중학교 영어 2 (천재교과서 이상기) 연계 글

Korea has an old folktale about a herdsman and a weaver who lived in the sky. The weaver, Jiknyeo, was the granddaughter of the King of Heaven. She was hardworking and made cloth with great skill. The herdsman, Gyeonu, lived on the other side of the Milky Way. The king allowed them to marry, but they were so happy together that they neglected their duties. In anger, the king separated them again, with the Milky Way between them. They could meet only once a year, on Chilseok, the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.

Even on that day, however, the river of stars kept them apart. Seeing this, the crows and magpies on Earth flew up and connected their heads to make a bridge. People call this bridge Ojakgyo, the bridge of crows and magpies. The tale says that the birds come home bald after Chilseok because of the bridge. In the tale, rain on Chilseok comes from the couple's tears of joy.

The tale is only a story, but its two stars are real. Koreans call Vega Jiknyeo's star and Altair Gyeonu's star. Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, and Altair is the brightest star in Aquila. On summer nights, the two stars shine on opposite sides of the Milky Way. Of the two, Vega is the brighter star.

It is not hard to find them. If you look up on a clear night around Chilseok, you can see Vega high in the sky. Then look across the Milky Way for Altair. If you go far from city lights, you may also notice the faint light of the Milky Way between them.

It is fun to remember the old tale under the summer sky. On Chilseok, find the two stars and imagine the bridge of birds between them.