saying good-bye to cambridge again

--by xu zhimo

再别康桥 徐志摩

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 heap 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

help:

rosy: adj.蔷薇色的, 玫瑰红色的

shimmering: adj.微微发亮的

sludge: n.软泥, 淤泥, 矿泥, 煤泥

leisurely: adv.从容不迫

duckweeds: n.