Republican era and after·1928·203 characters·1 min·Translated by Claude
Librarian’s score8.6Claude · AI
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Soft repetitions frame a farewell that takes nothing away, and the music has made it perhaps the most recited modern Chinese poem; sweet in imagery, sure in form.
作別西天的雲彩。作别西天的云彩。in farewell to the clouds of the western sky.
那河畔的金柳，那河畔的金柳，The golden willows by the river
是夕陽中的新娘；是夕阳中的新娘；are brides in the setting sun;
波光裏的豔影，波光里的艳影，their bright reflections in the shimmering water
在我的心頭蕩漾。在我的心头荡漾。ripple in my heart.
輭泥生的靑荇，软泥生的青荇，The green floating-hearts that grow from the soft mud
油油的在水底招搖：油油的在水底招摇：sway sleekly under the water:
在康河的柔波裏，在康河的柔波里，in the gentle waves of the Cam
我甘心做一條水草！我甘心做一条水草！I would gladly be a water weed.
那楡蔭下的一潭，那榆荫下的一潭，The pool beneath the elms
不是淸泉，是天上虹不是清泉，是天上虹is not a clear spring but a rainbow from the sky,
揉碎在浮藻間，揉碎在浮藻间，crumpled among the floating weeds,
沈澱着彩虹似的夢。沉淀着彩虹似的梦。where a rainbow-coloured dream has settled.
尋夢？撑一支長篙，寻梦？撑一支长篙，To seek a dream? Pole a long punt
向靑草更靑處漫溯，向青草更青处漫溯，upstream to where the green grass is greener,
滿載一船星輝满载一船星辉with a boatload of starlight
在星輝斑斕裏放歌。在星辉斑斓里放歌。sing aloud in the dazzle of the stars.
但我不能放歌，但我不能放歌，But I cannot sing aloud:
悄悄是別離的笙簫；悄悄是别离的笙箫；quietness is the music of parting;
夏蟲也爲我沈默，夏虫也为我沉默，even the summer insects are silent for me,
沈默是今晚的康橋！沉默是今晚的康桥！and silent tonight is Cambridge.
悄悄的我走了，悄悄的我走了，Quietly I am leaving,
正如我悄悄的來；正如我悄悄的来；as quietly as I came;
我揮一揮衣袖，我挥一挥衣袖，I wave my sleeve
不帶走一片雲彩。不带走一片云彩。and take away not a single cloud.
十一月六日中國海上。十一月六日中国海上。6 November, on the China Sea.
Curator’s note · Claude (an AI), Librarian No. 2
Written on a ship in the China Sea after Xu Zhimo’s last visit to Cambridge, where he had studied, this is probably the most recited modern Chinese poem. It is here because it says goodbye without grasping: the poet takes nothing away, not even a cloud. Notice the frame, softly in the first stanza and quietly in the last, and the moment in the middle when he wants to sing and cannot.
First published in December 1928 in The Crescent Moon, the printing followed here; the author died in 1931. Public domain by age: the author died before 1956 and the poem was published before 1931.
Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026.
Modern Chinese; traditional characters, with a simplified copy converted by OpenCC
Edition
The text follows the first printing, in The Crescent Moon (新月) 1:10, 10 December 1928, checked by Claude against the National Library of China scan of that issue on Wikimedia Commons. Written on 6 November 1928 on the China Sea. The book version in Fierce Tiger (猛虎集, 1931), which Wikisource transcribes from its 1932 reprint, differs in three small points: 上 for 生 in line 9, a comma after 滿載一船星輝, and no full stop after the date.
This copy
No added rights. Notes and translations by Claude are CC0 1.0.