Prevod

Once upon a time, in the middle of winter, snowflakes were falling like feathers from the sky. A queen sat sewing at a window framed in black ebony. As she sewed and looked up at the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell into the snow. The red looked so beautiful against the white snow that she thought to herself: If only I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of this window frame! Soon afterward she had a little daughter who was as white as snow, as red as blood, and whose hair was as black as ebony, and so she was called Snow White (Little Snow White). And when the child was born, the queen died. A year later, the king took another wife. She was a beautiful woman, but proud and haughty, and she could not bear to be surpassed in beauty by anyone. She had a magic mirror, and whenever she stood before it and gazed at herself, she would say:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?" And the mirror would answer: "You, my queen, are the fairest in the land."

Then she was content, for she knew the mirror spoke the truth. But Snow White grew up and became more and more beautiful, and by the time she was seven years old, she was as lovely as the bright day and more beautiful than the queen herself. One day, when the queen asked her mirror:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?" It answered: "You, my queen, are the fairest here, But Snow White is a thousand times more fair."

Then the queen was aghast and turned yellow and green with envy. From that moment on, whenever she saw Snow White, her heart twisted within her—so deeply did she hate the girl. And envy and pride grew ever higher in her heart like weeds, until she had no peace by day or night. Then she summoned a huntsman and said: "Take the child out into the forest. I never want to set eyes on her again. You must kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as proof." The huntsman obeyed and led her away, but when he had drawn his hunting knife and was about to pierce Snow White's innocent heart, she began to weep and said: "Oh, dear huntsman, spare my life! I will run away into the wild forest and never come home again." And because she was so very beautiful, the huntsman took pity on her and said: "Run away, then, you poor child!" The wild beasts will soon have devoured you, he thought, yet he felt as though a stone had been lifted from his heart because he did not have to kill her. Just then a young wild boar came bounding past, and he killed it, took out its lungs and liver, and brought them to the queen as proof. The cook was made to boil them in salt, and the wicked woman ate them, believing she had eaten Snow White's lungs and liver.

Now the poor child was all alone in the great forest, and she was so frightened that she looked at every leaf on the trees and did not know what to do. Then she began to run, over sharp stones and through thorns, and the wild beasts leaped past her, but did her no harm. She ran as long as her feet would carry her, until evening was drawing near. Then she saw a little cottage and went inside to rest. Everything in the cottage was small, but so neat and clean that words could scarcely describe it. There stood a little table covered with a white cloth, with seven little plates, each with its own little spoon, as well as seven little knives and forks and seven little cups. Against the wall stood seven little beds side by side, covered with snow-white sheets. Because Snow White was so hungry and thirsty, she ate a little bread and vegetables from each plate and drank a drop of wine from each cup, for she did not want to take everything from any one person. Afterward, because she was so tired, she lay down in one of the little beds, but none would fit: one was too long, another too short, until at last the seventh was just right. There she stayed, commended herself to God, and fell asleep.

When it was quite dark, the masters of the cottage came home. They were the seven dwarfs, who dug and hewed in the mountains for ore. They lit their seven little lamps, and as the cottage grew bright, they saw that someone had been there, for everything was not in the same order as they had left it. The first said: "Who has been sitting in my little chair?" The second: "Who has been eating from my little plate?" The third: "Who has taken some of my little loaf?" The fourth: "Who has been eating my vegetables?" The fifth: "Who has been using my little fork?" The sixth: "Who has been cutting with my little knife?" The seventh: "Who has been drinking from my little cup?" Then the first looked around and saw a small hollow in his bed, and said: "Who has been getting into my little bed?" The others came running and cried: "Someone has been lying in mine too!" But when the seventh looked into his bed, he saw Snow White lying there asleep. He called the others, who came running and cried out in astonishment, fetched their seven little lamps, and shone them on Snow White. "Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!" they cried. "What a beautiful child!" They were so delighted that they did not wake her, but let her sleep on in the little bed. The seventh dwarf slept with his companions, an hour with each, and so the night passed. In the morning Snow White awoke, and when she saw the seven dwarfs, she was frightened. But they were friendly and asked: "What is your name?" "My name is Snow White," she answered. "How did you come to our house?" the dwarfs asked next. So she told them that her stepmother had wanted her killed, but the huntsman had spared her life, and she had run all day until at last she had found their cottage. The dwarfs said: "If you will keep house for us, cook, make the beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything neat and clean, you may stay with us, and you shall want for nothing." "Yes," said Snow White, "with all my heart!" And she stayed with them. She kept their house in order. In the mornings they went into the mountains to search for ore and gold, and in the evenings they came home, and their supper had to be ready. The girl was alone all day, so the good little dwarfs warned her: "Beware of your stepmother. She will soon learn that you are here. Be sure to let no one in!" Meanwhile, the queen, believing she had eaten Snow White's lungs and liver, was certain she was once more the first and fairest of all. She stepped before her mirror and said:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?" And the mirror answered: "You, my queen, are the fairest here, But Snow White, beyond the mountains, With the seven dwarfs, Is still a thousand times more fair."

