Punting in Cambridge | 康河泛舟

So boating on Lake Blausee reminds me of punting in Cambridge. The city is famous for its university campuses, historic architecture, and picturesque riverfront views. Punting is one of the most iconic activities enjoyed by tourists and locals alike.

The image of punting along the River Cam is especially well-known in China, due to a poem included in the school curriculum. I will add the beautiful poem and its translations at the end of this post for your information. It's called Farewell Again, Cambridge, written in 1928 by Xu Zhimo. He studied at Cambridge and is a pioneer in China’s modern poetry movement.

Today, the last two lines of this poem are inscribed on a marble stone at the Backs of King's College. While strolling through the city streets, I also saw other stones with his poem lines sold as souvenirs in shops.


上篇的荡舟蓝湖让我想起坐船穿行在剑桥的康河，这次就通过拍的照片来分享那次经历。结尾附上徐志摩的名诗《再别康桥》。





When I first heard about punting, I wondered why they didn't just say boating, so I did a quick search and here is what I learned: Punts are flat-bottomed boats invented in medieval times to be used in waters too shallow for rowing traditional craft. To push off the riverbed, a long pole is used. Punting is the term for this type of propulsion.

In the early twentieth century, students in Cambridge, the university town, used punts to transport themselves and their belongings between their colleges and the city center. Punting is now a popular recreational activity, with many punting companies offering guided tours or self-hire options.








Guided tours offer visitors the chance to sit back and relax while an experienced punter navigates the river. On the other hand, self-hire punts allow visitors to take control and punt themselves along the river. This is an excellent option for those who wish to take their time and explore the river at their own pace.

We did the guided tour with a few others in the same punt. Our punter is a Cambridge University student who is well-versed in local history and culture. Along the way, he told us interesting facts and stories about the city's history and landmarks.








While looking for the definition of punting, I came across this brilliant comparison of punt chauffeurs' various narratives on the puntcambridge.co.uk website:

History is a supple and fluid mistress, and in the hands of our chauffeurs she ebbs and flows with the tides of the Cam… (ok, technically the part of the river Cam we punt on isn’t tidal anymore but go with it).

The most popular route for punting is along the Backs, a stretch of the river that passes through the backs of eight colleges including King's College, St John's College, and Trinity College. You will see them in my photos taken during this 45-minute tour.

Aside from the architecture of the university's colleges, you also get to take in the other stunning sceneries along the River Cam, such as the lush greenery of the banks, the lovely pubs and houses at the side, and the charming bridges that cross the river.

We did it in September, when the leaves began to turn red or golden brown, while the majority of the foliage was still green. Despite the overcast sky common in the North Sea countries, the crisp autumn air makes for a refreshing and invigorating punt.

There were also people canoeing and kayaking by, and I saw one man from a punt in front fall(or perhaps he chose to dip) into the water, which must have been a cold and refreshing experience for him...

What about you, my friends? Have you ever tried punting down the River Cam?

Someone fell/dipped into the water:
下图重点不在这位美女和辛勤的船夫兼摄影，而是前方桥下有人落水:

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再别康桥 Farewell Again, Cambridge
徐志摩 by Xu Zhimo


轻轻的我走了， Very quietly I take my leave
正如我轻轻的来； As quietly as I came here;
我轻轻的招手， Quietly I wave good-bye
作别西天的云彩。 To the rosy clouds in the western sky.

那河畔的金柳， The golden willows by the riverside
是夕阳中的新娘； Are young brides in the setting sun;
波光里的艳影， Their reflections on the shimmering waves
在我的心头荡漾。 Always linger in the depth of my heart.

软泥上的青荇， The floating heart growing in the sludge
油油的在水底招摇； Sways leisurely under the water;
在康河的柔波里， In the gentle waves of Cambridge
我甘心做一条水草！ I would be a water plant!

那榆荫下的一潭， That pool under the shade of elm trees
不是清泉，是天上虹； Holds not water but the rainbow from the sky;
揉碎在浮藻间， Shattered to pieces among the duckweeds
沉淀着彩虹似的梦。 Is the sediment of a rainbow-like dream.

寻梦？撑一支长蒿， To seek a dream? Just to pole a boat upstream
向青草更青处漫溯； To where the green grass is more verdant;
满载一船星辉， Or to have the boat fully loaded with starlight
在星辉斑斓里放歌。 And sing aloud in the splendor of starlight.

但我不能放歌， But I cannot sing aloud
悄悄是别离的笙箫； Quietness is my farewell music;
夏虫也为我沉默， Even summer insects heap silence for me
沉默是今晚的康桥！ Silent is Cambridge tonight!

悄悄的我走了， Very quietly I take my leave
正如我悄悄的来； As quietly as I came here;
我挥一挥衣袖， Gently I flick my sleeves
不带走一片云彩。 Not even a wisp of cloud will I bring away

Below is another English version translated by Heather Skye Irvine and Mei Zhang:


Farewell Again, Cambridge

Softly, softly, I take my leave,
just as silent as I came;
I wave a sighing goodbye
to the many-hued clouds in the western sky.

The golden willows on the riverbanks
are young brides in the setting sun;
their bright reflections in the rippling surface
gently sway in my aching heart.

The green grass on the smooth mud
beckons tenderly from the depths.
In the soft embrace of the river Cam,
a single reed is all I long to be.

In the shade of the elm trees, a pool lies,
less a pool of water than a pool of rainbowed sky;
Crushed and dusted among the duckweeds,
there lies the sediment of my once beautiful dreams.

What is it to chase dreams? It is to push a long pole through the water
towards clearer, greener prospects;
it is to ferry a boatload of starlight,
and to sing within the brilliance of it all.

But I cannot sing,
For quiet is the highest form of farewell;
As even the crickets stop chirping,
solemnity reigns in this night’s Cambridge.

Quietly I take my leave,
just as quietly as I came;
I wave my sleeve in farewell,
Not taking a single wisp of cloud with me.

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