七夕
杨朴
未会牵牛意若何，须邀织女弄金梭。
年年乞与人间巧，不道人间巧几多。
The Double Seventh Eve
Yang Pu
I do not know what has the Cowherd in his heart.
Why should he ask his Maid to weave a work of art?
From year to year the artful world asks to be clever;
The clever will do good, but the artful will never.
（许渊冲、许明 译）
On the Seventh Evening of the Seventh Lunar Month*
Du Mu
I don’t understand what the man Altair means to achieve
By asking his wife Vega to show people how to weave.
On the evening each year Altair begs for techniques for men,
Knowing not that there’ve been skills more than enough in man’s world.
* According to Chinese mythology, a man originally a cowherd, became Altair while his wife, originally a woman weaver, finally became Vega. And from then on, they could only meet once a year on the seventh evening of the seventh lunar month.
（郭著章 译）
The Seventh Night
Yang P’u
I’ve never understood the Herdboy’s thoughts
why he asks the Weaving Maid to work her golden loom
every year offering her skill to the world
unaware the world has enough skills already
（Red Pine 译）
