English Original
Once upon a time, there lived an old peasant couple, Ivan and Marie. They were happy in all things but one: they had no children of their own.
One unforgettable winter, after a heavy snowfall, the village children played outside, building snow figures. Watching them, Ivan had an idea. "Wife," he said, "why shouldn't we make a snow woman too?"
"Let us make a little snow child," Marie replied, "and pretend it is a living one."
They went into the garden and worked with all their might, shaping a little body, hands, feet, and a head from snow. As Ivan carefully shaped the mouth, he felt a warm breath on his cheek. He started back in surprise—behold! The snow-child's eyes met his, and its raspberry-red lips smiled.
"Heaven has sent us a child at last!" Marie exclaimed, trembling with joy. She named the child Snowflake. The loose snow fell away like an eggshell, revealing a real little girl in her arms.
Snowflake grew fast, becoming more beautiful each day. Her skin was white as snow, her eyes blue as forget-me-nots, and her hair long and golden. She was clever, good, and beloved by all the village children.
Winter passed, and spring arrived. As the world grew warm and gay with birds and flowers, Snowflake grew sadder. She hid in the shadows, finding pleasure only near sparkling streams or at dawn and twilight. During storms, when hail whitened the earth, she became bright and joyous again, but she wept when the sun melted the ice.
On Midsummer's Eve, the village girls invited Snowflake to dance in the woods. Though hesitant, Marie let her go, urging the girls to be careful. In the woods, they sang, danced, and finally lit a fire of dry grass. They began to jump over the flames, one after another, with Snowflake last in line.
Suddenly, they heard a sigh and a groan behind them. They turned—Snowflake was gone. They searched everywhere, but she had vanished.
For days, everyone searched in vain. Long after others gave up, Ivan and Marie wandered the woods, calling for their Snowflake. What had become of her? Had a beast dragged her to its lair? Had a bird carried her away?
No. With the first breath of flame that swept over her, Snowflake had melted away. All that remained was a little soft haze, floating upwards.
中文翻译
从前，住着一对老农夫妇，伊凡和玛丽。他们生活美满，唯有一事遗憾：没有自己的孩子。
一个令人难忘的冬天，大雪过后，村里的孩子们在外面玩耍，堆着雪人。看着他们，伊凡有了主意。“老婆，”他说，“我们为什么不也堆个雪人呢？”
“让我们堆个小雪孩吧，”玛丽回答，“就当它是活的。”
他们走进花园，用尽全力堆了起来，用雪塑出小小的身体、手、脚和头。当伊凡仔细塑出嘴巴时，他感到脸颊上一股温暖的气息。他惊讶地后退——看啊！雪孩子的眼睛望着他，它那覆盆子般红润的嘴唇正微笑着。
“上天终于赐给我们一个孩子了！”玛丽颤抖着喊道，欣喜若狂。她给孩子起名叫雪孩子。松散的雪像蛋壳一样脱落，露出她怀中的一个真实的小女孩。
雪孩子长得很快，一天比一天美丽。她的肌肤洁白如雪，眼睛湛蓝如勿忘我，头发是长长的金色。她聪明、善良，深受村里所有孩子的喜爱。
冬天过去了，春天来临。当世界因鸟语花香而变得温暖欢快时，雪孩子却越来越悲伤。她躲在阴影里，只有在波光粼粼的小溪边，或在黎明和黄昏时分，才似乎感到快乐。下暴风雨时，冰雹把大地染白，她又会变得明亮欢快；但当乌云散去，冰雹在阳光下融化，雪孩子就会泪如雨下，如同姐姐为弟弟哭泣。
在仲夏前夜，村里的女孩们邀请雪孩子去森林里跳舞。尽管犹豫，玛丽还是让她去了，并嘱咐女孩们小心照顾。在森林里，她们唱歌、跳舞，最后点燃了一堆干草。她们开始一个接一个地跳过火焰，雪孩子排在最后。
突然，她们听到身后传来一声叹息，接着是一声呻吟。她们转过身——雪孩子不见了。她们到处寻找，但她已经消失了。
一连几天，大家搜寻无果。在所有人都放弃很久之后，伊凡和玛丽仍在森林中徘徊，呼唤着他们的雪孩子。她到底怎么了？是被猛兽拖进了巢穴？还是被鸟儿带过了广阔的蓝色海洋？
都不是。当第一缕火焰掠过她时，雪孩子就融化了。留下的，只有一小团柔和的薄雾，袅袅上升。