Timeless Pining: The Lament of Orihime and Hikoboshi

By Sandip Paul

In heaven, where no mortal eye may see, dwelt Orihime, child of Tentei, King of

the Heavens. Orihime was a great weaver, whose exquisite fabrics embroidered

the sky with colors beyond compare. Daily, she'd sit along the shores of

heaven's river, the Amanogawa, weaving fabrics as delicate as moonbeams

shining by night.

But for all her talent and the favor of the gods, Orihime was lonely. She

yearned for someone, someone who could comprehend her and share her

hopes. Tentei, noting his daughter's unhappiness, decided to let her meet with

Hikoboshi, a conscientious cowherd living on the other side of the Amanogawa.

Like him, he was as virtuous as diligent, and like her, he yearned to have

someone with whom to live.

When Orihime and Hikoboshi first met, their hearts were instantly attracted to

each other. They spent their days together laughing, chatting, and enjoying

each other's company. Their love blossomed quickly, and they became

inseparable.

However, their happiness came at a cost. Orihime, who once spent her days

weaving tirelessly, now neglected her loom. The beautiful cloths that once

adorned the heavens remained unfinished. On the other side of the

Amanogawa, Hikoboshi’s cows roamed freely, untended and lost. The celestial

balance was disturbed, and the once orderly heavens began to fall into

disarray.

Having seen the disorder, Tentei was angry. In anger, he ordained that Orihime

and Hikoboshi be parted, each locked in his own side of the Amanogawa. The

Milky Way, which was once a bridge between them, now turned into an

impenetrable wall, a starry river that separated them.

Heartbroken, Orihime cried, her tears rain-like. She drew her father's mercy,

begging him to reunite her with Hikoboshi. Pitying his daughter's tears, Tentei

decided to allow them a reunion but once a year, on the seventh day of the

seventh lunar month, only if they were good the whole year.

The initial year was toughest, as Orihime and Hikoboshi worked their hearts

out, counting the days until they would be able to meet again. At last, the

seventh day of the seventh month arrived, but when Orihime went to the

shores of the Amanogawa, she saw that the river had flooded from the rains

and there was no means to cross.

Orihime's sadness was so profound that it reached the hearts of the magpies

residing in the heavens. They flew to her side, creating a bridge with their

wings, enabling her to cross the Amanogawa and meet Hikoboshi again. Their

reunion was short, but the happiness it brought them lasted through another

year of separation.

And so it went, year by year. The seventh night of the seventh month, Orihime

and Hikoboshi would reunite on the magpie bridge, their love burning like the

stars that filled the heavens. The Earthlings started to commemorate this

evening, hanging their desires on bamboo trees and wishing that, as with

Orihime and Hikoboshi, their aspirations would materialize.

But each year, as night fell, Orihime and Hikoboshi would bid each other

goodbyes, knowing that they would have to wait another year to reunite. Their

love, tried and tested by time and distance, held firm, a testament that real

love can conquer even the most formidable challenges.

And so, on the starry bridge, Orihime and Hikoboshi keep on meeting, their

love legend set in the sky, a twinkling testament to love, to perseverance, and

to the mystique of the stars.

By Sandip Paul