西施咏

王维

艳色天下重，西施宁久微。
朝为越溪女，暮作吴宫妃。
贱日岂殊众，贵来方悟稀。
邀人傅脂粉，不自著罗衣。
君宠益娇态，君怜无是非。
当时浣纱伴，莫得同车归。
持谢邻家子，效颦安可希。

Pronunciation:

xī shī yǒng

wáng wéi

yàn sè tiān xià zhòng ，xī shī níng jiǔ wēi 。
cháo wéi yuè xī nǚ ，mù zuò wú gōng fēi 。
jiàn rì qǐ shū zhòng ，guì lái fāng wù xī 。
yāo rén fù zhī fěn ，bú zì zhe luó yī 。
jun chǒng yì jiāo tài ，jun lián wú shì fēi 。
dāng shí huàn shā bàn ，mò dé tóng chē guī 。
chí xiè lín jiā zǐ ，xiào pín ān kě xī 。

Translation:

THE BEAUTIFUL XI SHI

Wang Wei

Since beauty is honoured all over the Empire,
How could Xi Shi remain humbly at home? --
Washing clothes at dawn by a southern lake --
And that evening a great lady in a palace of the north:
Lowly one day, no different from the others,
The next day exalted, everyone praising her.
No more would her own hands powder her face
Or arrange on her shoulders a silken robe.
And the more the King loved her, the lovelier she looked,
Blinding him away from wisdom.
Girls who had once washed silk beside her
Were kept at a distance from her chariot.
And none of the girls in her neighbours' houses
By pursing their brows could copy her beauty.