Long ago, a poor family had a son who went to work as a herdboy when he was twelve years old. He entered the service of a farmer and spent his days tending the farmer’s cow.
As the years passed, the cow grew large and strong. Her coat shone like yellow gold, suggesting that she was no ordinary animal but a creature belonging to the gods.
One day, while the boy was herding the cow in the mountains, she suddenly spoke to him in a human voice. She told him that the seventh day had arrived, the day when the nine daughters of the White Jade Ruler came to bathe in the Sea of Heaven.
The youngest of the nine was especially beautiful and wise. She spun the cloud-silk used by the King and Queen of Heaven and watched over the weaving performed by maidens on earth. For this reason, she was known as the Weaving Maiden.
The golden cow explained that the boy could win the Weaving Maiden as his wife if he went to Heaven and took away her clothes while she bathed. The cow promised to carry him there.
The boy was astonished by the proposal. He was only a poor herdboy and could hardly imagine reaching the heavenly realm. Yet the cow’s promise gave him hope.
The Journey to the Sea of Heaven
The boy climbed onto the cow’s back. Clouds streamed from beneath her hooves, and she rose into the air, moving as swiftly as lightning.
Soon they reached a magnificent place unlike anything the boy had ever seen. Forests of chrysophrase surrounded them, jade trees rose from the ground, and the grass gleamed like jasper. Flowers resembling coral covered the landscape.
At the centre lay an immense, square sea. Its green waves rolled gently, golden-scaled fish swam beneath the surface, and magical birds flew overhead, filling the air with song.
The boy could see nine heavenly maidens bathing in the water. Their clothes lay on the shore, beyond the edge of the sea.
The golden cow told him to take the red garments belonging to the seventh daughter and hide them in the forest. He must not return them, she instructed, until the Weaving Maiden promised to become his wife.
The boy dismounted, seized the red clothes and hurried into the forest. The maidens soon noticed that someone had taken their garments. Alarmed, they called out to him and demanded that he return them.
Eight of the sisters came ashore and dressed themselves. They then left their youngest sister alone with the stranger, saying that Heaven had destined the two to be together.
The Weaving Maiden’s Choice
The Weaving Maiden remained in the water, unable to retrieve her clothes. The boy stood before her and told her that he would return them only if she promised to marry him.
She objected that she was a daughter of the Ruler of the Gods and could not marry without her father’s command. She ordered the boy to give back her garments, warning that her father might punish him.
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The golden cow intervened. She declared that the pair had been destined for each other and offered to arrange their marriage, assuring the maiden that the heavenly ruler would not object.
The Weaving Maiden doubted that an animal could arrange such a union. The cow therefore directed her attention to an old willow tree growing beside the shore. If the tree could speak, the cow explained, its answer would reveal Heaven’s wishes.
The maiden asked the willow tree for its judgement.
To her surprise, the tree replied in a human voice, declaring that the seventh day was the day on which the Herd Boy paid court to the Weaver. Satisfied by this heavenly sign, the maiden accepted the outcome.
The boy laid down her red clothes, and she dressed herself. He walked ahead, and she followed him.
Thus, the Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden became husband and wife.
Seven Days of Happiness
For seven days, the couple lived together in happiness. The Herd Boy had won the heavenly maiden, and their marriage seemed to fulfil the promise made by the golden cow.
But their time together could not last.
After seven days, the Weaving Maiden told her husband that the Ruler of Heaven had ordered her to return to her weaving. If she delayed too long, she feared that her father would punish her.
She reassured the Herd Boy that they would meet again, even though they had to part for the time being. Then she left.
The Herd Boy could not bear the separation. He ran after his wife, hoping to reach her before she disappeared from his sight.
When he drew near, the Weaving Maiden took a long needle from her hair. She stretched it across the sky, drawing a line that became the Silver River.
The great river divided the heavens, leaving the Herd Boy on one side and the Weaving Maiden on the other. Though they could see each other across the distance, they could no longer reach one another.
Their love endured, but the Silver River stood between them.
The Bridge of Crows
Although the river separated the couple, their story did not end with their parting.
From that time onward, the Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden were allowed to meet once each year, on the eve of the seventh day of the seventh month.
When the appointed time arrived, crows from the human world flew into the sky. They gathered together and formed a bridge across the Silver River, allowing the Weaving Maiden to cross and reunite with her husband.
On that day, people noticed that the crows seemed to disappear from the trees. According to the tale, they were all helping to build the bridge in the heavens.
The reunion brought happiness, but it also carried sorrow. The couple knew that their time together was brief and that they would soon have to separate again.
A fine rain often fell on the evening of the seventh day. Women and grandmothers explained that these were the tears shed by the Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden when they parted.
For this reason, the seventh day became known as a rain festival associated with the lovers’ annual meeting.
The Lovers in the Night Sky
The story also explains the appearance of the stars.
To the west of the Silver River stands the constellation of the Weaving Maiden, represented by three stars. Nearby are three more stars arranged in a triangle.
East of the river lies the Herd Boy’s constellation, made up of six stars. Small stars around it form another shape, pointed at both ends and broader in the middle.
The tale connects these patterns with objects thrown by the separated lovers. The Herd Boy, angry when the Weaving Maiden once refused to cross the river, threw his yoke towards her. It fell just in front of her feet.
The Weaving Maiden responded by throwing her spindle at him, but it fell to one side without striking him.
Thus, the heavens preserve the memory of their love and their sorrow. The stars remain on opposite sides of the Silver River, just as the Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden remain separated for most of the year.
Their annual reunion continues to bring hope, while the rain that sometimes falls on the seventh day recalls the sadness of their repeated parting.
The Meaning of The Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden
This Chinese fairy tale brings together love, heavenly authority and the mystery of the night sky. A poor herdboy enters a magnificent celestial world, marries a heavenly maiden and discovers that love cannot always overcome the demands placed upon it.
The golden cow helps bring the couple together, but their happiness is brief. The Silver River becomes both a physical barrier and a lasting symbol of their separation.
The annual bridge of crows offers a promise that separation need not mean the complete end of a relationship. Even though the lovers cannot remain together, they receive an opportunity to reunite.
The tale also connects the natural world with human emotion. The stars become reminders of the couple, while the crows and the rain help explain the customs and seasonal observations associated with their meeting.
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Moral Lesson
The story celebrates enduring love and the hope of reunion after separation. It also reminds readers that happiness can be precious even when it does not last forever, and that love sometimes requires patience through difficult circumstances.
Knowledge Check
1. What work did the Herd Boy do when he was twelve years old?
He entered a farmer’s service and herded the farmer’s cow.
2. How did the golden cow help the Herd Boy reach Heaven?
She carried him on her back and flew through the clouds to the Sea of Heaven.
3. Why did the Herd Boy take the Weaving Maiden’s red clothes?
The golden cow advised him to hide the clothes until the maiden agreed to become his wife.
4. How did the Weaving Maiden decide to marry the Herd Boy?
After the golden cow suggested asking an old willow tree for a sign, the tree spoke and confirmed that the couple were destined to be together.
5. What created the Silver River?
The Weaving Maiden drew a line across the sky with a long needle from her hair, and the line became the Silver River.
6. How do the Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden meet each year?
Crows gather to form a bridge across the Silver River, allowing the Weaving Maiden to cross and reunite with her husband.
Source
Source: “The Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden,” Chapter XVI of Richard Wilhelm’s The Chinese Fairy Book, translated by Frederick H. Martens and published in 1921.
