Bitter to remember the Night of Sevens？
A Clouds float like works of art;
Stars shoot with grief at heart.
Across the Milky Way the Cowherd meets the Maid.
When autumns Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade,
All the love scenes on earth, however many, fade.
Their tender love flows like a stream;
This happy date seems but a dream.
Can they bear a separate homeward way?
If love between both sides can last for aye,
Why need they stay together night and day?
Immortal at the Magpie Bridge,writen by Qinguan, a lyric poem in Song Dynasty,expressing deep love between separated lovers.
Every year as darkness falls on the evening of July 7th at lunar month, China especially the city of Xiamen takes on a picture of harmony with the beach gathered by sweet lovers; Pedestrian streets shuttled by sweet hearts. This is Chinese Valentines Day knowsn as Double Sevens Day.
It would have been a nice night for Micheal and me tonight, but separating was as far as we got.
On the very night of last July 7th . I was murmuring alone home,“This is a great time for lovers. As for me ,it is merely another single night.”
I reopened Dream of Red Mansions, aimlessly skimming, but loneliness growing. At the moment,the telephone rang chearfully and I was wanted. What a surprise that it’s Michael calling me. Michael, the most active schoolboy in our class,had been sitting behind me for almost two years. he had few talks with me unless I turned back to ask him about homework. Yet in deed, his brilliant wit and his loyalty to friends had appealed to me for a longer time. Shy as I was in class, I had never thought of his attention to me let along his passion. I was so shocked that I couldn’t even find a word to answer his call. I didn’t mean to hide my delight.
When the clock stroke seven , I changed to dress in pink. I met him on the Zhongshan Pedestrian Streets. Wearing a shy smile, he gently showed me the way. Then I started my first date on the night. The streets were crowded with couples, laughing and giggling. All the faces were lighted by the lanterns above the streets,reddish. But mine lighted by Michael, flush.All shops were on their fullest.We went window shopping but still talked little. Following him with eyes I was more glad than shy.
It was until midnight that we went across the overbridge above Huandao Road,a road along the beach.Viewed from the height, the city of Xiamen seemed to be more emotional appealing with colourful streetlamps twinkling.Leaning lightly against the bridge with Michael, I couldn’t help thinking of Cowherd and Maid, the great couple. It’s their love story that makes the night special.
It’s said that Cowherd and Maid fall in love with each other but against the rules of the Heaven. The Godness of the Heaven is too angry that she cheats Maid back to heaven and scratches the Milky Way to separate the couple. But their true love appeals to all the magpies. Every year on this night , all the magpies fly up and form a bridge for Cowherd and Maid so that they can touch each other annually. So beautiful a love story that many poets poetized to explain their admiration.
If the story goes like this,I think at this very moment they must have been sharing their passion over the magpie bridge. Comically,we were also standing on the bridge. Without sweet words nor honeyed phrases,queitly listening to the leaves rustling in the wind and waves beating the rocks,I did feel satisfied. Back on bed , I pondered over what had happened before.Ridiculously I couldn’t even remember how did we separate on that night.
Yet , things don’t go smoothly as you hope. Today , Michael is studying abroad,and I am still in China. We are apart. And there is no further talk between us. It seems that our love is just like a fatal flash of lightning that it ends as suddenly as it began. For a few days I had been downhearted ,but now I’m not and I won’t. As Qinguan says “If love between both sides can last for aye,Why need they stay together night and day?”
Tonight ,though apart, we are still able to share the same moon together. Yet ,already the sky has begun to take on the steelier tints of winter.
