The Beautiful Xi Shi

"艷色天下重，西施寧久微？
朝為越溪女，暮作吳宮妃。
賤日豈殊眾？貴來方悟稀。
邀人傅脂粉，不自著羅衣，
君寵益嬌態，君憐無是非。
當時浣紗伴. 莫得同車歸。
持謝鄰家子，效顰安可希"

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.

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Little photomanipulation I did this morning. I came out lovely, but it was a lovely image to begin with. I can't remember where the image came from or I would link it. It was in my stock folder.

Enjoy loves!