You:Chinese lover's day just passed.
David:Ah, the time for lovers to meet.
You:Yes, it is in the August. I can't remember which day, but I do know that in the Chinese lunar calendar it's July seven. I don't know which way it is in the solar calendar.
是的,在8月份。我记不清出具体的日子了,但我知道是阴历七月初七。阳历是哪一天我不知道。
David:Someone told me once about the story behind this special day.
我曾听说过关于这个特殊节日的故事。
You:This's a story of two lovers. They are two stars in the sky.
这是一对恋人的故事。他们是天空中的两颗星星。
David:Yes, it is a beautiful story. One was a goddess, the daughter of a god, and one was a shepherd boy. They fell in love next to a stream at first sight. Then they married, and had children, but then the mother or father of the goddess got mad.
多么美的故事。一个是神仙的女儿,另一个是个牧人。他们在小河边一见钟情,然后他们结了婚,有了孩子。但后来不知道是她的父亲还是母亲发怒了。
You:Her mother, yeah. That’s a very beautiful story.
是她母亲。是呀,是个美丽的故事。
David:They were divided to starts on two sides, and only on that day can they see each other.
他们被变成了两颗星星,分隔两地,只有在那一天才能见面。
You:They were sepereted by a river, I mean, the Milky Way.
他们被一条叫“银河”的天河隔开了。
David:The River? No bridge?
河?没有桥吗?
You:No, in Chinese it’s called Yinhe, the SilverRiver.
没有。汉语里叫做银河。
David:You mean the Milky Way. The Milky Way is the English name of our galaxy. At night, the galaxy appears like a river in the sky.
你是说“银河”——夜晚出现在天空中,就像一条天河。
You:Oh, I see. Anyway, they can meet only once a year on a bridge made by birds. A lot of birds come together to form a bridge that the lovers use to meet each other on.
我明白了。就如故事里讲的,他们每年在由很多鸟架成的桥上只见一次面。