarrelling with her, and making her cry; that was even a pleasure to them! As for them, they lay in bed late, washed themselves in water got ready for them, dried themselves with a clean towel, and didn’t sit down to work till after dinner. Well, our girls grew and grew, until they grew up and were old enough to be married.

女孩不作聲，哭了起來；雖然她總是千方百計地遷就繼母，為她的繼姐妹們服務(wù)。但是妹妹們總是模仿母親的樣子，侮辱瑪爾法，還跟她吵架直到把她弄哭；對他們來說，這是一種樂趣！妹妹們總是睡到很晚，悠哉的洗個澡，用干凈的毛巾擦干身體，直到吃過晚飯才坐下來工作。女孩子們一天天長大，到了可以結(jié)婚的年齡了。

The old man felt sorry for his eldest daughter, whom he loved because she was industrious and obedient, never was obstinate, always did as she was bid, and never uttered a word of contradiction. But he didn’t know how he was to help her in her trouble. He was feeble, his wife was a scold, and her daughters were as obstinate as they were indolent.

Well, the old folk set to work to consider—the husband how he could get his daughters settled, the wife how she could get rid of the eldest one.

One day she says to him: “I say, old man! let’s get Marfa married.”

“Gladly,” says he, slinking off to the sleeping-place above the stove.

But his wife called after him:“Get up early to-morrow, old man, harness the mare to the sledge, and drive away with Marfa. And, Marfa, get your things together in a basket, and put on a clean shift; you’re going away to-morrow on a visit.”

老人為他的大女兒感到難過，他愛她，因為她勤勞聽話，不固執(zhí)，總是按吩咐去做，從來沒有說過一句不敬的話。但他不知道怎樣才能幫助她脫離困境。他身體虛弱，他的妻子愛罵人，她的女兒們又固執(zhí)又懶惰。

于是，大人們開始思考——丈夫想著怎樣安頓女兒，妻子想著怎樣把大女兒打發(fā)走。

一天，妻子對老人說：“我說，老頭！我們讓瑪爾法結(jié)婚吧?！?/p>

“好啊?！崩先嘶貜?fù)后，就溜到爐子上方去睡覺了。

但他的妻子卻在他身后喊道:“明天早點起來，老頭兒，給馬套上雪橇，帶瑪爾法走吧。瑪爾法，把你的東西放在一個籃子里，換上干凈的衣服；你明天就要出門了。”

Poor Marfa was delighted to hear of such a piece of good luck as being invited on a visit, and she slept comfortably all night. Early next morning she got up, washed herself, prayed to God, got all her things together, packed them away in proper order, dressed herself in her best things, and looked something like a lass—a bride fit for any place whatsoever! Now it was winter-time, and out of doors was a rattling frost. Early in the morning, between daybreak and sunrise, the old man harnessed the mare to the sledge, and led it up to the steps.

可憐的瑪爾法聽到有人邀請她去拜訪，真是一件值得高興的事，她非常高興，整晚都睡得很香。第二天一大早，她就起床了，洗了個澡并向上帝禱告，把所有的東西收拾好之后，瑪爾法穿上她最漂亮的衣服，看上去就像一個新娘——一個適合任何地方的新娘！現(xiàn)在是冬天，外面的霜凍嘎嘎作響。一大早，在黎明之后日出之前，老人給馬套上了雪橇，把它牽到門前臺階上。

Then he went indoors, sat down on the window-sill, and said:“Now then, I’ve got everything ready.”

“Sit down to table and swallow your victuals!” replied the old woman.

The old man sat down to table, and made his daughter sit by his side. On the table stood a pannier; he took out a loaf, and cut bread for himself and his daughter. Meantime his wife served up a dish of old cabbage soup, and said:“There, my pigeon, eat and be off; I’ve looked at you quite enough! Drive Marfa to her bridegroom, old man. And look here, old greybeard, drive straight along the road at first, and then turn off from the road to the right, you know, into the forest—right up to the big pine that stands on the hill, and there hand Marfa over to Frost.”

The old man opened his eyes wide, also his mouth, and stopped eating, and the girl began lamenting.

老人走進(jìn)屋里，坐在窗臺上說道：“好了，我把一切都準(zhǔn)備好了?！?/p>

“坐下吃飯，吞下食物！”老婦人回答說。

老人在桌旁坐下，他的大女兒坐在他旁邊。桌上放著一只籃子；他拿出一條面包，為自己和女兒切了些面包。與此同時，他的妻子端上了一盤陳年的卷心菜湯，說:“喂，我的鴿子，吃了就走吧；我已經(jīng)看夠你了！送瑪爾法去見她的新郎，老頭。聽著，老灰胡子，先沿著這條路直走，然后從這條路向右拐，你知道，進(jìn)入森林——一直到山上的那棵大松樹那里，把瑪爾法交給冰霜之父弗羅斯特。”

老人睜大了眼睛，也張開了嘴停止了進(jìn)食，女孩則開始哭泣。

“Now then, what are you hanging your chaps and squealing about?” said her stepmother. “Surely your bridegroom is a beauty, and he’s that rich! Why, just see what a lot of things belong to him: the firs, the pine-tops, and the birches, all in their robes of down—ways and means that any one might envy; and he himself a bogatir, a hero of romance!”

