水光瀲灩晴方好
山色空濛雨亦奇
欲把西湖比西子
淡妝濃抹總相宜
Drinking By West Lake in Changeable Weather 江紹倫譯
Beaming waves flicker bright under a sunny sky
Colours of hazy mountains create extraordinary scenes to flirt the eye
Should we compare West Lake with Xi Shi the legend beauty
They are equally radiant seen with make-up or presented naturally
Hi, I was looking for a translation to this poem when I found yours. Think your translation is one of the most accurate I’ve seen. I’ve given mine a slightly different take. Check it out if you’ve the inclination and appreciate any guidance http://lostinchinese.blogspot.com/2010/05/going-to-hangzhous-west-lake.html But please know that I’m just starting out to learn Mandarin and is no where proficient in the language 🙂 Cheers & thanks!