Farewell, Cambridge, in quiet melancholy

Xu Zhimo (徐志摩 January 15, 1897—November 19, 1931), the famous Chinese romantic poet, was a visiting student at King's College, Cambridge in 1922. He attributed his sense of self and his desire for knowledge to the influence of Cambridge. He obviously had a very fond memory of the town.

In the autumn of 1928, he visited Cambridge for the third and last time. "Farewell Cambridge, Again", composed in November 1928, is among his best loved poems. My previous post is a musical rendition of the poem. 

I share his sentiment in the poem, merely needing to replace Cambridge with another town.


Farewell Cambridge, Again

Very quietly I take my leave
As quietly as I came here;
Quietly I wave good-bye
To the rosy clouds in the western sky.

The golden willows by the riverside
Are young brides in the setting sun;
Their reflections on the shimmering waves
Always linger in the depth of my heart.

The floating heart growing in the sludge
Sways leisurely under the water;
In the gentle waves of Cambridge
I would be a water plant!

That pool under the shade of elm trees
Holds not water but the rainbow from the sky;
Shattered to pieces among the duckweeds
Is the sediment of a rainbow-like dream.

To seek a dream? Just to pole a boat upstream
To where the green grass is more verdant;
Or to have the boat fully loaded with starlight
And sing aloud in the splendor of starlight.

But I cannot sing aloud
Quietness is my farewell music;
Even summer insects keep silence for me
Silent is Cambridge tonight!

Very quietly I take my leave
As quietly as I came here;
Gently I flick my sleeves
Not even a wisp of cloud will I bring away

再别康桥

徐志摩

輕輕的我走了，
正如我輕輕的來；
我輕輕的招手，
作別西天的雲彩。

那河畔的金柳，
是夕陽中的新娘；
波光裡的艷影，
在我的心頭蕩漾。

軟泥上的青荇，
油油地在水底招搖；
在康河的柔波裡，
我甘心做一條水草！

那榆蔭下的一潭，
不是清泉，是天上虹；
揉碎在浮藻間，
沉澱著彩虹似的夢。

尋夢？撐一支長篙，
向青草更青處漫溯；
滿載一船星輝，
在星輝斑斕裡放歌。

但我不能放歌，
悄悄是別離的笙簫；
夏蟲也為我沉默，
沉默是今晚的康橋！

悄悄的我走了，
正如我悄悄的來；
我揮一揮衣袖，
不帶走一片雲彩。

                   1928.11.6 中國上海