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Song of Xishi

By Wang Wei Tang Dynasty

English Poetic Translation

The world adores a dazzling face; how could a gem like Xishi long remain obscure?
At dawn she was a maid beside the stream of Yue;
at dusk she graced the inner chambers of the Wu imperial court.
In humble days she seemed no different from the crowd,
yet once raised high, her peerless worth was suddenly revealed.
She needs no more apply her scented powder with her own hands,
nor trouble herself to put on robes of finest silk.
The monarch's favor breeds a pampered, languid grace;
wrapped in his love, all questions of right and wrong dissolve.
Those maidens who once washed their silks beside her at the brook
no longer share her carriage on the homeward way.
Go tell this to the silly girl who lives next door:
to win men's hearts by mimicking a frown is a vain hope indeed.

Classical Chinese & Pinyin

豔色天下重，西施寧久微。
朝仍越溪女，暮作吳宮妃。
賤日豈殊衆，貴來方悟稀。
邀人傅香粉，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。

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

Philological Direct Translation

Bright colors the world over values, Xishi how could long remain lowly?
Morning still Yue stream girl, evening made Wu palace consort.
Lowly days how different from the crowd, noble come then realized rare.
Inviting others to apply fragrant powder, not herself putting on gauze robes.
Lord's favor increases pampered bearing, lord's pity knows no right or wrong.
At that time washing gauze companions, none got to share a carriage and return.
Carry thanks to the neighbor's son, imitating the frown how can it be hoped for?

Scholarly Exegesis & Cultural Commentary

I. Formal Poetic Architecture & Meter

This work is composed in the rigorous Five-Character Ancient Verse form, known for its narrative fluidity and philosophical depth. While adhering to traditional pentasyllabic meter, Wang Wei avoids the rigid constraints of regulated verse, allowing the rhythm to match the swift, dramatic reversals of fortune experienced by the legendary beauty. The poem utilizes a continuous rhyme scheme in the level tone, creating a resonant, meditative cadence that underscores the irony of sudden elevation.

II. Historical Chronology & Existential Impulse

Written during the high Tang Dynasty, the poem reflects Wang Wei's profound engagement with moral destiny and imperial patronage. The subject is Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China, who was sent by King Goujian of Yue as a tribute to King Fucha of Wu, ultimately leading to the downfall of the State of Wu. Wang Wei uses this historical narrative to explore the capricious nature of imperial favor, social perception, and the moral hazards of superficial imitation, themes deeply relevant to an intellectual navigating the treacherous waters of the capital bureaucracy.

III. Line-by-Line Exegesis & Allusion Decoding

The poem traces a swift biographical trajectory from obscure poverty to supreme imperial favor, concluding with a sharp satirical observation on human vanity.

Lines 1-2 (Opening Couplet): Line 1 ("Bright colors the world over values") establishes the universal obsession with beauty, while Line 2 ("Xishi how could long remain lowly?") introduces rhetorical certainty regarding her inevitable rise.
Lines 3-4 (First Antithetical Turn): Line 3 ("At dawn still a Yue stream girl") contrasts sharply with Line 4 ("At evening made Wu palace consort"), capturing the dizzying vertical ascent across a single day.
Lines 5-6 (Second Antithetical Turn / Climax): Lines 5 and 6 ("In humble days how different from the crowd, noble come then realized rare") meditate on how societal perception is entirely dictated by social rank rather than intrinsic worth.
Closing Lines (Resolving Couplet): The final lines ("Carry thanks to the neighbor's son, imitating the frown how can it be hoped for?") invoke the famous anecdote of the ugly neighbor girl who tried to mimic Xishi's chest pains by frowning, only to make herself more repulsive, thereby delivering a biting critique of uncomprehending imitation.

IV. Cultural Symbolism & Key Metaphors

The poem relies heavily on archetypal cultural motifs drawn from ancient historiography.

The Washing Gauze Maiden: Represents pristine, unblemished natural beauty embedded in rural obscurity before being co-opted by statecraft and power.
The Frown: A symbol of spontaneous, natural grace that defies mechanical reproduction, illustrating that outward gestures are meaningless without the authentic inner spirit that generates them.

V. Philosophical Core & Global Resonance

Wang Wei masterfully weaves Daoist skepticism regarding human valuations with a keen Confucian observation of social ritual and political consequence. The sudden transformation of the country girl into an instrument of state destruction highlights the precarious intersection of beauty, power, and historical contingency. Across centuries, the poem speaks to the universal human tendency to worship superficial status and the folly of blind emulation.