秦观，北宋中后期著名词人，与黄庭坚、张耒、晁补之合称“苏门四学士”，颇得苏轼赏识。熙宁十一年(1078年)作《黄楼赋》，苏轼赞他“有屈宋之才”。元丰七年(1084年)秦观自编诗文集十卷后，苏轼为之作书向王安石推荐，王安石称他“有鲍、谢清新之致”。 因秦观屡得名师指点，又常与同道切磋，兼之天赋才情，所以他的文学成就灿然可观。后于元丰八年（1085年）考中进士，初为定海主簿、蔡州教授，元祐二年（1087年)苏轼引荐为太学博士，后迁秘书省正字，兼国史院编修官。哲宗于绍圣元年亲政后（1094年）“新党”执政，“旧党”多人遭罢黜。秦观出杭州通判，道贬处州，任监酒税之职，后徙郴州，编管横州，又徙雷州。徽宗即位后秦观被任命为复宣德郎，之后在放还北归途中卒于藤州。

　　《鹊桥仙》，词牌名，又名《鹊桥仙令》、《金风玉露相逢曲》、《广寒秋》，双调五十六字，前后阕各两仄韵，一韵到底。前后句首两句要求对仗

　　鹊桥仙

　　纤云弄巧，

　　飞星传恨，

　　银汉迢迢暗渡。

　　金风玉露一相逢，

　　便胜却人间无数。

　　柔情似水，

　　佳期如梦，

　　忍顾鹊桥归路。

　　两情若是久长时，

　　又岂在朝朝暮暮。

　　Immortals at the Magpie Bridge

　　Clouds float like works of art,

　　Stars shoot with grief at heart.

　　Across the Milky Way the Cowherd meets the Maid.

　　When Autumn’s Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade,

　　All the love scenes on earth, however many, fade.

　　Their tender love flows like a stream;

　　Their happy date seems but a dream.

　　How can they bear a separate homeward way?

　　If love between both sides can last for aye,

　　Why need they stay together night and day?

　　（许渊冲 译）

　　Immortals on the Magpie Bridge1

　　Her love into th’ clouds the Maid subtly weaves,

　　And th’ shooting stars display how th’ Cowherd grieves.

　　When dew falls the Milky Way sees their meeting rare.

　　However, no secular love can e’er compare

　　With the holy sentiments they for a time share.

　　Their tender feeling is like a long stream;

　　Their rendezvous’s like a transient dream.

　　They may not bear to part at th’ Magpie Bridge! But nay,

　　So long as undying their affections will stay,

　　Whereat should they be bound up every night and day?

　　1. This tune name derives from the myth of the sincere love between the Cowboy(Niulang) andthe Weaver (Zhinu), who are separated by the Heavenly Queen with the Milky Way and allowed tomeet only once in a year at the bridge built by the magpies which sympathize with them.

　　（卓振英 译）