The wind has gently murmured through the binds,or puffed with feathery softness against the windows, and occasionally sighed like a summer zephyr lifting the leaves along, the livelong night.
The meadow mouse has slept in his snug gallery in the sod, the owl has sat in a hollow tree in the depth of the swamp, the rabbit, the squirrel, and the fox have all been housed. The watch-dog has lain quiet on the hearth, and the cattle have stood silent in their stalls.The earth itself has slept, as it were its first, not its last sleep,
save when some street-sign or wood-house door has faintly creaked upon its hinge, cheering forlorn nature at her midnight work,
the only sound awake twixt Venus and Mars, - advertising us of a remote inward warmth, a divine cheer and fellowship, where gods are met together, but where it is very bleak for men to stand.
But while the earth has slumbered, all the air has been alive with feathery flakes descending, as if some northern Ceres reigned, showering her silvery grain over all the fields.
We sleep, and at length awake to the still reality of a winter morning. The snow lies warm as cotton or down upon the window-sill; the broadened sash and frosted panes admit a dim and private light, which enhances the snug cheer within.
The stillness of the morning is impressive. The floor creaks under our feet as we move toward the window to look abroad through some clear space over the fields.
We see the roofs stand under their snow burden. From the eaves and fences hang stalactites of snow, and in the yard stand stalagmites covering some concealed core.
The trees and shrubs rear white arms to the sky on every side;and where were walls and fences, we see fantastic forms stretching in frolic gambols. across the dusky landscape, as if Nature had strewn her fresh designs over the fields by night as models for man's art.
参考中文译文
风轻轻地低声吹着，吹过百叶窗，吹在窗上，轻软得好像羽毛一般;有时候数声叹息，几乎叫人想起夏季长夜漫漫和风吹动树叶的声音。
田鼠已经舒舒服服地在地底下的楼房中睡着了，猫头鹰安坐在沼地深处一棵空心树里面，兔子、松鼠、狐狸都躲在家里安居不动。看家的狗在火炉旁边安静地躺着，牛羊在栏圈里一声不响地站着。大地也睡着了——这不是长眠，这似乎是它辛勤一年以来的第一次安然入睡。
时虽半夜，大自然还是不断地忙着，只有街上商店招牌或是木屋的门轴上，偶然轻轻地发出叽格的声音，给寂寥的大自然添一些慰藉。
茫茫宇宙，在金星和火星之间，只有这些声音表示天地万物还没有全体入睡——我们想起了远处(就在心里头吧?)还有温暖，还有神圣的欢欣和友朋相聚之乐;可是这种境界是天神们互相往来时才能领略，凡人是不胜其荒凉的。
天地现在是睡着了，可是空气中还是充满了生机，鹅毛片片，不断落下，好像有一个北方的五谷女神，正在我们的田亩上撒下无数银色的谷种。
我们也睡着了，一觉醒来，正是冬天的早晨。万籁无声，雪厚厚的堆着，窗槛上像是铺了温暖的棉花;窗格子显得加宽了，玻璃上结了冰纹，光线暗淡而静，更加强了屋内的舒适愉快的感觉。
早晨的安静，似乎静在骨子里，我们走到窗口，挑了一处没有冰霜封住的地方，眺望田野的景色;可是我们单是走这几步路，脚下的地板已经在吱吱地响。
窗外一幢幢的房子都是白雪盖顶;屋檐下、篱笆上都累累地挂满了雪条;院子里像石笋似站了很多雪柱，雪里藏的是什么东西，我们却看不出来。
大树小树四面八方地伸出白色的手臂，指向天空;本来是墙壁篱笆的地方，形状更是奇怪，在昏暗的大地上面，它们向左右延伸，如跳如跃，似乎大自然一夜之间，把田野风景重新设计过，好让人间的画师来临摹。