First snow 

(《初雪》) 

Written by John Boynton Priestley (约翰·博因顿·普里斯特利 著) 

Translated by Zeng Hu (曾胡 译)

Outside the closed curtains of the bedroom a vast transformation scene is taking place, just as if a myriad elves and brownies were at work, and we turn and yawn and stretch and know nothing about it. 

在寝室紧闭的窗帘外，一场巨大的景色变换正在发生，恰似无数的小精灵和小仙 子在忙碌；而我们却翻个身，打个哈欠，伸个懒腰，对此一无所知。

And then, what an extraordinary change it is! It is as if the house you are in had been dropped down in another continent. 

此时此刻，天地间起了巨大的变化！你住的房子落入了另一片国度。

Even the inside, which has not been touched, seems different, every room appearing smaller and cosier, just as if some power were trying to turn it into a woodcutter's hut or a snug log-cabin. 

即便是没有被雪触动的室内，似乎也有了变化：每个房间都变得小了，也更温馨 了，就好像有某种神力要将它变成伐木人的棚舍，或温暖而闲适的圆木小屋。

Outside, where the garden was yesterday, there is now a white and glistening level, and the village beyond is no longer your own familiar cluster of roofs but a village in an old German fairy tale.

屋子外边，昨日尚是花园的所在，眼下成了一片白而泛光的平地；远处的村落，已不复是你所熟悉的一片高低错落的屋顶，而是变成了一座古老的德国童话里的村庄。

(Extract)

（节选）

Edited by Nie Yang