Willow Brows, Zhao Luanluan

A curving willow leaf that’s playing at the edge of worried,
Clearly reflected in her water-chestnut mirror again.
Lovely and charming, she won’t bother using eyebrow paint,
For that “spring mountain” hue appears as natural as a thought.

柳眉
弯弯柳叶愁边戏，
湛湛菱花照处频。
妩媚不烦螺子黛，
春山画出自精神。

Willow eyebrows are long and slender, like a willow leaf, which was considered attractive. Lost in translation: in full, it’s a “water-chestnut flower mirror.” Mirrors decorated with that motif were common especially in the Tang Dynasty. “Spring mountain” is a specific color of 黛, makeup for painting eyebrows.

—L.