昔々、武蔵の国に茂作と巳之吉という二人の木こりがいた。茂作はすでに老いていたが、弟子の巳之吉はまだ若く元気であった。ある冬の日のこと、二人が山で木を切っていると、突然猛烈な吹雪に見舞われた。帰るに帰れず、二人は近くの渡し守の小屋に避難するほかなかった。火の気もない冷たい小屋の中で、二人は疲れ果てて眠りについたのである。
Long, long ago, in the province of Musashi, there were two woodcutters named Mosaku and Minokichi. Mosaku was already old, but his apprentice Minokichi was still young and energetic. One winter day, while the two were cutting wood in the mountains, they were suddenly struck by a fierce blizzard. Unable to return home, they had no choice but to take refuge in a nearby ferryman's hut. In the cold hut without any fire, the two exhausted men fell asleep.
夜中、巳之吉は顔に冷たい息がかかるのを感じて目を覚ました。驚いたことに、白装束を着た美しい女が、茂作の上にかがみ込んでいるではないか。彼女の吐く息は白く凍りつくようで、茂作はすでに息絶えていた。「お前も同じようにしてやろうかと思ったものの、まだ若いゆえに命を助けてやろう。ただし、今夜見たことを誰かに話そうものなら、すぐにお前を殺す」と冷たく言い残し、雪女は嵐の中に消えていった。
In the middle of the night, Minokichi woke up feeling a cold breath on his face. To his surprise, a beautiful woman dressed in white robes was leaning over Mosaku. Her breath was white and freezing, and Mosaku had already drawn his last breath. "I thought of doing the same to you, but because you are still young, I will spare your life. However, if you tell anyone about what you saw tonight, I will kill you immediately," the Snow Woman left these cold words and vanished into the storm.
それから一年が経ち、巳之吉はお雪という美しく気立ての良い娘と出会い、夫婦となった。二人の間には十人もの子供が生まれ、家庭は笑い声に満ちていた。お雪はどれほど年を重ねても若々しく、全く老いる様子はなかった。村人たちも「巳之吉はあんなに美しい妻を持つことができて、本当に幸せ者だ」と羨むほどであった。
A year passed, and Minokichi met a beautiful and good-natured girl named O-Yuki, and they became husband and wife. Ten children were born between the two, and the home was filled with laughter. No matter how many years passed, O-Yuki remained youthful and showed no signs of aging at all. Even the villagers envied him, saying, "Minokichi is truly a lucky man to have such a beautiful wife."
ある晩、子どもたちが寝静まった後、巳之吉は針仕事をしている妻の横顔を見つめながら、ふと昔の恐ろしい出来事を思い出した。「こうして見ていると、十八の時に山で出会った雪女のことを思い出す。あの夜の出来事は、夢だったのか現実だったのか、今でも分からないのだ」と、決して話してはならないと言われていた秘密を、つい口にしてしまったのである。
One night, after the children had fallen fast asleep, Minokichi watched his wife's profile as she did needlework and suddenly remembered the terrifying event of long ago. "Watching you like this reminds me of the Snow Woman I met in the mountains when I was eighteen. I still don't know if what happened that night was a dream or reality," he finally spoke the secret he was told never to mention.
その言葉を聞いた瞬間、お雪は顔を上げ、恐ろしい表情に変わった。「あの時、誰かに話せば殺すと言ったはずです。お前を殺してしまおうかと思う反面、残された子どもたちが不憫でならない。もし子どもたちを粗末に扱うようなことがあれば、私は決して許さないから」そう言い終えるか終わらないかのうちに、彼女の体は白い冷気となり、屋根の隙間から夜空へと消えていった。それ以来、お雪の姿を見た者は誰もいない。
The moment she heard those words, O-Yuki raised her head, and her expression changed to a terrifying one. "I told you then that I would kill you if you spoke of it to anyone. While I think of killing you, I cannot help but feel pity for the children left behind. If you ever treat the children poorly, I will never forgive you." Almost before she finished saying this, her body turned into a white chill and vanished into the night sky through a gap in the roof. Since then, no one has ever seen O-Yuki again.