Stunning beauty startled all when she left the Han palace;
A fair face and bitter fate—the same through all the ages.
Even if the emperor cared little for beauty,
Why grant such power of life and death to a painter?
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
Daiyu's third poem, about Wang Zhaojun (Ming Fei). Zhaojun was depicted unfavorably by the court painter Mao Yanshou because she refused to bribe him, and was sent to marry the Xiongnu. 'Why grant such power to a painter?' questions the absurdity of power, reflecting Daiyu's frustration at her own fate being controlled by others.
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