She was aghast, for she knew the mirror never spoke an untruth, and she realized that the huntsman had deceived her and Snow White was still alive. Once again she pondered and pondered how to kill her, for as long as she was not the fairest in all the land, envy would give her no peace. At last she thought of a plan, painted her face, and dressed as an old peddler woman, until she was quite unrecognizable. In this guise she crossed the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked at the door, and called: "Fine wares for sale! For sale!" Snow White looked out of the window and called: "Good day, dear woman! What have you to sell?" "Good wares," she answered, "bodice laces of every color," and she took out one woven of brightly colored silk. I can let this honest woman in, thought Snow White, and she unbolted the door and bought the pretty lace. "Child," said the old woman, "what a sight you are! Come, let me lace you up properly." Snow White suspected no evil, stood before her, and let her lace her bodice with the new lace. But the old woman laced quickly and pulled so tight that Snow White could no longer breathe and fell down as though dead. "Now your days as the fairest are over," she said, and hurried away. Not long afterward, toward evening, the seven dwarfs came home. How frightened they were when they saw their dear Snow White lying on the floor, neither stirring nor moving, as though she were dead. They lifted her up, and when they saw that she was laced too tightly, they cut the lace in two. Then she began to breathe a little and gradually came back to life. When the dwarfs heard what had happened, they said: "That old peddler woman was none other than the wicked queen. Take care, and let no one in when we are not with you!" But when the wicked woman reached home, she went before the mirror and asked:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?" It answered as before: "You, my queen, are the fairest here, But Snow White, beyond the mountains, With the seven dwarfs, Is still a thousand times more fair."

When she heard this, all the blood rushed to her heart, so great was her shock, for she knew that Snow White had come back to life. "Now," she said, "I shall think of something that will be the ruin of you." And with the witchcraft she knew, she made a poisoned comb. Then she disguised herself again, taking on the appearance of a different old woman. In this guise she crossed the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked at the door, and called: "Fine wares for sale! For sale!" Snow White looked out and said: "Go on your way. I must not let anyone in!" "Surely you are allowed to look," said the old woman, drawing out the poisoned comb and holding it up. The child liked it so much that she let herself be tempted and opened the door. When they had agreed on the price, the old woman said: "Now let me comb your hair properly." Poor Snow White suspected nothing and let the old woman have her way, but scarcely had she put the comb into her hair when the poison took effect and the girl fell down unconscious. "You paragon of beauty," said the wicked woman, "now you are done for," and she went away. Fortunately, it was nearly evening, when the seven little dwarfs came home. When they saw Snow White lying on the floor as though dead, they at once suspected her stepmother, searched, and found the poisoned comb. No sooner had they drawn it out than Snow White came to herself again and told them what had happened. Once more they warned her to be on her guard and open the door to no one. At home, the queen stood before her mirror and said:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?" It answered as before: "You, my queen, are the fairest here, But Snow White, beyond the mountains, With the seven dwarfs, Is still a thousand times more fair."

