It was the middle of winter, when the broad flakes of snow were falling around, that the queen of a country many thousand miles off sat working at her window. The frame of the window was made of fine black ebony, and as she sat looking out upon the snow, she pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell upon it. Then she gazed thoughtfully upon the red drops that sprinkled the white snow, and said, ‘Would that my little daughter may be as white as that snow, as red as that blood, and as black as this ebony windowframe!’ And so the little girl really did grow up; her skin was as white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as the blood, and her hair as black as ebony; and she was called Snowdrop.
那是隆冬时节，大片大片的雪花纷纷扬扬地飘落，一位远在万里之外的国家的王后正坐在窗前做针线活。她的窗框是用上等的黑檀木制成的。她望着窗外的雪景，不慎被针刺破了手指，三滴鲜血落在了窗框上。她凝视着那洒在白雪上的红色血滴，若有所思地说道：‘但愿我的小女儿能像这雪一样白，像这血一样红，像这黑檀窗框一样黑！’于是，小女儿真的长大了；她的皮肤如雪般洁白，双颊似血般红润，头发像黑檀木一般乌黑，人们便叫她白雪公主。
But this queen died; and the king soon married another wife, who became queen, and was very beautiful, but so vain that she could not bear to think that anyone could be handsomer than she was. She had a fairy looking-glass, to which she used to go, and then she would gaze upon herself in it, and say:
但是这位王后去世了，国王不久便娶了另一位妻子，她成了新王后，非常美丽，却极其虚荣，无法忍受有人比她更漂亮。她拥有一面魔镜，经常对着它照看自己，然后说道：
‘Tell me, glass, tell me true! Of all the ladies in the land, Who is fairest, tell me, who?’
告诉我，魔镜，告诉我真相！在这世间所有的女子中，谁是最美的？告诉我，是谁？
And the glass had always answered:
而玻璃总是这样回答：
‘Thou, queen, art the fairest in all the land.’
“王后，你是这土地上最美的。”
But Snowdrop grew more and more beautiful; and when she was seven years old she was as bright as the day, and fairer than the queen herself. Then the glass one day answered the queen, when she went to look in it as usual:
但白雪公主越来越美丽；当她七岁时，她像白天一样明亮，比王后本人还要美丽。有一天，当王后像往常一样去照镜子时，魔镜回答道：
‘Thou, queen, art fair, and beauteous to see, But Snowdrop is lovelier far than thee!’
“王后，你美丽动人，但白雪公主比你更加可爱！”
When she heard this she turned pale with rage and envy, and called to one of her servants, and said, ‘Take Snowdrop away into the wide wood, that I may never see her any more.’ Then the servant led her away; but his heart melted when Snowdrop begged him to spare her life, and he said, ‘I will not hurt you, thou pretty child.’ So he left her by herself; and though he thought it most likely that the wild beasts would tear her in pieces, he felt as if a great weight were taken off his heart when he had made up his mind not to kill her but to leave her to her fate, with the chance of someone finding and saving her.
她听到这话后，气得脸色苍白，嫉妒之火中烧，便叫来一名仆人说道：‘把白雪公主带到那片广阔的森林里去吧，我再也不想见到她了。’于是仆人领着她离去；但当白雪公主恳求他饶命时，仆人的心软了下来，他说：‘我不会伤害你，美丽的孩子。’于是他把她独自留在了那里；尽管他心想野兽很可能会将她撕成碎片，但当他下定决心不杀她而是任其自生自灭、寄望于有人发现并救下她时，他感到心头的一块大石头终于落了地。
Then poor Snowdrop wandered along through the wood in great fear; and the wild beasts roared about her, but none did her any harm. In the evening she came to a cottage among the hills, and went in to rest, for her little feet would carry her no further. Everything was spruce and neat in the cottage: on the table was spread a white cloth, and there were seven little plates, seven little loaves, and seven little glasses with wine in them; and seven knives and forks laid in order; and by the wall stood seven little beds. As she was very hungry, she picked a little piece of each loaf and drank a very little wine out of each glass; and after that she thought she would lie down and rest. So she tried all the little beds; but one was too long, and another was too short, till at last the seventh suited her: and there she laid herself down and went to sleep.
