This is a very famous and interesting Russian folk tale story. This Russian folk tale is collected from the book, named “Old Peter’s Russian tales”. This Russian folk tale story book was written by- Arthur Ransome, published from Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd., London, Edinbourgh, NY, Toronto, Paris in 1916.
"She is all our own," said the old woman.
"Our little white pigeon," said the old man.
In the evening she had another bowl of ice-porridge and then she went off again to play by herself in the yard.
"You will be tired, my dear," says the old man.
"You will sleep in the hut tonight. Will not you, my love?" said the old woman, "after running about all day long?"
But the little daughter of the Snow only laughed. "By frosty night and frosty day," she sang, and ran out of the door, laughing back at them with shining eyes.
And so it went on all through the winter. The little daughter of the Snow was singing and laughing and dancing all the time. She always ran out into the night and played by herself till dawn. Then she had come in and took her ice-porridge. Then she had play with the children. Then she had have ice-porridge again, and off she would go, out into the night.
It went on so till just about this time of year. Perhaps it was a little earlier. Anyhow the snow was melting. Often the children went together a little way into the forest in the sunny part of the day. The little snow girl went with them. It would have been no fun without her.
And then one day they went too far into the forest. When the other children said they were going to turn back, suddenly the little snow girl tossed her head under her little fur hat, and ran on laughing among the trees. The other children were afraid to follow her. It was getting dark. They waited as long as they dared, and then they ran home, holding each other's hands. And there was the little daughter of the Snow out in the forest alone.
She looked back for the others, and could not see them. She climbed up into a tree; but the other trees were thick round her, and she could not see farther than when she was on the ground.
She called out from the tree, "Ai, ai, little friends, have pity on the little snow girl."
An old brown bear heard her, and came dragging up on his heavy paws. The old brown bear asked, "What are you crying about, little daughter of the Snow?"
"O big bear," said the little snow girl, “I have lost my way, and dusk is falling, and all my little friends are gone."
"I will take you home," said the old brown bear.
"O big bear," said the little snow girl, "I am afraid of you. I think you would eat me. I would rather go home with some one else." So the bear walked away and left her.
An old gray wolf heard her, and came galloping up on his swift feet. He stood under the tree and asked, "What are you crying about, little daughter of the Snow?"
"O gray wolf," said the little snow girl, "I have lost my way, and it is getting dark, and all my little friends are gone."
"I will take you home," said the old gray wolf.
"O gray wolf," said the little snow girl, "I am afraid of you. I think you would eat me. I would rather go home with some one else." So the wolf galloped away and left her.
An old red fox heard her, and came running up to the tree on his little pads. He called out cheerfully, "What are you crying about, little daughter of the Snow?"
"O red fox," said the little snow girl, "I have lost my way, and it is quite dark, and all my little friends are gone."
"I will take you home," said the old red fox.
"O red fox," said the little snow girl, "I am not afraid of you. I do not think you will eat me. I will go home with you, if you will take me."
So she rushed down from the tree, and she held the fox by the hair of his back, and they ran together through the dark forest. Presently they saw the lights in the windows of the huts, and in a few minutes they were at the door of the hut that belonged to the old man and the old woman. And there were the old man and the old woman, crying and mourning for their little snow girl.
"Here I am," said the little snow girl. "The kind red fox has brought me home. You must shut up the dogs."
The old man shut up the dogs. "We are very grateful to you," said he to the fox.
"Are you really?" said the old red fox; "I am very hungry."
"Here is a nice piece of bread for you," said the old woman.
"Oh," said the fox, "but what I would like would be a nice cheesy hen. After all, your little snow girl is worth a nice cheesy hen."
"Very well," said the old woman, but she complained to her husband.
"Husband," said she, "we have our little girl again."
"We have," said he; "thanks be for that."
"It seems waste to give away a good cheesy hen."
"It does," said the old man.
"Well, I was thinking," said the old woman, and then she told him what she meant to do. And he went off and got two sacks.
In one sack they put a fine fat hen, and in the other they put the most ferocious dog they have. They took the bags outside and called to the fox. The old red fox came up to them, licking his lips, because he was so hungry.
They opened one sack, and out the hen fluttered. The old red fox was just going to seize her, when they opened the other sack, and out jumped the ferocious dog. The poor fox saw his eyes flashing in the dark, and was so frightened that he ran all the way back into the deep forest, and never had the hen at all.
"That was well done," said the old man and the old woman. "We have got our little snow girl, and not had to give away our hen."
Then they heard the little snow girl was singing in the hut. This is what she sang:-
"Old ones, old ones, now I know Less you love me than a hen, I shall go away again. Good-bye, ancient ones, good-bye, Back I go across the sky; To my mother kin I go- Little daughter of the Snow."
They ran into the house. There were a little pool of water in front of the stove, and a fur hat, and a little coat, and little red boots were lying in it. And yet it seemed to the old man and the old woman that they saw the little snow girl, with her bright eyes and her long hair, dancing in the room.
"Do not go! Do not go!" they begged, and already they could hardly see the little dancing girl.
But they heard her laughing, and they heard her song. And just then the door blew open from the yard, and a cold wind filled the room, and the little daughter of the Snow was gone.
The little snow girl leapt into the arms of Frost her father and Snow her mother, and they carried her away over the stars to the far north, and there she plays all through the summer on the frozen seas. In winter she comes back to Russia, and when the children are making a snow woman in winter, they may find the little daughter of the Snow standing there instead.
