The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl · chapter 1 of 3
The Girl by the River
河边的仙女
A lonely cowherd, an ox that suddenly talks, and a fairy by the river who is just as lonely as he is.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，有一个放牛的年轻人，大家都叫他牛郎。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, yǒu yí gè fàng niú de niánqīngrén, dàjiā dōu jiào tā Niúláng.
Long, long ago, there was a young man who herded cattle. Everyone called him Niulang, the Cowherd.
- Niulang 老牛啊，天快黑了，我们回家吧。今天的草好吃吗？
Lǎo niú a, tiān kuài hēi le, wǒmen huí jiā ba. Jīntiān de cǎo hǎochī ma?
Old Ox, it's getting dark. Let's go home. Was the grass good today?
- Niulang 我没有爸爸妈妈，也没有钱。每天晚上，只有你听我说话……
Wǒ méiyǒu bàba māma, yě méiyǒu qián. Měi tiān wǎnshang, zhǐyǒu nǐ tīng wǒ shuōhuà…
I have no mother or father, and no money. Every night, you're the only one who listens to me…
- The Old Ox 今天的草很好吃。牛郎，你是一个好孩子。
Jīntiān de cǎo hěn hǎochī. Niúláng, nǐ shì yí gè hǎo háizi.
The grass was very good today. Niulang, you're a good kid.
- Niulang 谁在说话？老牛，是你吗？你怎么会说话？
Shéi zài shuōhuà? Lǎo niú, shì nǐ ma? Nǐ zěnme huì shuōhuà?
Who said that? Old Ox, was that you? How can you talk?
- The Old Ox 明天早上，你去东边的河边。天上的仙女会来河边玩，最小的那个会在那里等你。
Míngtiān zǎoshang, nǐ qù dōngbian de hébiān. Tiānshàng de xiānnǚ huì lái hébiān wán, zuì xiǎo de nàge huì zài nàlǐ děng nǐ.
Tomorrow morning, go to the river in the east. Fairies from the sky will come down to play there, and the youngest one will be waiting for you.
- Niulang 等我？一个仙女，为什么要等一个放牛的？
Děng wǒ? Yí gè xiānnǚ, wèishénme yào děng yí gè fàng niú de?
Waiting for me? Why would a fairy wait for a cowherd?
- The Old Ox 去了，你就知道了。
Qù le, nǐ jiù zhīdào le.
Go, and you'll see.
- Niulang 天亮了，我们到河边了。老牛，你看，真的有七个仙女！她们的衣服像天上的云一样漂亮。
Tiān liàng le, wǒmen dào hébiān le. Lǎo niú, nǐ kàn, zhēn de yǒu qī gè xiānnǚ! Tāmen de yīfu xiàng tiānshàng de yún yíyàng piàoliang.
It's morning, and here's the river. Old Ox, look, there really are seven fairies! Their clothes are as lovely as the clouds in the sky.
- The Old Ox 最小的那个，就是织女。天上所有的彩云，都是她织的。
Zuì xiǎo de nàge, jiù shì Zhīnǚ. Tiānshàng suǒyǒu de cǎiyún, dōu shì tā zhī de.
The youngest one is Zhinü, the Weaver Girl. She wove every colored cloud in the sky.
- Zhinü 你是谁？你为什么一个人在河边？
Nǐ shì shéi? Nǐ wèishénme yí gè rén zài hébiān?
Who are you? Why are you by the river all alone?
- Niulang 我叫牛郎。我一直都是一个人，只有这头老牛跟着我。
Wǒ jiào Niúláng. Wǒ yìzhí dōu shì yí gè rén, zhǐyǒu zhè tóu lǎo niú gēnzhe wǒ.
My name is Niulang. I've always been alone. This old ox is my only company.
- Zhinü 我也一样。我在天上织了很多年的云，每天都是一个人。
Wǒ yě yíyàng. Wǒ zài tiānshàng zhī le hěn duō nián de yún, měi tiān dōu shì yí gè rén.
So have I. I've woven clouds in the sky for years and years, alone every day.
- Narrator 他们在河边说了一整天的话。太阳下山了，姐姐们都飞回了天上。
Tāmen zài hébiān shuō le yì zhěng tiān de huà. Tàiyáng xià shān le, jiějiemen dōu fēi huí le tiānshàng.
They talked by the river all day long. When the sun went down, her sisters all flew back to the sky.
- Zhinü 我不想回天上去了，我想留在这里。
Wǒ bù xiǎng huí tiānshàng qù le, wǒ xiǎng liú zài zhèlǐ.
I don't want to go back to the sky. I want to stay here.
- Niulang 可是我很穷，家里什么都没有，只有一头老牛。
Kěshì wǒ hěn qióng, jiā lǐ shénme dōu méiyǒu, zhǐyǒu yì tóu lǎo niú.
But I'm poor. I have nothing at home but an old ox.
- Zhinü 我不要很多东西。我只要一个真心对我好的人。
Wǒ bú yào hěn duō dōngxi. Wǒ zhǐ yào yí gè zhēnxīn duì wǒ hǎo de rén.
I don't need many things. I only need someone who is truly kind to me.
- The Old Ox 牛郎，你还在等什么？快问问她吧！
Niúláng, nǐ hái zài děng shénme? Kuài wènwen tā ba!
Niulang, what are you waiting for? Go on, ask her!
- Niulang 织女，你愿意留下来，做我的妻子吗？
Zhīnǚ, nǐ yuànyì liú xiàlái, zuò wǒ de qīzi ma?
Zhinü, will you stay and be my wife?
- Zhinü 我愿意。我早就想好了！
Wǒ yuànyì. Wǒ zǎo jiù xiǎng hǎo le!
Yes, I will. I'd already made up my mind!
- Narrator 就这样，织女留了下来。牛郎种地，织女织布。后来，他们有了一个儿子和一个女儿。
Jiù zhèyàng, Zhīnǚ liú le xiàlái. Niúláng zhòng dì, Zhīnǚ zhī bù. Hòulái, tāmen yǒu le yí gè érzi hé yí gè nǚ'ér.
And so Zhinü stayed. Niulang farmed the land and Zhinü wove cloth. In time, they had a son and a daughter.
- Narrator 可是从那以后，天上就没有人织云了。王母娘娘非常生气。
Kěshì cóng nà yǐhòu, tiānshàng jiù méiyǒu rén zhī yún le. Wángmǔ Niángniang fēicháng shēngqì.
But from then on, no one in the sky was weaving the clouds. The Queen Mother of Heaven was furious.
- The Queen Mother 天空一天比一天灰！织女呢？织女在哪里？
Tiānkōng yì tiān bǐ yì tiān huī! Zhīnǚ ne? Zhīnǚ zài nǎlǐ?
The sky grows grayer every day! Where is Zhinü? Where is she?
What changed in the story?
- What does Niulang have in the world?
“我没有爸爸妈妈，也没有钱……只有一头老牛。”
- What does the old ox tell Niulang to do?
“明天早上，你去东边的河边。”
- What is Zhinü's work in the sky?
“天上所有的彩云，都是她织的。”
- Niulang says he is poor. What does Zhinü answer?
“我不要很多东西。我只要一个真心对我好的人。”
- Why is the Queen Mother angry at the end?
“天上就没有人织云了……天空一天比一天灰！”