Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle.

With the coming of exams (PMR, SPM, and second mid-semester examinations for the rest of the students), we are all working ourselves up into a frenzy of ‘Study, study, study!’ It is a very good mindset, really, but admittedly, it can be quite strenuous after some time. Well here’s something for you to indulge in, without having to endure the aftermath of guilt that usually comes after two hours of ‘Dota’ or Prison Break.

On the night of August 18, take a moment to watch the sky. If weather permits, look for a bright star in the constellation Aquila, west of the Milky Way, and the star Vega, east of the Milky Way. Look closely, and for avid stargazers, you will notice that these two stars appear closer together on this night than any other time of the year.

It is believed by the Chinese that these two stars are lovers, the first known as the Cow Herder, and star Vega, the Weaving Maid. The Cow Herder was a lonely man; he lived alone with only an old ox for company. The myth holds that one day, the ox spoke, informing him that the beautiful Weaving Maid and her six sisters were going to descend from heaven to bathe in the Silver River (Milky Way). He beseeched the Cow Herder to go there and pilfer the Weaving Maid’s clothes. Following this, the ox promised that the Weaving Maid would be his wife.

Eagerly, the Cow Herder did as he was told. After taking her clothes, he hid behind the bushes until the sisters came up to put their clothes on. He watched, as the Weaving Maid looked around distressed for her garments. One by one, the sisters left, for fear that their father, the Jade Emperor would be angry with them if they were late. Finally, it was only the Weaving Maid who was left behind, trying her best to cover herself with her hair.

At this crucial moment, the Cow Herder appeared. He held out her clothes, offering them to her gently. In return, he asked for her hand in marriage. The Weaving Maid hesitated, but she was charmed by the young man’s kindness and with a mixture of shyness and abandonment, she agreed.

For years, the two lovers lived peacefully and in perfect contentment. The Weaving Maid bore him two children, a boy and a girl. However, their paradise ended abruptly one day when the Jade Emperor finally realised that his youngest daughter was missing. Enraged, for it was forbidden that God and Man ever married, the Jade Emperor forced his love-struck daughter home.

Drowning in melancholy and despair, the Cow Herder had not the power to rebel against the will of the Jade’s Emperor. He pummeled through the days as best he could, and tried to be the best father he could be for his children. However, his faithful old ox could see through his façade and bravado and sense his misery.

“Kill me,” the ox said one day as the Cow Herder was farming.

“What? Why would I? You have been my most faithful servant. I shall not harm you,” was the indignant reply of the Cow Herder.

“Kill me,” the ox repeated. “Kill me, take my skin and you will be able to fly to the heavens and reunite with your wife.”

Hearing this, the Cow Herder broke into tears. He was forced to choose between a rock and a hard place. For love, he had to sacrifice loyalty.

As the ox’s blood spilled to the ground, the Cow Herder’s tears fell in unison, intermingling before together they seeped through the soil, embedded forever in his farm.

The next day, the Cow Herder brought his children under the cloak of the ox’s skin and magically, they flew up beyond the clouds together. However, they could not cross the Silver River (Milky Way). They were separated from the Weaving Maid on the opposite bank. They could only look forlornly across the river at each other, together but divided.

The Magpies heard of their star-crossed love and sympathized with their misfortune. As a flock, they formed a bridge across the river, allowing the family to reunite for one night a year. On the seventh night of the seventh month each year, the Cow Herder would carry his two children across the magpie bridge, meeting the Weaving Maid halfway. The two lovers would embrace in tears, united as a family, if only for a moment.

As it happens, this year, the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar falls on August 18. So as you gaze at the stars on this night, remember the Cow Herder and the Weaving Maid, for this is not a story of love, nor a tale of romance. It is a legend.