Somewhere high in the heavens above
An empire of vast expanse
Majestically on his throne the Sky King sat..
Adorned in flowing robes of splendor
Woven in great beauty by one as much
Vega his child, his precious of divinity untouched..
Hard she toiled and for long she labored
A melancholy soul loveless and alone
The king, a father’s heart, thence ordained for a lover of her own..
Altair he was, the star herder
Young, carefree and a delight
Their love blossomed and they married under the heavens so bright.
Once together they dwelled in bliss
In passion and love - a world of their own
So engrossed in the lover’s embrace, all chores forgotten all duties ignored..
The Sky’s robes unwoven and the stars left astray
For companionship was all they desired
But the heavens they dismayed and cried out in anger, the skies fired..
Thunderous rage he brought down upon them
And forbade them from ever to meet
A white river of the sky so created, on whose banks the separated weep..
And then she cried in bitter tears
Finding no comfort in her plight
And so she begged and so she pleaded thirsting for her husband’s sight..
Touched by the tears she shed
Moved he was at her pitiful state
The seventh day of the seventh month, he granted a day of solace..
Glad she was when the day arrived
And eagerly she desired to be in his arms
But lo! Alas! Her dreams were shattered– no bridge there was on the river’s banks..
In despair she wailed and in agony she wept
The heavens grieved by her cries
And in answer to her prayers, magpies appeared in the skies..
The flock they spread their wings to form
A feathery passage across the river
And on it then Vega climbed to reach Altair her wait now over..
And each year the two must wait
For the magpies to bridge the gap
But if it rains their wait extends for in the rain their wings won’t flap…
Note:
->The poem is based on a Japanese star festival by the same name, it describes a myth behind the formation of the milky way
