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?

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.