于是可怜的白雪公主在森林中惊恐地徘徊，野兽在她周围咆哮，却无人伤害她。傍晚时分，她来到山间的一座小屋，进去休息，因为她的小脚已无法再走远。小屋整洁有序：桌上铺着白布，摆着七只小盘子、七块小面包和七杯盛有葡萄酒的小玻璃杯；还有七把刀叉整齐摆放；墙边立着七张小巧的床。由于十分饥饿，她每样面包都尝了一小块，每杯葡萄酒也喝了一点点；随后她决定躺下休息。于是她试遍了所有小床：有的太长，有的太短，直到最后一张才合身。她便在那张床上躺下，沉沉睡去。
By and by in came the masters of the cottage. Now they were seven little dwarfs, that lived among the mountains, and dug and searched for gold. They lighted up their seven lamps, and saw at once that all was not right. The first said, ‘Who has been sitting on my stool?’ The second, ‘Who has been eating off my plate?’ The third, ‘Who has been picking my bread?’ The fourth, ‘Who has been meddling with my spoon?’ The fifth, ‘Who has been handling my fork?’ The sixth, ‘Who has been cutting with my knife?’ The seventh, ‘Who has been drinking my wine?’ Then the first looked round and said, ‘Who has been lying on my bed?’ And the rest came running to him, and everyone cried out that somebody had been upon his bed. But the seventh saw Snowdrop, and called all his brethren to come and see her; and they cried out with wonder and astonishment and brought their lamps to look at her, and said, ‘Good heavens! what a lovely child she is!’ And they were very glad to see her, and took care not to wake her; and the seventh dwarf slept an hour with each of the other dwarfs in turn, till the night was gone.
不久，小屋的主人回来了。原来他们是七个小矮人，住在山里，每天挖金矿、找金子。他们点亮了七盏灯，立刻发现情况不对。第一个说：‘谁坐过我的凳子？’第二个说：‘谁用过我的盘子吃饭？’第三个说：‘谁动过我的面包？’第四个说：‘谁碰过我的勺子？’第五个说：‘谁拿过我的叉子？’第六个说：‘谁用过我的刀切东西？’第七个说：‘谁喝过我的酒？’接着，第一个环顾四周说道：‘谁睡过我的床？’其余的也跑过来，每个人都惊呼有人睡过自己的床。但第七个小矮人看到了白雪公主，便叫兄弟们过来看。他们惊叹不已，举着灯凑近看她，说：‘天哪！她多么可爱啊！’他们非常高兴见到她，小心翼翼地不吵醒她。那一夜，第七个小矮人轮流与其他六个小矮人各睡一小时，直到天亮。
In the morning Snowdrop told them all her story; and they pitied her, and said if she would keep all things in order, and cook and wash and knit and spin for them, she might stay where she was, and they would take good care of her. Then they went out all day long to their work, seeking for gold and silver in the mountains: but Snowdrop was left at home; and they warned her, and said, ‘The queen will soon find out where you are, so take care and let no one in.’
清晨，雪姑娘向众人讲述了自己的遭遇；他们怜悯她，并说只要她能将一切打理妥当，为他们做饭、洗衣、织毛衣和纺线，她就可以留在这里，他们会好好照顾她。随后，他们整日外出工作，在山上寻找金银财宝；而雪姑娘则被留在家中；他们叮嘱她：‘王后很快就会找到你藏身之处，所以务必小心，不要让任何人进来。’
But the queen, now that she thought Snowdrop was dead, believed that she must be the handsomest lady in the land; and she went to her glass and said:
但王后以为白雪公主已经死了，便认定自己一定是全国最美的人；于是她走到镜子前说道：
‘Tell me, glass, tell me true! Of all the ladies in the land, Who is fairest, tell me, who?’
告诉我，魔镜，告诉我真相！在这世间所有的女子中，谁是最美的？告诉我，是谁？
And the glass answered:
玻璃回应道：
‘Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land: But over the hills, in the greenwood shade, Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made, There Snowdrop is hiding her head; and she Is lovelier far, O queen! than thee.’
