从前，有一个充满奇趣的地方，它离春天的新绿很远，又离夏天的炎热很近。这里有金灿灿的叶子在微风中沙沙作响。这里祥和宁静，却永远期待着变化的降临。小鹅在这里梳理他们新生的羽毛，准备动身飞往南方。这里还有麻雀、猎鹰和知更鸟，他们停留在这里，却不会永远停留在这里：飞向南方的旅程漫长而艰辛，鸟儿们都会在这里歇歇脚。这个美丽的地方就是秋落山谷。在迎来白雪的季节前，这里是一个尽享金秋明媚美景的好地方。
Far beyond the newness of spring, and just a bit past the warmth of summer lies a land of wondrous delight. A place of golden leaves rustling in gentle breezes. A quiet place that seems to anticipate the changes to come. A place of preening goslings ready to fly south. A place of sparrows, hawks and robins, stopping here but not a part of here, resting on their difficult journey south. For this was Autumn-Fall, a place of yellow-golden delight in which to pause before the Season of Snow.
秋落山谷里生活着许多奇妙的动物，而他们之中最特别的就是熊。他们在满地金灿灿的白桦叶中跑来跑去，这里翻一翻，那里找一找，到处寻找着各种吃的东西。在白雪的季节到来之前，熊必须吃得饱饱的，才能安心去冬眠，做着春日和夏天的美梦，熬过整个冬天。他们到处找甜丝丝的小浆果，以及胀鼓鼓的各种莓子，能找到多少就吃多少，因为即将到来的冬天既寒冷又漫长。
贪吃的熊最喜欢的就是蜂蜜了。黄金似的蜂房深藏在老橡树的窟窿里，熊会坐在树洞边上，一边听任蜜蜂绕着自己的脑袋嗡嗡叫，一边狼吞虎咽地吃个不停。他们现在吃得越多，过冬的时候就越踏实。
Of all the wondrous creatures that lived in the Autumn-Fall the bears were the most special. Just before the Season of Snow these animals hibernated and slept away the cold with dreams of spring and summer.But before they slept the bears had to eat, and eat they did! They raced about, scattering the golden aspen leaves, looking for a bit of this and a bit of that.
They ate tiny sweet nuts and plump ripe berries. The bears’ favorite meal, though, was the golden honeycomb which was kept in the hollow oak tree. As bees buzzed about them, the bears sat covered in the sticky sweetness, eating more and more to protect them from the coming chill. They ate all this and much more, for the Season of Snow can be a long, cold winter.
虽然所有熊都应该很喜欢吃东西，可是，有一只圆乎乎的小熊不太一样，他的名字叫叮当。叮当是在这一年春天出生的，他不停地到处玩耍，连吃东西都顾不上了。当然，小熊叮当知道，熊不吃东西是不行的，但是吃东西有什么意思呢？他刚往嘴里扔了几颗坚果，突然有一只蜜蜂嗡嗡地唱着飞过，或者一只花栗鼠吱吱地嘟囔了几句，叮当就扔下吃的跑去玩了。
All of the bears ate, that is, except for one little cub called Jingle Bear.Born earlier that spring of Big Poppa and Little Momma Bear, Jingle played and played instead of eating. The fuzzy bear knew he should eat but playing was just much more fun. Oh, sometimes he nibbled on a nut or two, but then he got distracted by a buzzing bee or a chattering chipmunk and off he went, looking for some new game to play.
大大的爸爸熊和小小的妈妈熊，也就是叮当的爸爸妈妈，为了让叮当乖乖吃饭可没少发愁，但叮当就是不肯听话。他们好不容易围坐在一起，拿出涂满蜂蜜的莓子准备好好吃一顿，叮当却追着一只黄蜂爬到小树梢上去了。
每当小熊叮当这样跑开的时候，小小的妈妈熊就会摇摇自己的脑袋，抬头看看大大的爸爸熊，他们都不知道该怎么办。他们担心极了，因为他们知道，为了能在白雪的季节里睡一个长长的好觉，叮当必须吃很多东西才行。
Jingle’s parents, Big Poppa and Little Momma Bear, tried to get him to eat the nuts and berries and honey of the forest but to no avail.Each time they sat down to a scrumptious meal of berries smothered in golden honey, Jingle Bear just wandered off—sometimes to catch a butterfly, sometimes to chase a bumbling bee up a tiny tree.
