笔译作业 七夕-中国的情人节 中译英

“七夕”——中国的情人节
Qixi - Chinese Valentine’s Day
农历七月初七（2006年是7月31日）是中国的传统节日——“七夕”。

“夕”的意思是“夜”。

为什么七夕是中国的情人节呢？这有一个关于牛郎和织女的动人故事。

The seventh day of the seventh month of lunar calendar ( it is 31st, July in 2006 ) is Chinese traditional festival - “Qixi”. “Xi” means “night”. Why Qixi is Chinese Valentine’s Day? There is a moved story about Niulang - the cow herd and Zhinv - the weaver.
传说，牛郎是人间的青年农民，救过一头神牛。

织女是天上王母娘娘的孙女，有一天，天上的织女们来到人间游玩，还跑到河里洗澡，那头神牛让牛郎拿走了第七个织女的衣服。

织女在寻找衣服的过程中爱上了牛郎，他们结为夫妻，男耕女织，过着幸福的生活。

王母娘娘知道了这件事，非常生气，强迫织女跟她回到天上。

牛郎追了上来，眼看着就要追上了，王母娘娘拔下头上的银簪子*在身后划了一下，立刻，牛郎与织女之间出现了一条大河，这就是天上的银河，也就是西方所说的“奶路”(Milky Way)。

结果牛郎和织女无情地隔开。

后来，他们的爱情感动了喜鹊，每年七夕，所有的喜鹊都飞过来，在银河上搭起一座桥，让牛郎和织女在鹊桥相会。

It was said that Niulang was a terrestrial young farmer, he once saved a bull. Zhinv was the grandson of Wangmuniangniang - the Queen Mother of the West. One day, the weavers from the heaven came to the earth for fun. They went to the river for shower. The bull let Niulang take away the seventh weaver’s clothes. The weaver fell in love with Niulang while she was finding her clothes. They got married. They lived a happy life that Niulang did the farm work and Zhinv engaged in spinning and weaving. The Queen Mother of the West got the news and was in a great anger. She compelled Zhinv came back to the heaven. Niulang chased after them. Niulang almost caught them. Then the Queen Mother of the West plucked a
hairpin and scribed the very broad river between them. It was heavenly Silver River that was so-called Milky Way in the West. The result was that Niulang and Zhinv was relentlessly separated. Later, magpie was moved by their love. On Qixi every year, all magpies flied to the Milky Way and formed a bridge to let Niulang and Zhinv meet.
人们根据这个故事把银河两边两颗很亮的星星命名为“牵牛/牛郎星”和“织女星”，织女星旁边的两颗不太亮的星星被认为是牛郎和织女的两个孩子。

七夕晚上坐在院子里看牵牛星和织女星，成为中国民间的独特习俗。

晴朗的夏末之夜，可以看见牵牛星和织女星隔着白茫茫的银河遥遥相望。

女孩们在这天晚上，对着朗朗明月，朝天祭拜*，祈求能遇上称心如意的情人。

According to this story, people named the two bright stars on both side of Milky Way “Altair”and “Vega”. And the two less bright stars next to Vega were regarded as the children of Niulang and Zhinv. Sitting in the yard and watching Altair and Vega on Qixi’s evening had become a unique Chinese folk custom. On cloudless night in late summer, you can see Altair and Vega looking at each through the white Milky Way. Girls will look towards the bright moon and worship, praying for meeting their Mr.Right.
七夕那天，中国民间还有放荷花灯的传统习俗。

夜幕降临的时候，江上、河面、湖中、池塘里，处处可见青年男女们投放的盏盏荷花灯。

灯儿带着他们对美满婚姻的期盼和憧憬，在水上缓缓漂移。

此时，天上的繁星、水中的荷花灯、月色灯影下的有情人构成了人间绝美的风景！
On Qixi, there is a Chinese folk custom of releasing lotus lantern. When night falls, surfaces of rivers, lakes and ponds are filled with lotus lanterns that released by young people. The lanterns with their wish and longing to happy marriage are drifting slowly on the water. At this moment, the stars on the sky, the lotus lanterns on the water and the couples under the moonlight and lanterns’ shadow constitute a wonderful scenery in the world.
织女是个美丽聪明、心灵手巧的仙女，能织出像彩霞一般绚丽的锦缎。

人间的女孩儿们为了使自己也能拥有织女一样的巧手，七夕晚上，她们拿着丝线，对着月光穿针，谁先穿过谁的手就最巧。

也有的女孩，遥望织女星，祈求织女带给她们聪慧和灵巧。

所以，七夕节又叫“乞巧节”、“女儿节”。

Zhinv was a beautiful and wise fairy maiden with ingenuity. She could weave brocade like florid roseate clouds. Terrestrial girls all wish to have dexterous hands like Zhinv. On the evening of Qixi, they will take the silk thread and thread a needle towards the moonlight. The girl who gets the first that her hands will be regarded as the most dexterous. There are also some other girls looking towards Vega and praying for wisdom and dexterousness. Therefore, Qixi Festival is also called “Dexterousness-praying Festival” and “Girls’Day”.
现在，七夕仍然是一个富有浪漫色彩的节日。

在中国，不同地区的习俗也不太一样，有些传统活动已经逐渐消失，只有牛郎织女的爱情故事一直流传。

Now, Qixi is still a festival with a kind of romance. In China, the customs of different regions are different from each other. Some traditional activities gradually disappear. Only the love story of Niulang and Zhinv has been held.
The Legends Of Valentine's Day
February 14 is Valentine's Day. It is celebrated as a lovers' holiday today, with the giving of candy, flowers, or other gifts between couples in love. Valentine's Day has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages.
In Rome it's said that it originated in 5th Century as a tribute to St.Valentine, a Catholic bishop.
For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day, the Romans had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-February commemorating young men's rite of passage to the god Lupercus. The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man in that manner would be his female companion during the remaining year.
In an effort to do away with the pagan festival. Pope Gelasius ordered a slight change in the lottery. Instead of the names of young women, the box would contain the names of saints. Both men and women were allowed to draw from the box, and the game was to emulate the ways of the saint they drew during the rest of the year. Needless to say, many of the young Roman men were not too pleased with the rule Changes.
Instead of the pagan god Lupercus, the Church looked for a suitable patron saint of love to take his place. They found an appropriate choice in Valentine, who, in AD270 had been beheaded by Emperor Claudius.
Claudius had determined that married men made poor soldiers. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Valentine would secretly marry young men that came to him. When Claudius found out about Valentine, he first tried to convert him to paganism. But Valentine reversed the strategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. When he failed, he was stoned and beheaded.
During the days that Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. His love for her, and his great faith, managed to miraculously heal her from her blindness before his death. Before he was taken to his death, he signed a farewell message to her, "From your Valentine." The phrase has been used on his day ever since.
Although the lottery for women had been banned by the church, the mid-February holiday in commemoration of St.Valentine was stilled used by Roman men to seek the affection of women. It became a tradition for the men to give the ones they admired handwritten messages of affection, containing Valentine's name.
Another Valentine was an Italian bishop who lived at about the same time, AD 200.He was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the Roman emperor. Some legends say he was burned at the stake.
February 14 was also a Roman holiday, held in honor of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities. The custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through Europe in the Middle Ages, and then to the early American colonies. Throughout the ages, people also believed that birds picked their mates on February 14!
In AD 496 Saint Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as"Valentine's Day". Although it's not an official holiday, most Americans observe this day.
The first Valentine card grew out of this practice. The first true Valentine card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.
Cupid, another symbol of the holiday, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. He is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards.
Whatever the odd mixture of origins, St.Valentine's Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Or you can send roses, the flower of love.。