The Poor Girl
English translation and interpretation are being reviewed.
拟托良媒益自伤。
谁爱风流高格调，
共怜时世俭梳妆。
敢将十指夸针巧，
不把双眉斗画长。
苦恨年年压金线，
为他人作嫁衣裳。
English translation
Born to a bramble gate, she has never known the scent of silk, thinking to engage a good matchmaker, she grieves the more.
Who prizes grace and a lofty air? All admire the plain, fashionable coiffure.
She dares to boast her ten fingers' skill with the needle, but will not vie in painting her eyebrows long.
Bitterly she hates, year after year, to press the golden thread, making the wedding garments for other girls.
Notes
A humble door: The opening refers to a poor household rather than a grand home.
A good matchmaker: The speaker hopes for a marriage arrangement but fears that poverty will weigh against her.
Making wedding clothes for others: The closing image describes sewing fine garments for someone else’s marriage while one’s own hopes remain unfulfilled.
Meaning
A poor man's daughter knows nothing of the fragrance of damask and gauze; wishing to engage a good matchmaker she feels all the more sorrow.
Who could care for my lofty character and taste? All admire the plain fashions now in vogue.
I daresay my ten fingers are nimble and my needlework exquisite, yet I will never paint my brows each day to vie with others in looks.
Deeply I resent that year after year I hold the golden thread to embroider, always making the bridal robes of rich men's daughters.
Appreciation
The speaker sets skill and character against the fashions and wealth that others notice. Her ability with a needle does not give her the social standing she needs.
The final couplet gives the poem its lasting image: each year she works with gold thread, yet the wedding clothes are for someone else. Readers have also understood the woman’s situation as a way to reflect on an overlooked person’s talent.