Snegurochka

Notes

This was written for KGB's 2002 booth; approximately the first one-and-a-half paragraphs are pretty standard for fairy tales, but everything after that is original in some sense. This is a later version, significantly less stilted than the first edition.

This version written March 24th, 2002 from an earlier paraphrase.

Snegurochka

Once upon a time in Russia, there lived an old couple who had no children and were very lonely. One day, it snowed, and the old woman sighed, "If only we had children as beautiful as this snow!" With that, out from the depths of the snow timidly rose a lovely young maiden; and when she had risen she spoke, saying "I have heard you; let me be your daughter." The old man cried out at once, "Yes! You will be our Snegurochka," and from that day she took that name and lived with the old couple.

Now, Snegurochka was gentle and beautiful, but did not dare go out into the sunlight, and so she was very alone. Her only friend was the carpenter's son, Ivan Fyodorovitch, who came to her window to speak with her when he was not needed in his father's shop; and one day, Ivan fashioned a flute and played it for Snegurochka, and she was happy.

But one cold night the next winter, the old man and woman died, and Snegurochka ran weeping into the woods, for she loved them greatly, and she said to herself, "I will leave this village, and then in the spring I will melt with the snow." In a minute, Ivan arrived, for he had heard what had happened; and when he found the house deserted, he guess what she had done, and he followed her tracks into the woods. Soon she was in sight; but Snegurochka heard his steps in the snow, and cried out as she ran, "Sister Snow, rage for me a snowstorm and hide my trail." Then a great wind blew, and Ivan was blinded by the white torrent; so he called into the storm, "Brother wolf, I always fed you and hid you from the hunters and shepherds. Guide me now through this blizzard." And a grey wolf appeared, and Ivan followed him until the storm broke and he caught sight of Snegurochka once more.

Ivan called out to her on the frozen river where she was walking; but she was still lonely, and she cried, "Brother Ice, raise for me a labyrinth and imprison me inside." Then the frozen river rumbled and cracked, and she disappeared behind a colossal wall of ice. Yet Ivan did not falter, and passage by passage he worked his way into the center of the maze, where Snegurochka was hidden.

Then day was about to break, and she called out in his distress, "Father Winter, build for me a castle and shelter me within." And from the snow of the forest and the frost of the river, there was build a great fortress around her that Ivan could not pierce. Then he sat by the gates and played his flute, and Snegurochka sat hidden inside, and she grieved for the old couple she had lost.

And at last, she opened the doors and asked, "Ivan, why did you follow me when I left the village?" And Ivan gathered his courage, and answered, "Because I could not bear for you to leave." Then she wept, and asked, "But why did you search for me when I was alone in the labyrinth?" And Ivan looked long at her and answered, "Because I could not bear for you to be alone." Then she wept again, and asked, "But why did you play for me when I wept within this castle?" And he took her into his arms, and said, "Because I could not bear for you to weep." Then Snegurochka wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Ah, Ivan, one day you will die, and I will weep, and I will be alone, and then I will leave; so we must make of these days what we can."

From that day, they lived happily as one in their castle of snow; and as Ivan Fyodorovich grew old, Snegurochka remained ever a young maiden, as beautiful as the day she rose from the snow, until she passed away with Ivan in an instant, one day in the warm light of the first day of spring.

rjmccall@andrew.cmu.edu