As he dashed off hither, thither and yon, Little Momma Bear shook her head and looked at Big Poppa, neither of them knowing what to do.They were very concerned, for they knew that Jingle had to eat all he could before the Season of Snow, the time of dreams and deep sleep.
叮当多贪玩呀！除了到处玩耍之外，他最喜欢的就是听花栗鼠们七嘴八舌地讲白雪老爹的故事了。叮当总是一边听着，一边放飞自己的奇思妙想。
“等树上的叶子都落了，一年中最长的一个黑夜到来两天前，白雪老爹就会从北方慢慢地溜达过来，身上背着装满了好东西的大口袋。他会把礼物送给每个在长长的冬夜里醒着的小动物。老爹的口袋里装着的礼物又多又好，但里面最奇妙的是白雪，白闪闪、亮晶晶的白雪。老爹会把白雪像毯子一样铺满整片森林，和白雪一同降临的还有一种特别的寂静，给整片森林带来一种神奇的魔力。”
这个故事叮当已经听过至少一百遍了，但是，每次听到这个故事，他都会忍不住浮想联翩，做着白雪老爹和神奇礼物的白日梦。
Oh, how Jingle loved to play! But he also loved to listen to the chipmunks chatter and chatter, telling their wondrous tales of Father Snow. He sat and listened with rapt wonder as once again a chipmunk told the tale.
“Just after all the leaves have fallen from the trees, two days beyond the longest night, Father Snow comes crunching out of the north. His bag is full of gifts and goodies for all the creatures that stay awake during the long, cold winter. Gifts and presents galore, but the most special gift of all is the gift of Snow. Snow. White, crystalline snow which Father Snow spreads like a blanket over the forest. And with the snow comes a special silence, and the whole forest becomes a mighty,magic place.”
Jingle Bear had heard this story a hundred times before, but each time he listened, spellbound, as he dreamed about Father Snow and the magic of his gift.
有一天，小小的妈妈熊好不容易才哄着叮当好好地吃了一些甜榛子。叮当忍不住问妈妈：“白雪老爹是真的吗？”
“当然是真的啦。”妈妈熊一边用厚厚的绿色苔藓把枕头填得满满的，一边漫不经心地回答着。
“那我能见见他吗？”叮当问，嘴里嚼着脆脆的坚果。
“当然不能啦！”妈妈熊说，“白雪老爹来的时候，你就应该和大家一起去睡觉了。”
叮当没有说话，他一边默默地吃着东西，一边在脑子里盘算着一个好主意。
One day when Little Momma cornered Jingle Bear long enough to get him to eat some sweet hazel nuts, the little bear asked, “Momma, is there really a Father Snow?”
“Of course,” Little Momma murmured as she fluffed up some pillows of thick green moss.
“Can I see him?” Jingle asked, crunching on a large, tasty nut.
“Of course not!” Little Momma said. “For when Father Snow arrives,you, like the rest of us, will be fast asleep.”
But Jingle Bear did not reply. He quietly munched and munched,thinking of a marvelous plan.
几个星期过去了，白天变得越来越短，黑夜也变得越来越冷。大大的爸爸熊、小小的妈妈熊和小熊叮当都做好了冬眠的准备。他们的山洞里早就垫好了厚厚的柏树枝和香喷喷的鼠尾草，一家三口在洞里挤成一团，很快就睡熟了。
可是，当妈妈熊和爸爸熊挨在一起做着美梦的时候，小熊叮当只是假装睡着了。他先是偷偷地睁开一只眼睛，接着又睁开一只，最后伸出了毛茸茸的小脑袋——叮当行动起来啦。他生怕吵醒了爸爸妈妈，于是轻手轻脚地溜出山洞，钻进外面凉飕飕的深秋清晨。
Several weeks later when the days seemed shorter and the nights much colder, Big Poppa, Little Momma, and Jingle Bear prepared to go into their long winter’s nap. They curled up together in a cave filled with juniper boughs and sweet-smelling sage and fell fast asleep.
