每年农历七月初七，被称为“七夕”。关于这个节日，有一个美丽的传说。

Every year in China a festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month by the lunar calendar, called the “Double Seventh.” Connected with it is a beautiful legend.

相传，古时候有个名为牛郎的男孩，父母很早就去世了。他在哥哥嫂嫂家里生活。嫂嫂嫌他累赘，常常对他又打又骂。他刚到 16 岁，哥哥嫂嫂就把他赶出家门，给了他一头老牛，让他自立门户。从此，他与老牛一道耕田犁地，相依为命。

It is said that in ancient times there was a young man known as Herdboy ( 牛郎 ). His parents had died and left him an orphan at an early age, and he lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. The latter resented him bitterly, and often beat and scolded him. When Herdboy reached the age of sixteen his brother and sister-in-law expelled him from the house with only an old ox as his inheritance. Herdboy engaged in farming, the ox drawing the plow.

一天，日落西山，牛郎牵着老牛，拖着疲惫的身体走回家。突然，老牛竟然开口说话了！它告诉牛郎，今晚会有天上的仙女下凡到河边戏水，并劝他前去。

One day, as the sun was setting behind the western hills, Herdboy and the ox were plodding their weary way home, when the ox suddenly started to speak. It told Herdboy that fairies would descend from Heaven that very evening to play in a nearby river, and urged him to go there.

牛郎感到非常惊奇，好奇心让他夜幕降临时来到河边，只见漆黑的夜空中闪现了点点星光逐渐幻化成一个个女子的形象。仙女们果然来了！她们一落地，便将身披的羽衣脱下，跃入水中尽情嬉戏起来。牛郎躲在河边的树丛里，看着仙女们玩耍打闹。他发现其中最小的那个仙女娇小玲珑，笑容花朵般甜美动人，顿时心中荡漾起爱慕的波澜，情不自禁地悄悄捡起她的羽衣，藏了起来。

Herdboy was amazed, but curiosity compelled him to go to the river just as night was closing in. There in the pitch-dark night he seemed to see the forms of girls twinkling like stars. Fairies had indeed come down to Earth! As each one descended, she doffed her winged garment, and began to splash about and play in the water. Herdboy, hiding in a clump of trees near the river, watched the fairies’ graceful movements. He found the youngest fairy particularly attractive. Her smiling face moved Herdboy’s heart, and he instantly fell in love with her. On an impulse, he snatched up and hid her winged garment.

天要亮了，仙女们纷纷上岸，穿起羽衣飞回天上去。只有最小的仙女——织女，始终找不到自己的羽衣，急得哭了起来。牛郎赶忙从树林中跑出来，把羽衣交还给她，并羞涩地向她表达自己的情意。织女破涕为笑，决定留下来和他多相处几天再回到天上。

Just before dawn, the fairies scrambled back onto the river bank. Donning their winged robes, they flew back to Heaven – all except the youngest, known as Weaving Maid ( 织 女 ), whose job was to make beautiful clouds in the sky. Unable to find her own clothes, she burst into tears. Herdboy rushed out of the trees, handed to her her winged robe, and bashfully confessed his love for her. Weaving Maid, changing her tears into smiles, decided to stay with Herdboy for a few days before returning to Heaven.

结果，几天、几个月过去，织女渐渐爱上了勤劳朴实又聪明能干的牛郎，决定嫁给他。结婚后，牛郎与织女男耕女织，又生育了一双儿女，生活得非常幸福。织女是所有仙女中最擅长纺织和刺绣的，她织出来的布匹让全村全镇都赞叹不已。

But the days turned into months, and Weaving Maid gradually came to love diligent, clever and capable Herdboy. She decided to marry him. One year later, their son and daughter were born. With Herdboy farming and Weaving Maid weaving, together with their children, they led a happy life. Weaving Maid had been the most skilful weaver in Heaven, and of course the cloth she wove in her new life was the wonder of the village and famous for miles around.

天帝听闻这件事，怒不可遏，让王母娘娘将织女带回天上。牛郎眼看着爱妻被强行带走，心如刀割却无可奈何，两个孩子更是哇哇大哭。老牛见到此景，便将自己的牛角折断，化成了一艘小船。牛郎抱着两个孩子，乘着小船向天上追去。

When the Lord of Heaven heard what had happened, he was exceedingly angry. He ordered the Queen Mother of the West to fetch Weaving Maid back. As Herdboy watched his beloved Weaving Maid being forcibly taken away, he felt as though a knife had pierced his heart. But there was nothing he could do. The babies wailed loudly. Seeing this, the old ox shed one of his horns, which turned into a small boat floating in the air. Herdboy took the two babies with him, got on to the boat, and soared up to Heaven in pursuit of Weaving Maid.

就要追上织女时，却见王母娘娘拔下头上金簪向后一划，一条波涛汹涌的银河凭空出现，将牛郎拦住了。牛郎与织女只得隔水相望，但他们的心却紧密相连。终于，他们坚贞的爱情打动了天帝，允许他们每年七月初七相会。那一天，无数喜鹊相聚于银河，为他们搭起连通两岸的鹊桥，牛郎带着儿女与织女在桥上团圆。

Just as they were catching up with the Queen Mother, she took a hairpin from her hair, and drew a magic line behind her, which turned into a raging river known as the Milky Way. This barred the progress of Herdboy. He and Weaving Maid could only gaze helplessly at each other across the chasm, still linked, however, in their hearts. At length, their pure love moved the Lord of Heaven, and he gave permission for them to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh Lunar month. On that day countless numbers of magpies flock to the Milky Way to form a bridge with their bodies so that Herdboy and Weaving Maid can be reunited in the middle.

这就是牛郎织女的故事。后来，古代女子羡慕织女高超的女红技巧，敬佩她对爱情的坚贞，向她乞巧求福，“七夕”也逐渐成为中国民间极富人情味的节日。

This is the story of Herdboy and Weaving Maid. From then on, girls in ancient China had great admiration for Weaving Maid’s superior skill at weaving, as well as for her steadfast love. They prayed to her specially to give them needlework skills and good fortune. The “Double Seventh” gradually became a festival full of emotion for the Chinese people.

以上内容摘编自《用英语讲中国故事》

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