The old man silently placed the things on the sledge, made his daughter put on a warm pelisse, and set off on the journey. After a time he reached the forest, turned off from the road, and drove across the frozen snow. When he got into the depths of the forest he stopped, made his daughter get out, laid her basket under the tall pine, and said: “Sit here, and await the bridegroom. And mind you receive him as pleasantly as you can.” Then he turned his horse round and drove off homewards.

“好了，你們干什么哭哭啼啼的？”她的繼母說道：“你的新郎是個帥哥，又那么富有！瞧，有那么多東西是屬于他的：樅樹、松樹頂、樺樹，全都穿著它們的長袍，穿著它們的衣裳，誰都會羨慕的；而他自己是一個豪杰，一個浪漫的英雄！”

老人默默地把東西裝到雪橇上，讓大女兒穿上暖和的外衣，就上路了。不一會兒，他就來到森林里，雪橇穿過冰凍的雪地。當(dāng)?shù)竭_(dá)森林深處時，他停了下來，讓他的女兒出來，把她的籃子放在一棵高大的松樹下并說道：“你坐在這兒，等著你的新郎來。記得盡量愉快地接待他。”然后他掉轉(zhuǎn)馬頭，駕著雪橇回家去了。

The girl sat and shivered. The cold had pierced her through. She would fain have cried aloud, but she had not strength enough; only her teeth chattered. Suddenly she heard a sound. Not far off, Frost was cracking away on a fir. From fir to fir was he leaping, and snapping his fingers. Presently he appeared on that very pine under which the maiden was sitting, and from above her head he cried:“Art thou warm, maiden?”

“Warm, warm am I, dear Father Frost,” she replied.

Frost began to descend lower, all the more cracking and snapping his fingers. To the maiden said Frost:“Art thou warm, maiden? Art thou warm, fair one?”

The girl could scarcely draw her breath, but still she replied:“Warm am I, Frost dear; warm am I, father dear!”

Frost began cracking more than ever, and more loudly did he snap his fingers, and to the maiden he said:“Art thou warm, maiden? Art thou warm, pretty one? “Art thou warm, my darling?”

The girl was by this time numb with cold, and she could scarcely make herself heard as she replied:“Oh! quite warm. Frost dearest!”

Then Frost took pity on the girl, wrapped her up in furs, and warmed her with blankets.

女孩坐在那里發(fā)抖，寒冷好像能刺透她。她真想大聲喊叫，可是她沒有力氣；只有她的牙齒在打顫。突然，她聽到不遠(yuǎn)處有聲音，冰霜之父弗羅斯特正在敲打一棵冷杉樹。他從一棵杉木跳到另一棵杉木，還打著響指。不一會兒，他就出現(xiàn)在姑娘坐著的那棵松樹上，在她頭頂上喊道:"姑娘，你暖和嗎？ "

“我很暖和，很暖和，敬愛的冰霜之父，”她回答道。

弗羅斯特開始降得更低，手指噼啪作響。弗羅斯特對姑娘說：“姑娘，你暖和嗎？暖和嗎，小美人？”

女孩幾乎喘不過氣來，但她還是回答道：“我覺得很溫暖，冰霜之父！”

弗羅斯特的聲音比之前更響了，他打了個響指，繼續(xù)對瑪爾法說道：“姑娘，你還暖和嗎？”暖和嗎，美人？ 暖和嗎，親愛的？”

姑娘這時已經(jīng)凍得麻木了，幾乎聽不見她的聲音:“很暖和。最敬愛的弗羅斯特！”

這時弗羅斯特開始同情這個女孩，把她裹在皮草里，給她蓋上毯子取暖。

Next morning the old woman said to her husband:“Drive out, old greybeard, and wake the young couple!”

The old man harnessed his horse and drove off. When he came to where his daughter was, he found she was alive and had got a good pelisse, a costly bridal veil, and a pannier with rich gifts. He stowed everything away on the sledge without saying a word, took his seat on it with his daughter, and drove back. They reached home, and the daughter fell at her stepmother’s feet. The old woman was thunderstruck when she saw the girl alive, and the new pelisse and and the basket of linen.

“Ah, you wretch!” she cries. “But you shan’t trick me!”

Well, a little later the old woman says to her husband:“Take my daughters, too, to their bridegroom. The presents he’s made are nothing to what he’ll give them.”