王后啊，你确是这土地上最美的女子；但翻过那些山丘，在绿荫深处，七个小矮人安身立命之地，白雪公主正藏起她的容颜；她比你美丽千万倍，王后啊！
Then the queen was very much frightened; for she knew that the glass always spoke the truth, and was sure that the servant had betrayed her. And she could not bear to think that anyone lived who was more beautiful than she was; so she dressed herself up as an old pedlar, and went her way over the hills, to the place where the dwarfs dwelt. Then she knocked at the door, and cried, ‘Fine wares to sell!’ Snowdrop looked out at the window, and said, ‘Good day, good woman! what have you to sell?’ ‘Good wares, fine wares,’ said she; ‘laces and bobbins of all colours.’ ‘I will let the old lady in; she seems to be a very good sort of body,’ thought Snowdrop, as she ran down and unbolted the door. ‘Bless me!’ said the old woman, ‘how badly your stays are laced! Let me lace them up with one of my nice new laces.’ Snowdrop did not dream of any mischief; so she stood before the old woman; but she set to work so nimbly, and pulled the lace so tight, that Snowdrop’s breath was stopped, and she fell down as if she were dead. ‘There’s an end to all thy beauty,’ said the spiteful queen, and went away home.
于是王后非常惊恐，因为她知道魔镜从不撒谎，确信仆人已经背叛了她。她无法忍受世上还有任何人比她更美丽，便把自己装扮成一位老货郎，翻山越岭来到小矮人居住的地方。她敲了敲门，喊道：‘好商品要卖啦！’白雪公主从窗口探出头来，说：‘早上好，好心的女士！您有什么要卖的？’‘好商品，精美的商品，’她说，‘各种颜色的蕾丝和花边。’‘我要让这位老妇人进来；她看起来是个非常好的人，’白雪公主心想，于是跑下楼去拔开门闩。‘哎呀！’老妇人说，‘您的束腰系得多糟糕啊！让我用我新做的漂亮蕾丝帮您系上吧。’白雪公主丝毫没料到会有恶意，便站在老妇人面前；但对方动作如此敏捷，把蕾丝拉得那么紧，以至于白雪公主喘不过气来，倒在地上仿佛已经死去。‘你的美貌到此为止了，’恶毒的王后说道，然后转身回家。
In the evening the seven dwarfs came home; and I need not say how grieved they were to see their faithful Snowdrop stretched out upon the ground, as if she was quite dead. However, they lifted her up, and when they found what ailed her, they cut the lace; and in a little time she began to breathe, and very soon came to life again. Then they said, ‘The old woman was the queen herself; take care another time, and let no one in when we are away.’
傍晚时分，七个小矮人回到了家；他们看到忠实的白雪公主躺在地上，仿佛已经死去，心中悲痛万分，这自不必多说。然而，他们将她扶起，查明她为何昏迷后，便剪断了勒住她的丝带；不一会儿，她便恢复了呼吸，很快又苏醒过来。于是他们说：‘那个老妇人就是王后本人；下次要多加小心，我们不在家时不要让任何人进来。’
When the queen got home, she went straight to her glass, and spoke to it as before; but to her great grief it still said:
王后回到家，径直走向她的魔镜，像往常一样对它说话；但令她悲痛的是，魔镜依然说道：
‘Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land: But over the hills, in the greenwood shade, Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made, There Snowdrop is hiding her head; and she Is lovelier far, O queen! than thee.’
王后啊，你确是这土地上最美的女子；但翻过那些山丘，在绿荫深处，七个小矮人安身立命之地，白雪公主正藏起她的容颜；她比你美丽千万倍，王后啊！
Then the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and malice, to see that Snowdrop still lived; and she dressed herself up again, but in quite another dress from the one she wore before, and took with her a poisoned comb. When she reached the dwarfs’ cottage, she knocked at the door, and cried, ‘Fine wares to sell!’ But Snowdrop said, ‘I dare not let anyone in.’ Then the queen said, ‘Only look at my beautiful combs!’ and gave her the poisoned one. And it looked so pretty, that she took it up and put it into her hair to try it; but the moment it touched her head, the poison was so powerful that she fell down senseless. ‘There you may lie,’ said the queen, and went her way. But by good luck the dwarfs came in very early that evening; and when they saw Snowdrop lying on the ground, they thought what had happened, and soon found the poisoned comb. And when they took it away she got well, and told them all that had passed; and they warned her once more not to open the door to anyone.
