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The Gray Hare

Author: Leo Tolstoy [More Titles by Tolstoy]

A gray hare lived during the winter near a village. When night came he

would !ric" u! one ear and listen then he would !ric" u! the other #er" his

whis"ers snu$$ and sit u! on his hind legs.

Then he would give one lea! two lea!s through the snow and sit u! again

on his hind legs and loo" all around.

%n all sides nothing was to be seen e&ce!t snow. The snow lay in billows and

glittered li"e silver. Above the hare was $rosty va!or and through this va!or

glistened the big white stars.

The hare was obliged to ma"e a long circuit across the highway to reach his

$avorite granary. %n the highway he could hear the crea"ing o$ the sledges

the whinnying o$ horses the groaning o$ the seats in the sledges.

%nce more the hare !aused near the road. The !easants were wal"ing

alongside o$ their sledges with their coat collars turned u!. Their $aces were

scarcely visible. Their beards their eyebrows were white. 'team came $romtheir mouths and noses.

Their horses were covered with sweat and the sweat grew white with hoar

$rost. The horses strained on their collars !lunged into the hollows and came

u! out o$ them again. Two old men were wal"ing side by side and one was

telling the other how a horse had been stolen $rom him.

As soon as the teams had !assed the hare crossed the road and lea!ed

unconcernedly toward the threshing($loor. A little dog belonging to the teams

caught sight o$ the hare and began to bar" and darted a$ter him.

The hare made $or the threshing($loor across the snowdri$ts. )ut the de!th o$

the snow im!eded the hare and even the dog a$ter a do*en lea!s san"

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dee! in the snow and gave u! the chase.

The hare also sto!!ed sat on his hind legs and then !roceeded at his leisure

toward the threshing($loor.

%n the way across the $ield he $ell in with two other hares. They were nibbling

and !laying. The gray hare #oined his mates hel!ed them clear away the icy

snow ate a $ew seeds o$ winter wheat and then went on his way.

+n the village it was all ,uiet- the $ires were out- the only sound on the street

was a baby crying in a cottage and the $ramewor" o$ the houses crea"ing

under the $rost.

The hare hastened to the threshing($loor and there he $ound some o$ his

mates. He !layed with them on the well(swe!t $loor ate some oats $rom the

tub on which they had already begun mounted the snow(covered roo$ into

the granary and then went through the hedge toward his hole.

+n the east the dawn was already beginning to redden the stars dwindled

and the $rosty va!or grew thic"er over the $ace o$ the earth. +n theneighboring village the women wo"e u! and went out a$ter water- the

!easants began carrying $odder $rom the granaries- the children were

shouting. Along the highway more and more teams !assed by and the

!easants tal"ed in louder tones.

The hare lea!ed across the road went to his old hole selected a !lace a little

higher u! dug away the snow curled into the de!ths o$ his new hole

stretched his ears along his bac" and went to slee! with his eyes wide o!en.

[The end]

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Leo 'herwin Tolstoys short story: The Gray Hare