--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The first snow came. How beautiful it was, falling so silently, all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead! All white save the river, that marked its course by a winding black line across the landscape, and the leafless trees, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully the wonderful beauty and intricacy of their branches! What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion([siˈklu:ʒən]n.隐居)! Every sound was muffled; every noise changed to something soft and musical. No more trampling hoofs, no more rattling wheels! Only the chiming ([tʃaim]n.和谐的钟声)of sleigh( [slei] n. 雪橇 )-bells, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children.
第一场雪
第一雪降临了。真美啊！整日整夜，悄无声息地飘落，落在高山上，落在草地上，落在生者的房顶上，落在逝者的坟茔上！万物皆白，惟有河流蜿蜒成一条墨线穿过雪野，还有无叶的林木，衬映在铅灰色天空下，此刻更显得枝桠交错，仪态万千。初雪飘落时，是何等的宁谧，何等的幽静！万籁俱寂，所有的噪音都化作柔和的音乐。再也听不见得马蹄声，也听不见嘎嘎车轮声！只有雪撬的铃声如乐，似孩子们的心在欢快地跃动。