When she heard the mirror speak this way, she shook and trembled with rage. "Snow White shall die," she cried, "even if it costs me my own life!" Then she went into a hidden, secluded chamber where no one ever came, and there she made a deadly, deadly poisoned apple. On the outside it looked beautiful, white with red cheeks, so that everyone who saw it longed for it; but whoever ate a little piece of it was sure to die. When the apple was ready, she painted her face and disguised herself as a peasant woman, and in this guise she crossed the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs. She knocked at the door. Snow White put her head out of the window and said: "I must not let anyone in. The seven dwarfs have forbidden me!" "That is all right by me," answered the peasant woman. "I shall soon find buyers for my apples. Here, I will give you one." "No," said Snow White, "I must not accept anything!" "Are you afraid of poison?" said the old woman. "Look, I will cut the apple in two. You eat the red cheek, and I will eat the white." But the apple had been so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisoned. Snow White gazed longingly at the beautiful apple, and when she saw the peasant woman eating it, she could resist no longer. She reached out her hand and took the poisoned half. But scarcely had she a bite of it in her mouth when she fell dead to the ground. Then the queen gazed at her with a terrible look, laughed aloud, and said: "White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony! This time the dwarfs cannot wake you again." And when she questioned her mirror at home:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?" It answered at last: "You, my queen, are the fairest in the land."

Then her envious heart was at peace, as far as an envious heart can ever be at peace. When the little dwarfs came home that evening, they found Snow White lying on the floor. No breath came from her mouth, and she was dead. They lifted her up and searched for anything poisonous, unlaced her bodice, combed her hair, and washed her with water and wine, but nothing helped: the dear child was dead and remained dead. They laid her on a bier, and all seven sat beside her and mourned her, weeping for three days. Then they wished to bury her, but she still looked as fresh as a living person and still had her lovely red cheeks. They said: "We cannot lower her into the dark earth." So they had a transparent glass coffin made, so that she could be seen from every side, laid her inside it, and wrote her name upon it in golden letters, adding that she was a king's daughter. Then they placed the coffin out on the mountain, and one of them always stayed beside it to keep watch. The animals came too and mourned Snow White: first an owl, then a raven, and last a little dove. Now Snow White lay in the coffin for a long, long time and did not decay, but looked as though she were sleeping, for she was still as white as snow, as red as blood, and her hair as black as ebony. It happened that a king's son came into the forest and went to the dwarfs' cottage to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the mountain, and the beautiful Snow White inside it, and read what was written upon it in golden letters. Then he said to the dwarfs: "Let me have the coffin. I will give you whatever you ask for it." But the dwarfs answered: "We would not give it up for all the gold in the world." Then he said: "Give it to me as a gift, for I cannot live without seeing Snow White. I will honor and cherish her as the dearest thing I have." When he spoke this way, the good little dwarfs took pity on him and gave him the coffin. The king's son had his servants carry it away on their shoulders. But it happened that they stumbled over a bush, and the jolt dislodged the piece of poisoned apple Snow White had bitten off, and it came out of her throat. Before long she opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, and sat up, alive once more. "Oh, God, where am I?" she cried. The king's son said joyfully: "You are with me," and told her what had happened. Then he said: "I love you more than anything in the world. Come with me to my father's castle, and you shall be my wife." Snow White felt affection for him and went with him, and their wedding was arranged with great splendor and magnificence. Snow White's wicked stepmother was also invited to the feast. When she had dressed herself in fine clothes, she stood before the mirror and said:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?" The mirror answered: "You, my queen, are the fairest here, But the young queen is a thousand times more fair."

Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and she was so frightened, so terribly frightened, that she did not know what to do. At first she did not want to go to the wedding at all, but she could find no peace: she had to go and see the young queen. And when she entered, she recognized Snow White and stood rooted to the spot in fear and horror, unable to move. But iron slippers had already been set over a coal fire, and they were brought in with tongs and placed before her. Then she had to step into the red-hot shoes and dance until she fell dead to the ground.