A priest who gives a sermon should be handsome. After all, you're most aware of the profundity of his teaching if you're gazing at his face as he speaks. If your eyes drift elsewhere you tend to forget what you've just heard, so an unattractive face has the effect of making you feel quite sinful.
Counsellor Yosichika was looking even finer than usual, in fact simply marvellous. There he was, in the midst of these gorgeous colours [of others' clothing], such dazzling sheens of summer under-robes that there was no choosing among them for beauty, and he was simplicity itself in his single cloak. He kept looking across towards the ladies' carriages, and sending messages over to them. No one who saw him could have failed to find him delightful.
[describing a hypothetical ideal lover] He has slipped back his mist-drenched cloak from his shoulders, and his lacquered cap is pulled awkwardly down over sidelocks that are somewhat bushy and tangled from the night's escapade, lending him a negligent air.
It looks terrible when a handsome nobleman is a Board of Censors Officer [because the uniform is ugly].
Along Tadanobu duly came, looking magnificent. He wore a gorgeous damask cloak in the cherry-blossom combination, with an immaculate lustre to its inner lining, and his gathered trousers of rich, dark grape colour were woven through with a dazzling pattern of tangled wisteria vine. The scarlet colour and glossed silk effect of the inner robe positively shone, and layer upon layer of very pale violet-grey and other colours were visible beneath the cloak. The way he seated himself on the narrow veranda, with one foot hanging from its edge as he leaned in slightly toward the blind, made him look the absolute epitome of some splendid figure in a picture, or in the sort of marvellous scene you find described in a romance. [... later, when Shōnagon is visiting the empress] 'But no more of this talk of the men in old tales,' said Her Majesty. 'If only you'd seen Tadanobu when he came today, I imagine you would have been beside yourself over how splendid he looked.' 'Yes, it's quite true,' chimed in several ladies. 'He really did look even more marvellous than usual.' 'Actually,' I said, 'that is precisely what I came to tell you about, your Majesty, but this talk of tales distracted me.' And I proceeded to describe what had happened. 'Well, we all saw him,' they said, laughing, 'but who else took in such detail, down to the very threads and stitches?'
Things of elegant beauty - A slim, handsome young gentleman of noble birth wearing court dress.
Another elegant sight is of a handsome serving man walking past bearing a ceremonial narrow-bladed sword with a flat-weave ceremonial cord attached.
A good-looking man has spent the day engrossed in playing sugoroku, and now as night draws in he seems still intent on playing [...] The neck-band of his hunting-costume has ridden up till it rubs his face, and his other hand goes up to push it back into place. [...] How delightfully arrogant he looks!