于是，看到白雪公主还活着，她心中顿时涌起怨恨与恶意，血液仿佛凝固。她再次乔装打扮，换了一身与前次截然不同的衣裳，并带上一把毒梳。来到小矮人的小屋后，她敲门喊道：‘卖好货啦！’白雪公主却答道：‘我不敢让任何人进来。’王后便说：‘只看看我美丽的梳子吧！’随即递给她那把毒梳。梳子如此精美，她便接过来插进头发试戴；可梳子一触到她的头，剧毒立刻发作，她顿时昏倒在地。‘你就躺在这儿吧，’王后说道，转身离去。幸运的是，小矮人们那天傍晚提前回家，看到白雪公主倒在地上，便知发生了什么事，很快找到了那把毒梳。当他们取下梳子后，她便苏醒过来，将经过一一告知众人；他们再次警告她，切勿给任何人开门。
Meantime the queen went home to her glass, and shook with rage when she read the very same answer as before; and she said, ‘Snowdrop shall die, if it cost me my life.’ So she went by herself into her chamber, and got ready a poisoned apple: the outside looked very rosy and tempting, but whoever tasted it was sure to die. Then she dressed herself up as a peasant’s wife, and travelled over the hills to the dwarfs’ cottage, and knocked at the door; but Snowdrop put her head out of the window and said, ‘I dare not let anyone in, for the dwarfs have told me not.’ ‘Do as you please,’ said the old woman, ‘but at any rate take this pretty apple; I will give it you.’ ‘No,’ said Snowdrop, ‘I dare not take it.’ ‘You silly girl!’ answered the other, ‘what are you afraid of? Do you think it is poisoned? Come! do you eat one part, and I will eat the other.’ Now the apple was so made up that one side was good, though the other side was poisoned. Then Snowdrop was much tempted to taste, for the apple looked so very nice; and when she saw the old woman eat, she could wait no longer. But she had scarcely put the piece into her mouth, when she fell down dead upon the ground. ‘This time nothing will save thee,’ said the queen; and she went home to her glass, and at last it said:
与此同时，王后回到家中照镜子，看到同样的回答后气得浑身发抖，说道：‘白雪公主必须死，哪怕为此付出我的生命。’于是她独自走进房间，准备了一只毒苹果：外表红润诱人，但任何人一旦尝到必死无疑。随后，她乔装成一位农妇，翻山越岭来到小矮人的小屋前敲门；白雪公主从窗口探出头来说：‘我不敢让任何人进来，因为小矮人们叮嘱过我不许开门。’‘随你便吧，’老妇人说，‘不过至少收下这只漂亮的苹果，我送给你。’‘不，’白雪公主说，‘我不敢拿。’‘你这傻姑娘！’对方答道，‘你怕什么？难道以为这是毒苹果吗？来，你吃一半，我吃另一半。’其实这只苹果做得巧妙，一边无毒，另一边却有毒。白雪公主被那诱人的苹果深深吸引，看到老妇人先吃了一口，便再也等不及了。然而，她刚把那块苹果送进嘴里，就倒在地上死了。‘这次没人能救你了，’王后说道，然后回到家中照镜子，最后镜子说：
‘Thou, queen, art the fairest of all the fair.’
“你，王后，是所有美人中最美的。”
And then her wicked heart was glad, and as happy as such a heart could be.
于是，她那邪恶的心感到欣喜，达到了此类心灵所能拥有的最大快乐。
When evening came, and the dwarfs had gone home, they found Snowdrop lying on the ground: no breath came from her lips, and they were afraid that she was quite dead. They lifted her up, and combed her hair, and washed her face with wine and water; but all was in vain, for the little girl seemed quite dead. So they laid her down upon a bier, and all seven watched and bewailed her three whole days; and then they thought they would bury her: but her cheeks were still rosy; and her face looked just as it did while she was alive; so they said, ‘We will never bury her in the cold ground.’ And they made a coffin of glass, so that they might still look at her, and wrote upon it in golden letters what her name was, and that she was a king’s daughter. And the coffin was set among the hills, and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched. And the birds of the air came too, and bemoaned Snowdrop; and first of all came an owl, and then a raven, and at last a dove, and sat by her side.
