西施詠 The Beautiful Xi Shi

王維 Wang Wei

艷 色 天 下 重 ，
Since beauty is honoured all over the Empire,
yàn sè tiān xià zhòng ，
西 施 寧 久 微 ？
How could Xi Shi remain humbly at home? –
xī shī níng jiǔ wēi ？
朝 為 越 溪 女 ，
Washing clothes at dawn by a southern lake –
cháo wèi yuè xī nǚ ，
暮 作 吳 宮 妃 。
And that evening a great lady in a palace of the north:
mù zuò wú gōng fēi 。
賤 日 豈 殊 眾 ？
Lowly one day, no different from the others,
jiàn rì qǐ shū zhòng ？
貴 來 方 悟 稀 。
The next day exalted, everyone praising her.
guì lái fāng wù xī 。
邀 人 傅 脂 粉 ，
No more would her own hands powder her face
yāo rén fù zhī fěn ，
不 自 著 羅 衣 ，
Or arrange on her shoulders a silken robe.
bù zì zhe luó yī ，
君 寵 益 嬌 態 ，
And the more the King loved her, the lovelier she looked,
jūn chǒng yì jiāo tài ，
君 憐 無 是 非 。
Blinding him away from wisdom.
jūn lián wú shì fēi 。
當 時 浣 紗 伴 ，
...Girls who had once washed silk beside her
dāng shí huàn shā bàn ，
莫 得 同 車 歸 。
Were kept at a distance from her chariot.
mò dé tóng chē guī 。
持 謝 鄰 家 子 ，
And none of the girls in her neighbours' houses
chí xiè lín jiā zi ，
效 顰 安 可 希 ？
By pursing their brows could copy her beauty.
xiào pín ān kě xī ？

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