The Chinese myth of the forbidden lovers - Shannon Zhao

Translator: Sabela R. Ríos Reviewer: Xusto Rodriguez

In the celestial court of the Jade Emperor lived seven princesses.

No palacio celestial do emperador de Xade vivían sete princesas.

Each had their chosen place in court,

Cada unha tiña a súa función na corte,

but the youngest princess had a special skill.

pero a máis pequena tiña unha habilidade especial.

She could pluck clouds from the sky and spin them into the softest robes.

Podía coller as nubes do ceo e tecelas para facer a mellor roupa.

Her work was so precise,

O seu traballo era tan meticuloso

not even the most expert eye could find a seam.

que nin os mellores expertos eran quen de atopar as costuras.

But her craft was the same day after day, and she longed for new inspiration.

No entanto, o traballo era sempre igual e devecía por unha nova inspiración.

Finally, the Queen Mother granted the weaver permission to visit Earth.

Foi entón cando a Raíña Nai lle permitiu visitar a Terra.

The other princesses would accompany her

O resto das princesas acompañaríana

to protect their sister from earthly dangers.

para protexela dos perigos terrestres.

Dressed in special robes that allowed them to fly between Heaven and Earth,

Vestíronse cunhas roupas especiais que lles permitían cruzar do Ceo á Terra,

the sisters soared down from the sky.

e as irmás comezaron a baixar do ceo.

The weaver was in awe of the rolling hills and rivers,

A tecedeira ficou asombrada coas montañas e os ríos

and the sisters decided to swim in one of the glittering streams.

e as irmás decidiron nadar nun dos ríos relucentes.

As the weaver floated, she dreamt about staying forever.

Mentres a tecedeira flotaba, soñaba con quedar alí para sempre.

Meanwhile, a lone cowherd approached the riverbank.

Entón, un pastor que andaba só chegou á ribeira.

He came here often to sweep his parent’s grave

El ía moito por alí para limpar a tumba do seu pai

and speak with his only companion—

e falar coa súa única compaña

a stoic bull who listened patiently to the cowherd’s sorrows.

—un boi estoico que escoitaba con paciencia as penas do pastor.

But upon seeing the weaver’s beauty, the cowherd forgot his routine.

Cando o pastor viu a beleza da tecedeira, esqueceu a súa rutina.

While he longed to introduce himself, his lonely lifestyle had made him timid.

Aínda que el devecía por presentarse, a súa vida solitaria virárao tímido.

Thankfully, the bull saw his friend's plight and offered some advice.

Afortunadamente, o boi, que o viu en apuros, deulle un consello.

He told the cowherd of the swimmer’s celestial origins

Contoulle sobre as orixes celestiais da moza que estaba a nadar

and of her dream to stay on Earth;

e tamén sobre o seu desexo de quedar na Terra;

but also that she could only remain if she lost her ticket back to Heaven.

pero tamén que só podería quedar se perdía o seu billete de volta ao Ceo.

As the cowherd approached, the princesses flew away in fear—

Cando o pastor se acercou, as princesas, asustadas, marcharon voando

leaving their dreaming sister behind.

e deixaron a súa irmá, que seguía a soñar, atrás.

While keeping her magic robes hidden,

O pastor escondeulle as roupas máxicas

the cowherd offered his own garment as a substitute.

e ofreceulle as súas vestimentas no canto das dela.

And after gaining her trust, the pair began exploring the countryside.

Tras gañar a súa confianza, marcharon os dous explorar a paisaxe.

She was struck by his caring nature,

Ela adoraba o seu carácter protector,

and he learned to see the world’s wonder through her eyes.

e el aprendeu a ver as marabillas do mundo a través dos ollos da tecedeira.

Before long, the two had fallen deeply in love.

Os dous ficaron namorados axiña.

The weaver and the cowherd built a prosperous life.

A tecedeira e o pastor tiñan unha vida próspera.

Their farm flourished, and the weaver taught her skills to local villagers.

A súa granxa medrara e a tecedeira ensináralles aos veciños a tecer coma ela.

As time marched on, the pair was blessed with two healthy children,

Pasou o tempo e a parella tivo dous fillos sans,

but their bull was growing old.

pero o boi ía envellecendo.

Before he died, the bull implored the family to keep his hide

Antes de morrer, o boi pediulle á familia que o escondesen

and use its magic at their time of need.

e que empregasen a súa maxia cando fose necesaria.

While the husband grieved for his friend,

Mentres o pastor choraba a perda do seu amigo,

the weaver’s mind turned to her other family.

a tecedeira lembrou a súa outra familia.

Dusting off her magical robe, she decided to pay a visit to the heavens.

Puxo as súas roupas máxicas e decidiu visitar os ceos.

But when the weaver swept into her old home,

Pero, ao chegar á súa antiga casa,

no one seemed surprised to see her.

ninguén se sorprendía de vela.

With a start, she realized that barely any time had passed—

Atónita, comprendeu que non pasara case nada de tempo:

for a year on Earth was merely a day in Heaven.

un ano na Terra non era máis que un día no Ceo.

When her family learned of her new life, they were enraged.

Cando a familia soubo da súa nova vida, enfurecéronse todos.

How dare she waste her love on a human?

Como ousaba malgastar o seu amor nun humano?

The weaver tried to escape back to Earth,

A tecedeira tentou escapar de volta á Terra,

but the Queen Mother plucked a golden hairpin from her head

pero a Raíña Nai arrancou unha pinza dourada do seu cabelo

and tore through the sky.

e tirouna ao ceo.

A great gulf opened, forming a river of stars between Heaven and Earth.

Abriuse un gran abismo e apareceu un río de estrelas entre o Ceo e a Terra.

Below, the cowherd trembled, but he also remembered the bull’s final words.

Baixo el, o pastor tremía, pero lembrou as últimas palabras do seu amigo o boi.

Hastily placing each child in a basket,

Rapidamente, meteu a cada fillo nunha cesta,

he draped the bull’s pelt over his back and hurtled upwards.

puxo na espalda a pel do boi e saltou rapidamente.

Above the clouds, each lover attempted to wade through the surging stars.

Por riba das nubes, os amantes intentaron camiñar sobre as estrelas,

But no matter how hard they struggled,

pero, sen importar canto o intentasen,

the gulf between them only grew wider.

o abismo entre eles era cada vez maior.

Day after day, the Queen Mother watched without pity.

Día tras día, a Raíña Nai mirábaos sen pena ningunha.

Years passed, and the weaver and the cowherd had no one,

Os anos foron pasando e a tecedeira e o pastor non tiñan a ninguén,

except the passing magpies to cheer them on.

só os acompañaban as pegas que os animaban ao pasar.

Finally, their love moved the Queen Mother’s heart.

Ao final, o seu amor conmoveu o corazón da Raíña Nai.

While she couldn’t forgive her granddaughter entirely,

Aínda que non perdoaba de todo á súa neta,

the Queen Mother would allow the weaver to meet her earthly family once a year.

deixou que a tecedeira vise a súa familia da Terra unha vez ao ano.

And so, in late summer, the magpies form a bridge across the Milky Way,

Por iso, coa fin do verán, as pegas forman unha ponte que cruza a Vía Láctea;

reuniting the weaver and the cowherd.

para que os amantes se xunten.

At this time of year, millions of people in East and Southeast Asian countries

Nesta época do ano, millóns de persoas dos países do leste e do sueste de Asia

tell similar tales of these star-crossed lovers,

contan historias similares sobre os amantes separados polas estrelas

celebrating their annual reunion.

e festexan a súa reunión anual.