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| The Little Daughter of the Snow |
The Little Daughter of the Snow - Part 2
- Russian folk tale
The old man and the old woman watched her, and were very proud.
"She is all our own," said the old woman.
"Our little white pigeon," said the old man.
In the evening she had another bowl of ice-porridge and then she went off again to play by herself in the yard.
"You will be tired, my dear," says the old man.
"You will sleep in the hut tonight. Will not you, my love?" said the old woman, "after running about all day long?"
But the little daughter of the Snow only laughed. "By frosty night and frosty day," she sang, and ran out of the door, laughing back at them with shining eyes.
And so it went on all through the winter. The little daughter of the Snow was singing and laughing and dancing all the time. She always ran out into the night and played by herself till dawn. Then she had come in and took her ice-porridge. Then she had play with the children. Then she had have ice-porridge again, and off she would go, out into the night.
She was very good. She did everything the old woman told her. Only she would never sleep indoors. All the children of the village loved her. They did not know how they had ever played without her!
It went on so till just about this time of year. Perhaps it was a little earlier. Anyhow the snow was melting. Often the children went together a little way into the forest in the sunny part of the day. The little snow girl went with them. It would have been no fun without her.
And then one day they went too far into the forest. When the other children said they were going to turn back, suddenly the little snow girl tossed her head under her little fur hat, and ran on laughing among the trees. The other children were afraid to follow her. It was getting dark. They waited as long as they dared, and then they ran home, holding each other's hands. And there was the little daughter of the Snow out in the forest alone.
She looked back for the others, and could not see them. She climbed up into a tree; but the other trees were thick round her, and she could not see farther than when she was on the ground.
She called out from the tree, "Ai, ai, little friends, have pity on the little snow girl."
An old brown bear heard her, and came dragging up on his heavy paws. The old brown bear asked, "What are you crying about, little daughter of the Snow?"
"O big bear," said the little snow girl, “I have lost my way, and dusk is falling, and all my little friends are gone."
"I will take you home," said the old brown bear.
"O big bear," said the little snow girl, "I am afraid of you. I think you would eat me. I would rather go home with some one else." So the bear walked away and left her.
An old gray wolf heard her, and came galloping up on his swift feet. He stood under the tree and asked, "What are you crying about, little daughter of the Snow?"
"O gray wolf," said the little snow girl, "I have lost my way, and it is getting dark, and all my little friends are gone."
"I will take you home," said the old gray wolf.
"O gray wolf," said the little snow girl, "I am afraid of you. I think you would eat me. I would rather go home with some one else." So the wolf galloped away and left her.
An old red fox heard her, and came running up to the tree on his little pads. He called out cheerfully, "What are you crying about, little daughter of the Snow?"
"O red fox," said the little snow girl, "I have lost my way, and it is quite dark, and all my little friends are gone."
"I will take you home," said the old red fox.
"O red fox," said the little snow girl, "I am not afraid of you. I do not think you will eat me. I will go home with you, if you will take me."
So she rushed down from the tree, and she held the fox by the hair of his back, and they ran together through the dark forest. Presently they saw the lights in the windows of the huts, and in a few minutes they were at the door of the hut that belonged to the old man and the old woman. And there were the old man and the old woman, crying and mourning for their little snow girl.
 |
| The Little Daughter of the Snow |
"Here I am," said the little snow girl. "The kind red fox has brought me home. You must shut up the dogs."
The old man shut up the dogs. "We are very grateful to you," said he to the fox.
"Are you really?" said the old red fox; "I am very hungry."
"Here is a nice piece of bread for you," said the old woman.
"Oh," said the fox, "but what I would like would be a nice cheesy hen. After all, your little snow girl is worth a nice cheesy hen."
"Very well," said the old woman, but she complained to her husband.
"Husband," said she, "we have our little girl again."
"We have," said he; "thanks be for that."
"It seems waste to give away a good cheesy hen."
"It does," said the old man.
"Well, I was thinking," said the old woman, and then she told him what she meant to do. And he went off and got two sacks.
In one sack they put a fine fat hen, and in the other they put the most ferocious dog they have. They took the bags outside and called to the fox. The old red fox came up to them, licking his lips, because he was so hungry.
They opened one sack, and out the hen fluttered. The old red fox was just going to seize her, when they opened the other sack, and out jumped the ferocious dog. The poor fox saw his eyes flashing in the dark, and was so frightened that he ran all the way back into the deep forest, and never had the hen at all.
"That was well done," said the old man and the old woman. "We have got our little snow girl, and not had to give away our hen."
Then they heard the little snow girl was singing in the hut. This is what she sang:-
"Old ones, old ones, now I know Less you love me than a hen, I shall go away again. Good-bye, ancient ones, good-bye, Back I go across the sky; To my mother kin I go- Little daughter of the Snow."
They ran into the house. There were a little pool of water in front of the stove, and a fur hat, and a little coat, and little red boots were lying in it. And yet it seemed to the old man and the old woman that they saw the little snow girl, with her bright eyes and her long hair, dancing in the room.
"Do not go! Do not go!" they begged, and already they could hardly see the little dancing girl.
But they heard her laughing, and they heard her song. And just then the door blew open from the yard, and a cold wind filled the room, and the little daughter of the Snow was gone.
The little snow girl leapt into the arms of Frost her father and Snow her mother, and they carried her away over the stars to the far north, and there she plays all through the summer on the frozen seas. In winter she comes back to Russia, and when the children are making a snow woman in winter, they may find the little daughter of the Snow standing there instead.
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