牛郎织女

相传在很早以前，南阳城西牛家庄里有个聪明、忠厚的小伙子，父母早亡，只好跟着哥哥嫂子度日。

It is said that a long time ago, there was a clever and honest young man in Niu Jia Zhuang, west of Nanyang city. His parents had passed away early, forcing him to live with his older brother and sister-in-law.

嫂子马氏为人狠毒，经常虐待他，逼他干很多的活。

The sister-in-law, Mrs. Ma, was cruel and often abused him, forcing him to do a lot of work.

一年秋天，嫂子逼他去放牛，给他九头牛，却让他等有了十头牛时才能回家，牛郎无奈只好赶着牛出了村。

One autumn, she forced him to go herd cattle, giving him nine cows, but stating that he could only return home when he had ten. The young man, left with no choice, took the cows out of the village.

牛郎独自一人赶着牛进了山，在草深林密的山上，他坐在树下伤心，不知道何时才能赶着十头牛回家。

Alone, he drove the cows into the mountains, where the grass was deep and the forest dense. He sat under a tree, saddened, unsure of when he would be able to bring ten cows home.

这时，有位须发皆白的老人出现在他的面前，问他为何伤心。

At that moment, an old man with white hair and beard appeared before him and asked why he was so sad.

当得知他的遭遇后，笑着对他说：“别难过，在伏牛山里有一头病倒的老牛，你去好好喂养它，等老牛病好以后，你就可以赶着它回家了。

Upon learning about his situation, the old man smiled and said, "Don't be sad. In Funiu Mountain, there is an old sick cow. If you take good care of it, once it recovers, you can drive it home."

牛郎翻山越岭，走了很远的路，终于找到了那头有病的老牛。

The young man trekked over mountains and walked a long way, finally finding the sick old cow.

他看到老牛病得厉害，就去给老牛打来一捆捆草，一连喂了三天。

Seeing that the cow was severely ill, he brought it bundles of grass and fed it for three days straight.

老牛吃饱了，才抬起头告诉他：自己本是天上的灰牛大仙，因触犯了天规被贬下天来，摔坏了腿，无法动弹。

Once the old cow was full, it lifted its head and told him that it was actually a celestial being, the Grey Cow Immortal, who had been banished from heaven for breaking heavenly rules and had broken its leg in the fall, making it unable to move.

自己的伤需要用百花的露水洗一个月才能好。

Its injury needed to be treated with the dew from hundreds of flowers for a month before it could heal.

牛郎不畏辛苦，细心地照料了老牛一个月。

Undeterred by hard work, the young man carefully took care of the old cow for a month.

白天为老牛采花接露水治伤，晚上依偎在老年身边睡觉，到老牛病好后，牛郎高高兴兴赶着十头牛回了家。

During the day, he collected dew from flowers to treat the cow's wounds, and at night, he would curl up beside it to sleep. Once the old cow was healed, the young man joyfully drove the ten cows back home.

回家后，嫂子对他仍旧不好，曾几次要加害他，都被老牛设法相救。

However, upon returning home, his sister-in-law continued to mistreat him. She even attempted to harm him several times, but the old cow found ways to save him.

嫂子最后恼羞成怒把牛郎赶出家门，牛郎只要了那头老牛相随。

In a fit of rage, the sister-in-law eventually threw the young man out of the house, and he only brought the old cow with him.

一天，天上的织女和诸仙女一起下凡游戏，在河里洗澡。

One day, the Weaver Girl and other celestial maidens descended to Earth to play and bathe in the river.

牛郎在老牛的帮助下认识了织女，二人互生情意。

With the help of the old cow, the young man met the Weaver Girl, and they fell in love.

后来织女便偷偷下凡，来到人间，做了牛郎的妻子。

Later, the Weaver Girl secretly descended to Earth and became the young man's wife.

织女还把从天上带来的天蚕分给大家，并教大家养蚕，抽丝，织出又光又亮的绸缎。

She shared the heavenly silkworms she had brought from the sky with everyone and taught them how to raise silkworms, spin silk, and weave shiny satin.

牛郎和织女结婚后，男耕女织，情深意重，他们生了一男一女两个孩子，一家人生活得很幸福。

After getting married, the young man and the Weaver Girl led a life of farming and weaving, deeply in love. They had a son and a daughter, and the family lived happily together.

但是好景不长，这事很快便让天帝知道，王母娘娘亲自下凡来，强行把织女带回天上，恩爱夫妻被拆散。

However, this happiness did not last long. Soon, the Heavenly Emperor learned about it. The Queen Mother of the West personally descended to Earth and forcefully took the Weaver Girl back to heaven, separating the loving couple.

牛郎上天无路，还是老牛告诉牛郎，在它死后，可以用它的皮做成鞋，穿着就可以上天。

With no way to ascend to heaven, the young man was helped by the old cow, which told him that after it died, he could make shoes from its hide to wear when he ascended to heaven.

牛郎按照老牛的话做了，穿上牛皮做的鞋，拉着自己的儿女，一起腾云驾雾上天去追织女。

Following the cow's advice, the young man made shoes from the cow's hide, took his children, and soared into the clouds to chase after the Weaver Girl.

眼见就要追到了，岂知王母娘娘拔下头上的金簪一挥，一道波涛汹涌的天河就出现了，牛郎和织女被隔在两岸，只能相对哭泣流泪。

Just as he was about to catch up, the Queen Mother of the West waved a golden hairpin from her head, and a tumultuous Heavenly River appeared, separating the young man and the Weaver Girl on either bank, leaving them only able to weep for each other.

他们的忠贞爱情感动了喜鹊，千万只喜鹊飞来，搭成鹊桥，让牛郎织女走上鹊桥相会。

Their loyal love moved the magpies, who flew in thousands to form a Magpie Bridge, allowing the young man and the Weaver Girl to meet upon it.

王母娘娘对此也无奈，只好允许两人在每年七月七日于鹊桥相会。

Unable to prevent this, the Queen Mother of the West reluctantly allowed the couple to meet on the Magpie Bridge every year on July 7.

后来，每到农历七月初七，相传牛郎织女鹊桥相会的日子。

Since then, every year on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar, it is said that the Weaver Girl and the young man meet on the Magpie Bridge.

姑娘们就会来到花前月下，抬头仰望星空，寻找银河两边的牛郎星和织女星。

Girls would go out in flower gardens under the moonlight, looking up at the starry sky, searching for the Cowherd Star and the Weaver Girl Star on either side of the Milky Way.

希望能看到他们一年一度的相会，乞求上天能让自己能象织女那样心灵手巧，祈祷自己能有如意称心的美满婚姻，由此形成了七夕节。

They hope to witness their annual reunion, praying to the heavens to grant them craftsmanship like the Weaver Girl's, and to bless them with a perfect and fulfilling marriage, thus giving rise to the Qixi Festival.