University of Cambridge / 再別康橋

Wren Library in Trinity College, University of Cambridge, was uppity and snooty.  No air conditioning and no fans, yet they claimed students were working in the Library so they limited the amount of visitors.  I didn't believe the excuse.  How could they maintain old leather-bound books in a stuffy room without temperature control?  Those books were national treasures; if even one page were damaged due to humidity, that would be horrible.  Oh, and the Library was blocked off; visitors could step in less than a quarter of the Library between 10am and 2pm on certain days only.  If they really hated tourists, simply close the whole Library off.  Do not offer half-assed view.

Sir Isaac Newton’s prism

Sir Isaac Newton’s walking stick

Sir Isaac Newton’s hair

no access beyond this shelf

Train tickets from Kings Cross to Cambridge

The funniest thing was, all Chinese people visiting UK must go to Cambridge because a poet in 1920s wrote about punting in Cambridge. That poem was (is?) in every junior high school textbook. People were so influenced that they must do punting in Cambridge. The punting people in Cambridge have figured this out. So all punting advertising banners outside Cambridge Train Station are in English and Chinese only, no other languages! I’m shocked that the university has not plastered the poem on every wall just to make money off of Chinese tourists. While in London, I heard tour groups speaking in different languages. In Cambridge, the only tour groups are Chinese!

徐志摩「再別康橋」(Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again)

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；
波光里的艷影，
在我的心頭蕩漾。

軟泥上的青荇，
油油的在水底招搖；
在康河的柔波里，
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，
在星輝斑斕里放歌。

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。