第二天早上，老婦人對她的丈夫說：“出去吧，老灰胡子，該叫醒這對年輕夫婦了！”

于是老人套上馬就走了。當(dāng)他來到女兒所在的地方時，他發(fā)現(xiàn)她還活著，并且得到了一件漂亮的外衣，一件昂貴的新娘面紗和一個裝滿貴重禮物的籃子。他一句話也沒說，把所有的東西都塞進(jìn)了雪橇，和女兒一起坐上了雪橇回家。他們回到家，大女兒直接跪倒在繼母的腳下。當(dāng)老婦人看到繼女還活著，還得到了新外衣和一筐亞麻布，大吃一驚。

“啊，你這個壞蛋！她叫道：“但你騙不了我！”

過了一會兒，老婦人對她的丈夫說道:“把我的女兒也帶到她們的新郎那里去。這些禮物跟他將要給她們的相比根本不算什么。”

Well, early next morning the old woman gave her girls their breakfast, dressed them as befitted brides, and sent them off on their journey. In the same way as before the old man left the girls under the pine. There the girls sat, and kept laughing and saying:“Whatever is mother thinking of? All of a sudden to marry both of us off! As if there were no lads in our village, forsooth! Some rubbishy fellow may come, and goodness knows who he may be!” The girls were wrapped up in pelisses, but for all that they felt the cold.

“I say, Prascovia, the frost’s skinning me alive! Well, if our bridegroom doesn’t come quick, we shall be frozen to death here!”

“Don’t go talking nonsense, Mashka; as if suitors turned up in the forenoon! Why, it’s hardly dinner-time yet!”

“But I say, Prascovia, if only one comes, which of us will he take?”

“Not you, you stupid goose!”

“Then it will be you, I suppose!”

“Of course it will be me!”

“You, indeed! There now, have done talking stuff and treating people like fools!”

第二天一大早，老太婆就給女兒們準(zhǔn)備了早餐，把她們打扮得漂漂亮亮的，就送她們上路了，老人把她們送到了之前大女兒呆過的松樹那里。女孩們坐在那兒，不停地笑著說：“媽媽在想什么呢？突然要把我們倆都嫁出去！說得好像我們村里沒有小伙子似的！也許會有一個廢物來，天知道他會是誰！”她們裹著寬大的短上衣，盡管如此，她們還是感到很冷。

“我說，普拉斯科維亞，這霜凍要把我活活地剝皮了！好吧，如果我們的新郎不快點來，我們會被凍死在這里的！”

“別胡說八道了，馬什卡；追求者不會那么快出現(xiàn)！喂，還沒到吃晚飯的時間呢！”

“可是我說，普拉斯科維亞，如果只有一個人來，他會帶我們誰走呢？”

“不是你，你這個笨鵝！”

“那就是你了！”

“當(dāng)然是我！”

“確實是你！好了，別再胡言亂語了，別再像對待傻瓜一樣對待別人了！”

Meanwhile Frost had numbed the girls’ hands, so our damsels folded them under their dress, and then went on quarrelling as before.

“What, you fright! you sleepy-face! you abominable shrew! Why, you don’t know so much as how to begin weaving; and as to going on with it, you haven’t an idea!”

“Aha, boaster! and what is it you know? Why, nothing at all except to go out to merry-makings and lick your lips there. We’ll soon see which he’ll take first!”

While the girls went on scolding like that, they began to freeze in downright earnest. Suddenly they both cried out at once:

“Why ever is he so long coming? Do you know, you’ve turned quite blue!”

Now, a good way off, Frost had begun cracking, snapping his fingers, and leaping from fir to fir. To the girls it sounded as if some one was coming.

“Listen, Prascovia! He’s coming at last, and with bells too!”

“Get along with you! I won’t listen; my skin is peeling with cold.”

“And yet you’re still expecting to get married!”

Then they began blowing on their fingers.

與此同時，弗羅斯特凍麻了女孩們的手，所以她們把手疊在衣服下面，然后像以前一樣繼續(xù)爭吵。

“什么，你這個膽小鬼！”你是個瞌睡臉！你這個可惡的潑婦！怎么，你連怎么編織都不知道；至于怎么繼續(xù)干下去，你根本沒有主意！”

“啊哈，大言不慚的人！你知道什么？唉，除了出去尋歡作樂，在那兒舔舔嘴唇，什么也不干。我們很快就會知道他會先吃哪一個！”

姑娘繼續(xù)這樣罵著，卻開始一本正經(jīng)地僵住了。突然，他們倆同時喊道：

“他為什么遲遲不來？”你知道嗎，你臉色都發(fā)青了！”

在很遠(yuǎn)的地方，弗羅斯特開始噼里啪啦地打著響指，從一棵杉樹跳到另一棵杉樹。女孩們聽見好像有人來了。

“聽著，普拉斯科維亞！他終于來了，而且還帶著鈴鐺！”

“滾開！我不聽；我的皮膚凍得脫皮了?！?/p>

“就你還想結(jié)婚呢！”

然后他們開始對著手指吹氣。

Nearer and nearer came Frost. At length he appeared on the pine, above the heads of the girls, and said to them:

“Are ye warm, maidens? Are ye warm, pretty ones? Are ye warm, my darlings?”