Little Momma and Big Poppa snuggled up nose-to-nose, dreaming beautiful dreams of spring, but Jingle Bear just pretended to be asleep.First one eye opened and then another, and then the little furry bear set his plan in motion. Careful not to disturb his parents, he slipped out of the cave and out into the brisk fall day.
叮当兴奋极了，蹦蹦跳跳地越过山沟，越过乱石，又哗啦啦地越过冰凉的小溪。小熊跑进光秃秃的柳树和桦树林，到处寻找白雪老爹。
但是，他很快就发现，除了自己，四下连个影子也没有。小熊一边用鼻子嗅着，一边用最大的声音喊道：“白雪老爹！白雪老爹！我是小熊叮当呀！我在这儿找你呢！”回答他的却只有空****的树林里的回声。
With an excited tingle, Jingle Bear dashed over a ridge and splashed through an icy stream. Over the rocks and through the naked willows and aspens of the valley he ran, looking for Father Snow.
But slowly he began to realize that there was no one else around and he snuffled and roared as loud as he could, “Father Snow! Father Snow!It’s Jingle Bear! I’m here!” But the only sound was a stark echo ringing through the sleeping trees.
叮当跑啊跑啊，跑过结着冰的草原，一直跑到一棵空心的老橡树前面。“喂，松鼠们！”他大喊起来，“起来吧！快起来吧！白雪老爹就要来啦！”
橡树里一直没有回音，小熊叮当开始推着树干摇晃起来。他摇了很久很久，才有一只皮毛发灰的老松鼠慢慢地走出来，爬到叮当头顶的一根树杈上。“白雪老爹当然要来了，”老松鼠嘟囔着，“他会等你上床睡觉后到来！快回去睡觉吧，小熊！白雪老爹只会到你的梦里去的。”老松鼠一说完，就马上钻回暖和的树洞里睡觉去了。
“看来只有我能看见白雪老爹和他的礼物了。”小熊叮当没有放弃寻找。
He ran and ran and finally came to a special hollow oak tree at the edge of a frozen meadow. “Hey, squirrels!” he yelled, “Father Snow is coming. Wake up! Wake up!”
Jingle shook and shook the tree until finally an old grizzled squirrel came out on the branch right above Jingle’s head. “Of course Father Snow is coming,” he grumbled, “and he’ll come right after you go to bed! So, be off little bear and fall asleep, for Father Snow will only come in your dreams so deep.” With that the old squirrel slipped back inside his warm old tree and fell back to blissful sleep.
“I guess I’m the only one who’s going to see Father Snow and the magic gift,” said Jingle Bear as he continued on his search for a waking dream.
他走啊走啊，在每个地方寻找着白雪老爹的身影，可是他什么也没找到。原本明亮的天空中渐渐地铺满了乌云，虽然还是大白天，叮当却觉得身边越来越暗，越来越暗。突然，天上缓缓落下一片水晶似的雪花，接着是第二片，刚好落在小熊亮晶晶的黑鼻头上。
叮当激动地到处张望起来，因为他知道有雪花的地方一定也有白雪老爹和他的礼物。然而，他左看右看，除了秋落山谷里光秃秃的树木，还是什么也没有。
He walked and walked, searching everywhere for Father Snow, but he found nothing. Slowly, the bright sky began to darken with heavy black clouds, and though it was still daytime, Jingle found himself walking in the dark all alone. Suddenly, one, then two crystal snowflakes gently floated down and landed at the very tip of his shiny black nose.
Jingle Bear looked around excitedly, for he knew that where there are snowflakes there must also be Father Snow and his gifts of the Season of Snow. But there was nothing around him save for the barren trees of the land of Autumn-Fall.
