The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl · chapter 2 of 3
A River of Stars
天上的河
Heaven wants its weaver back. Niulang has two crying children, a dying friend, and one impossible way to follow her.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 几年过去了。那一天，牛郎在地里干活，织女在家里织布，两个孩子在旁边玩。
Jǐ nián guòqù le. Nà yì tiān, Niúláng zài dì lǐ gàn huó, Zhīnǚ zài jiā lǐ zhī bù, liǎng gè háizi zài pángbiān wán.
A few years went by. One day, Niulang was out working in the fields, and Zhinü was weaving at home while the two children played beside her.
- Zhinü 孩子们，快到妈妈这儿来！天上怎么来了这么多天兵？
Háizimen, kuài dào māma zhèr lái! Tiānshàng zěnme lái le zhème duō tiānbīng?
Children, come to Mama, quick! Why are there so many heavenly soldiers in the sky?
- The Queen Mother 织女！你在下面住了这么久，也该回来了！
Zhīnǚ! Nǐ zài xiàmiàn zhù le zhème jiǔ, yě gāi huílái le!
Zhinü! You've lived down there long enough. It's time you came back!
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Zhinü 王母娘娘，求求您！我的孩子还这么小，我不能走！
Wángmǔ Niángniang, qiúqiu nín! Wǒ de háizi hái zhème xiǎo, wǒ bù néng zǒu!
Queen Mother, I beg you! My children are still so little. I can't leave them!
- The Queen Mother 你不回来，天上的云谁来织？天兵，把她带走！
Nǐ bù huílái, tiānshàng de yún shéi lái zhī? Tiānbīng, bǎ tā dài zǒu!
If you don't come back, who will weave the clouds? Soldiers, take her away!
- Zhinü 孩子们，别怕！妈妈一定会回来！
Háizimen, bié pà! Māma yídìng huì huílái!
Children, don't be afraid! Mama will come back, I promise!
- Narrator 天兵拉着织女飞上了天。牛郎跑回家，只看见两个哭着的孩子。
Tiānbīng lāzhe Zhīnǚ fēi shàng le tiān. Niúláng pǎo huí jiā, zhǐ kànjiàn liǎng gè kūzhe de háizi.
The soldiers pulled Zhinü up into the sky. Niulang ran home, but found only his two children, crying.
- Niulang 孩子们，妈妈去哪儿了？你们说，她被带到天上去了？织女，你在哪儿？
Háizimen, māma qù nǎr le? Nǐmen shuō, tā bèi dài dào tiānshàng qù le? Zhīnǚ, nǐ zài nǎr?
Children, where's Mama? You say she was taken up into the sky? Zhinü, where are you?
- The Old Ox 牛郎，别喊了，快到我这儿来。
Niúláng, bié hǎn le, kuài dào wǒ zhèr lái.
Niulang, stop shouting. Come here to me, quickly.
- Niulang 老牛，你怎么躺在地上？你是不是病了？
Lǎo niú, nǐ zěnme tǎng zài dìshang? Nǐ shì bu shì bìng le?
Old Ox, why are you lying on the ground? Are you sick?
- The Old Ox 我老了，我快要走了。你听好：我走了以后，你披上我的皮，就能飞上天，去找织女。
Wǒ lǎo le, wǒ kuài yào zǒu le. Nǐ tīng hǎo: wǒ zǒu le yǐhòu, nǐ pī shàng wǒ de pí, jiù néng fēi shàng tiān, qù zhǎo Zhīnǚ.
I'm old, and my time is nearly up. Listen carefully: when I'm gone, wrap yourself in my hide, and you'll be able to fly up into the sky to find Zhinü.
- Niulang 不，老牛，你别走！你一直都是我的家人啊！
Bù, lǎo niú, nǐ bié zǒu! Nǐ yìzhí dōu shì wǒ de jiārén a!
No, Old Ox, don't go! You've always been my family!
- The Old Ox 别哭，孩子。快去吧，她还没有走远。
Bié kū, háizi. Kuài qù ba, tā hái méiyǒu zǒu yuǎn.
Don't cry, child. Go now, quickly. She isn't far away yet.
- Narrator 老牛慢慢地闭上了眼睛。
Lǎo niú mànmàn de bì shàng le yǎnjing.
Slowly, the old ox closed its eyes.
- Niulang 老牛，谢谢你。孩子们，快坐进筐里，爸爸披上老牛的皮，挑着你们去找妈妈！
Lǎo niú, xièxie nǐ. Háizimen, kuài zuò jìn kuāng lǐ, bàba pī shàng lǎo niú de pí, tiāozhe nǐmen qù zhǎo māma!
Thank you, Old Ox. Children, into the baskets, quick! Daddy will wear the ox's hide and carry you on his shoulder pole to find Mama!
- Niulang 我们飞起来了！织女，等等我们，我们来了！
Wǒmen fēi qǐlái le! Zhīnǚ, děngdeng wǒmen, wǒmen lái le!
We're flying! Zhinü, wait for us. We're coming!
- Zhinü 牛郎，孩子们，快拉住我的手！
Niúláng, háizimen, kuài lā zhù wǒ de shǒu!
Niulang! Children! Quick, take my hand!
- The Queen Mother 你们还想在一起？没那么容易！
Nǐmen hái xiǎng zài yìqǐ? Méi nàme róngyì!
You still think you can be together? Not so easily!
- Narrator 王母娘娘拔下头上的金簪，在天上一划。
Wángmǔ Niángniang bá xià tóu shang de jīnzān, zài tiānshàng yí huà.
The Queen Mother pulled the gold pin from her hair and drew a line across the sky.
- Niulang 天上怎么多了一条河？河里没有水，全是星星！
Tiānshàng zěnme duō le yì tiáo hé? Hé lǐ méiyǒu shuǐ, quán shì xīngxing!
Where did this river in the sky come from? There's no water in it, only stars!
- Zhinü 牛郎，这是银河，又宽又深，我过不去……
Niúláng, zhè shì Yínhé, yòu kuān yòu shēn, wǒ guò bu qù…
Niulang, it's the Milky Way. It's so wide and so deep. I can't get across…
- Niulang 织女，你别哭！我一定会想办法过去的！
Zhīnǚ, nǐ bié kū! Wǒ yídìng huì xiǎng bànfǎ guòqù de!
Zhinü, don't cry! I'll find a way across, I promise!
- Zhinü 牛郎，我们还能再见面吗？
Niúláng, wǒmen hái néng zài jiànmiàn ma?
Niulang, will we ever see each other again?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Where is Niulang when the heavenly soldiers come?
“牛郎在地里干活。”
- What does Zhinü promise her children as she is taken?
“孩子们，别怕！妈妈一定会回来！”
- What does the old ox tell Niulang to do when it is gone?
“你披上我的皮，就能飞上天，去找织女。”
- How does Niulang take the children with him?
“快坐进筐里……挑着你们去找妈妈！”
- How does the Queen Mother keep them apart?
“王母娘娘拔下头上的金簪，在天上一划……河里没有水，全是星星！”