Tang Dynasty
Remembering Yangzhou
Xu Ning
萧娘脸薄难胜泪，桃叶眉尖易觉愁。
天下三分明月夜，二分无赖是扬州。
Translation
Lady Xiao's tender face can scarcely bear her tears. Taoye's fine brows show sorrow all too easily. If all the moonlit nights under heaven were divided into three parts, two parts, irresistibly charming, would belong to Yangzhou.
Analysis
"Remembering Yangzhou" is Xu Ning's famous poem on the allure of Yangzhou. It joins feminine grace, tears, longing, moonlight, and urban elegance into one compact memory of place. The first two lines use the names "Lady Xiao" and "Taoye" as poetic figures of feminine beauty. "Tender face" and "fine brows" suggest delicacy, sensitivity, and emotional refinement. The last two lines are the poem's celebrated claim: if the moonlit nights of the world were divided into three portions, two would belong to Yangzhou. The word "wulai" here means something closer to "irresistible," "mischievously charming," or "so lovely that one can do nothing about it." In the Tang dynasty, Yangzhou was a wealthy and cosmopolitan city associated with pleasure, music, courtesans, refined entertainment, and romantic memory. The poem's success comes from linking people and place. The sorrowful beauty of the women and the irresistible moonlight of Yangzhou reflect one another.
About the Author
Xu Ning was a Tang dynasty poet from Fenshui in Muzhou, active around the Middle to Late Tang period. He did not become prominent in official life, but he gained literary recognition and exchanged poems with figures such as Bai Juyi. His poetry often treats landscapes, famous sites, palace emotions, and local atmosphere, with a style that is polished and visually vivid. "Remembering Yangzhou" is his best-known work, especially the couplet "If all the moonlit nights under heaven were divided into three parts, two would belong to Yangzhou."