CC ADI 16.71
rasālaṅkāra-vat kāvyaṁ
doṣa-yuk ced vibhūṣitam
syād vapuḥ sundaram api
śvitreṇaikena durbhagam
SYNONYMS

rasa—with humors; alaṅkāra-vat—with ornaments (metaphors, similes, etc.); kāvyam—poetry; doṣa-yuk—faulty; cet—if; vibhūṣitam—very nicely decorated; syāt—it becomes so; vapuḥ—the body; sundaram—beautiful; api—even though; śvitreṇa—by a white spot of leprosy; ekena—one; durbhagam—unfortunate.

TRANSLATION

" 'As one's body, although well-decorated with ornaments, is made unfortunate by even one spot of white leprosy, so an entire poem is made useless by a fault, despite alliteration, similes and metaphors.'