夜幕降临，小矮人们回家后发现白雪公主躺在地上：她的嘴唇没有呼吸，他们担心她已经完全死去。他们将她抬起，梳理她的头发，用葡萄酒和水清洗她的脸庞；但一切徒劳无功，因为小女孩看起来就像死了一样。于是他们把她放在灵床上，七个小矮人守着她并哀悼了整整三天；随后他们打算埋葬她：然而她的脸颊依然红润，面容看起来和生前一模一样；因此他们说：‘我们绝不会将她葬入冰冷的土地。’于是他们用玻璃制作了一口棺材，以便仍能看见她，并用金字在上面刻下她的名字以及她是公主的身份。棺材被安放在山丘之间，其中一个小矮人始终坐在旁边守护。空中的鸟儿也前来哀悼白雪公主：首先飞来的是猫头鹰，接着是乌鸦，最后是白鸽，它们都停在她身旁。
And thus Snowdrop lay for a long, long time, and still only looked as though she was asleep; for she was even now as white as snow, and as red as blood, and as black as ebony. At last a prince came and called at the dwarfs’ house; and he saw Snowdrop, and read what was written in golden letters. Then he offered the dwarfs money, and prayed and besought them to let him take her away; but they said, ‘We will not part with her for all the gold in the world.’ At last, however, they had pity on him, and gave him the coffin; but the moment he lifted it up to carry it home with him, the piece of apple fell from between her lips, and Snowdrop awoke, and said, ‘Where am I?’ And the prince said, ‘Thou art quite safe with me.’
于是，白雪公主静静地躺了许久，看起来仿佛仍在沉睡；她依然像雪一样洁白，像血一样鲜红，像乌木一样漆黑。最后，一位王子来到小矮人的小屋，看到了白雪公主，并读出了刻在金色字母上的文字。随后，他向小矮人们提出用金钱交换，恳求他们允许他将她带走；但小矮人们回答说：‘即使拥有世间所有的黄金，我们也不会将她交出去。’然而最终，他们还是动了恻隐之心，将棺材交给了王子。就在王子抬起棺材准备带回家时，那块毒苹果从她唇间滑落，白雪公主苏醒过来，问道：‘我在哪里？’王子答道：‘你在我身边，十分安全。’
Then he told her all that had happened, and said, ‘I love you far better than all the world; so come with me to my father’s palace, and you shall be my wife.’ And Snowdrop consented, and went home with the prince; and everything was got ready with great pomp and splendour for their wedding.
于是，他将所发生的一切告诉了她，并说：‘我比世间万物都更爱你；所以跟我回我父亲的宫殿吧，你将做我的妻子。’白雪答应了他，随王子回家，婚礼的准备工作也极尽奢华隆重地展开了。
To the feast was asked, among the rest, Snowdrop’s old enemy the queen; and as she was dressing herself in fine rich clothes, she looked in the glass and said:
宴会上也邀请了白雪公主昔日的宿敌——王后；当她穿上华美的衣裳，对着镜子照看时，说道：
‘Tell me, glass, tell me true! Of all the ladies in the land, Who is fairest, tell me, who?’
告诉我，魔镜，告诉我真相！在这世间所有的女子中，谁是最美的？告诉我，是谁？
And the glass answered:
玻璃回应道：
‘Thou, lady, art loveliest here, I ween; But lovelier far is the new-made queen.’
夫人，您在此处最为美丽，我敢断言；但新晋的皇后却更为动人。
When she heard this she started with rage; but her envy and curiosity were so great, that she could not help setting out to see the bride. And when she got there, and saw that it was no other than Snowdrop, who, as she thought, had been dead a long while, she choked with rage, and fell down and died: but Snowdrop and the prince lived and reigned happily over that land many, many years; and sometimes they went up into the mountains, and paid a visit to the little dwarfs, who had been so kind to Snowdrop in her time of need.
听到这话，她顿时怒火中烧；但她的嫉妒与好奇如此强烈，以至于她忍不住动身去查看新娘。当她抵达那里，发现那正是白雪公主——她原以为对方早已死去——时，她气得几乎窒息，随即倒地身亡。而白雪公主与王子则幸福地统治着这片土地多年；有时他们还会登上高山，拜访那些曾在她危难时刻给予无私帮助的矮人。