小熊叮当伤心地想，爸爸熊和妈妈熊的话果然没错，只有等到他睡着了，白雪老爹才会来。冰凉的眼泪顺着他毛茸茸的小脸儿流了下来，好像挂在屋檐下的冰棱。小熊拖着沉重的步子，开始慢吞吞地往家走。
“可能本来就没有什么白雪老爹吧！”小熊叮当边走边小声嘟囔着。
Sadly, Jingle Bear realized that Big Poppa and Little Momma Bear were right when they said that Father Snow wouldn’t come until after he fell asleep. With heavy steps and frozen tears gliding down his furry face, the sad small bear turned to go back home.
“There probably isn’t any old Father Snow anyway!” he muttered as he stumbled on his way.
叮当走着走着，突然发现自己找不到回家的路了。更糟糕的是，随着雪越下越大，小熊根本搞不清楚自己走到了哪里。
他感觉身上越来越冷，困劲儿也越来越大，最后连一步都走不动了。于是，叮当只好钻进一棵老松树底下的树坑里。他冻得牙齿直打战，一边嘀咕着“根本就没有白雪老爹，根本就没有白雪老爹”，一边迷迷糊糊地睡着了。
如果可怜的小熊叮当在这里睡下去，那他一定会被冻成冰的。幸好，来了一个留着长胡子的神秘人，他轻轻地抱起小熊，温柔地把他搂在自己的怀里。
He walked and walked, but with each step he took, he became more and more lost. To make matters worse, much worse, the snow was beginning to fall heavily now and he couldn’t see where he was going at all. And Jingle Bear was getting colder and colder and feeling oh, so sleepy.
He was so sleepy, in fact, that he couldn’t move another step. So,with his teeth chattering, Jingle Bear burrowed in at the base of a pine tree and fell into a dreamless sleep, muttering, “There is no Father Snow...There is no Father Snow!”
Poor Jingle Bear could have frozen right there and never thawed until spring—but wait! A shadowy shape with a long, flowing beard carefully picked him up and held him gently in his arms.
伴随着一阵精神头十足的笑声，白雪老爹变出了一道神奇的魔法闪光，一下子就到了叮当的家里。他轻轻地把熟睡的小熊放在爸爸熊和妈妈熊中间。
“白雪老爹当然是真的呀，”他笑呵呵地说，“可是我不会在你们醒着的时候来的，因为你们非冬眠不可。”在群星与月亮的光芒下，白雪老爹施展魔法，为秋落山谷带来了白雪的季节。他又挥了挥手臂，在消失前送了大大的爸爸熊、小小的妈妈熊和小熊叮当一份最贵重的礼物，这份礼物就是爱。
迷迷糊糊的小熊叮当睁开一只小眼睛，不知道刚才发生的一切是不是做梦。然后，他深深地叹了一口气，又打了一个大大的哈欠，进入了温暖而漫长的冬日梦乡。
With a cheerful chuckle and a flash of magic, Father Snow whisked them both back to Jingle Bear’s cave. Once there, he lay the peaceful sleeping bear right between Big Poppa and Little Momma.
“Yes,” laughed the shadowy form, “there is a Father Snow. But I’ll never come to you while you’re awake because it is to sleep that you must go.” In a burst of starshine and moonglow he cast the land of Autumn-Fall into the magical Season of Snow. Then, with a sweep of his arm and a wave of his hand he gave Big Poppa, Little Momma and Jingle Bear the most precious gift of all, the gift of love—and then he disappeared.
A sleepy little bear opened one eye and wondered if all this magic was nothing more than a dream. Then, with a deep, deep sigh and one single yawn he fell into a warm winter’s sleep.
佳节就在明日，心儿雀跃不已。若不安心入梦，明日如何降临？
THE HOLIDAYS ARE TOMORROW YOUR HEART SEEMS TO LEAP
BUT TOMORROW WILL ONLY COME RIGHT AFTER YOU FALL ASLEE