“Oh, Frost, it’s awfully cold! We’re utterly perished! We’re expecting a bridegroom, but the confounded fellow has disappeared.”

Frost slid lower down the tree, cracked away more, snapped his fingers oftener than before.

“Are ye warm, maidens? Are ye warm, pretty ones?”

“Get along with you! Are you blind that you can’t see our hands and feet are quite dead?”

Still lower descended Frost, still more put forth his might, and said:

“Are ye warm, maidens?”

“Into the bottomless pit with you! Out of sight, accursed one!” cried the girls—and became lifeless forms.

弗羅斯特越來越近了。最后，他出現(xiàn)在女孩們頭頂?shù)乃蓸渖?，對她們說道：“美人們，你們暖和嗎？”你們暖和嗎，可愛的女孩們？你們暖和了嗎，親愛的？”

“哦，弗羅斯特，太冷了！我們都要死了！我們在等一個新郎，可是那個倒霉的家伙還沒來?！?/p>

冰霜之父弗羅斯特順著樹往下滑，劈啪作響，打響指的次數(shù)比以前更頻繁了。

“姑娘，你們覺得暖和嗎？暖和嗎，可愛的姑娘？”

“滾開！難道你瞎了眼，看不見我們的手和腳已經(jīng)凍住了嗎？”

弗羅斯特降得更低了，他的力量更大了，他說：“姑娘，你們暖和嗎？”

“跟你一起下地獄！滾出去，該死的家伙?！八齻兘辛似饋恚兂闪藳]有生命的樣子。

Next morning the old woman said to her husband:“Old man, go and get the sledge harnessed; put an armful of hay in it, and take some sheepskin wraps. I dare say the girls are half-dead with cold. There’s a terrible frost outside! And, mind you, old greybeard, do it quickly!”

Before the old man could manage to get a bite he was out of doors and on his way. When he came to where his daughters were he found them dead. So he lifted the girls on to the sledge, wrapped a blanket round them, and covered them up with a bark mat. The old woman saw him from afar, ran out to meet him, and called out ever so loud:“Where are the girls?”

“In the sledge.”

The old woman lifted the mat, undid the blanket, and found the girls both dead.

第二天早上，老婦人對她的丈夫說:“老人，去把雪橇套上；放一把干草進(jìn)去，再拿些羊皮包著。孩子們肯定都凍得半死了。外面還下著可怕的霜！聽著，老灰胡子，快點！”

老人還沒來得及吃點東西，就出門上路了。當(dāng)他來到女兒們所在的地方時，發(fā)現(xiàn)她們已經(jīng)死了。于是他把她們抬到雪橇上，用毯子裹住她們，再用樹皮席子蓋住她們。老婦人遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地看見了他，就跑出來迎接他，大聲喊道：“她們在哪兒？”

“在雪橇上?！?/p>

老婦人掀起席子，解開毯子，發(fā)現(xiàn)兩個女孩都死了。

Then like a thunderstorm she broke out against her husband, abusing him, and saying:“What have you done, you old wretch? You have destroyed my daughters, the children of my own flesh and blood, my never-enough-to-be-gazed-on seedlings, my beautiful berries! I will thrash you with the tongs; I will give it you with the stove-rake.”

”That’s enough, you old goose! You flattered yourself you were going to get riches, but your daughters were too stiff-necked. How was I to blame? It was you yourself would have it.”

The old woman was in a rage at first, and used bad language; but afterwards she made it up with her stepdaughter, and they all lived together peaceably, and thrived, and bore no malice. A neighbour made an offer of marriage, the wedding was celebrated, and Marfa is now living happily.

The old man frightens his grandchildren with stories about Frost, and doesn’t let them have their own way.

然后，她對丈夫大發(fā)雷霆，邊罵邊說：“你做了什么，你這個老壞蛋？你毀了我的女兒們，我的親骨肉，我那永遠(yuǎn)看不夠的寶貝們，我美麗的漿果！我要用鉗子打你；我要用火镩弄死你?！?/p>

“夠了，你這個老鵝！是你自以為會發(fā)財，你的女兒們又太固執(zhí)了。怎么能怪我呢？你是自作孽?！?/p>

老婦人起初很生氣，說了一些臟話；但后來她和繼女和好了，她們和睦相處，家里也生意興隆。一位鄰居向她求婚，他們舉行了婚禮，瑪而法從此過上了幸福的生活。

老人用弗羅斯特的故事嚇唬他的孫子們，讓他們不能為所欲為。