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 floatingheart 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 splendour 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.