洛阳女儿行

王维

洛阳女儿对门居， 才可容颜十五余。

良人玉勒乘骢马， 侍女金盘脍鲤鱼。

画阁朱楼尽相望， 红桃绿柳垂檐向。

罗帷送上七香车， 宝扇迎归九华帐。

狂夫富贵在青春， 意气骄奢剧季伦。

自怜碧玉亲教舞， 不惜珊瑚持与人。

春窗曙灭九微火， 九微片片飞花璅。

戏罢曾无理曲时， 妆成祇是薰香坐。

城中相识尽繁华， 日夜经过赵李家。

谁怜越女颜如玉， 贫贱江头自浣纱。

A SONG OF A GIRL FROM LOYANG

Wang Wei

There's a girl from Loyang in the door across the street,

She looks fifteen, she may be a little older.

...While her master rides his rapid horse with jade¹ bit an bridle²,

Her handmaid brings her cod-fish in a golden plate.

On her painted pavilions, facing red towers,

Cornices are pink and green with peach-bloom and with willow³,

Canopies⁴ of silk awn her seven-scented chair,

And rare fans shade her, home to her nine-flowered curtains.

Her lord, with rank and wealth and in the bud of life,

Exceeds in munificence⁵ the richest men of old.

He favours this girl of lowly birth, he has her taught to dance;

And he gives away his coral-trees to almost anyone.

The wind of dawn just stirs when his nine soft lights go out,

Those nine soft lights like petals⁶ in a flying chain of flowers.

Between dances she has barely time for singing over the songs;

No sooner is she dressed again than incense⁷ burns before her.

Those she knows in town are only the rich and the lavish⁸,

And day and night she is visiting the hosts of the gayest mansions⁹.

...Who notices the girl from Yue with a face of white jade,

Humble¹⁰, poor, alone, by the river, washing silk?