原文：
 
July 1-3, 2007, Cambridge

7/1 Arrival
The Bell in the King’s Chapel was ringing. It was 8:00 PM. The falling sun painted the 16th century buildings in golden yellow. The meticulously maintained lawn looked almost unreal. The birds were still chirping quietly. I could see a few cows from a distance relaxing on the grass and playing with each other. The plantation was enormous. There were endless rows of flowers and even tropical plants. The air after the rain was so fresh that you could almost smell the oxygen being “exhaled?” by the plants. 
 

This was it, one of the world’s oldest and finest colleges. I couldn’t believe that I was actually walking in the “Backs”, the vast garden behind the King’s College, alone. No visitors, no students, no security guards. Founded in 1441 by Henry VI and finished one hundred years later by Henry the VIII, the College stands as a symbol of knowledge, wisdom and history. Ever since I was a child, my mother had painted a dream that one day I would be a scholar who enjoys a worldwide reputation, a professor who could influence students’ lives, and an expert of some sort who could make a difference in the world. I wanted to come to Cambridge, the place that gave birth to world’s greatest philosophers, thinkers, writers and scientists. Now I am actually here as a guest professor living on campus! I walked and walked. It took me a long time to finally reach my cottage. I felt I was so close to the greatest minds in history.
 

I was walking back from a wine and hors d'oeuvre party with NIH/Cambridge/Oxford Ph.D. scholars, NIH scientists and Cambridge professors, held in the Fitzwilliam Museum, a famous museum with a large collection of the world’s finest arts. Surrounded by the master pieces of Titian, Rembrandt, Monet, Cezanne, and accompanied Bach’s music played by a pianist, Evan (my student) introduced me to some of his fellow scholars. I couldn’t help but act like a Cambridge professor when I chatted with the scholars about science, arts, music, philosophy and life. This is perhaps the finest group of students that any university could have; Marshall Scholars, Rhodes Scholars, MD/PhDs from Harvard and Yale, and all the best science geeks who have packed numerous honors and accomplishments in their CVs. To my amusement, the students were all well-dressed, well-mannered, and many of them were quite good-looking. As if that were not enough, the students in this group are required to spend one or two years at Cambridge or Oxford. You can imagine how entertaining the conversations could be. Maybe the wine had added to the surreal feeling, I almost felt like Aristotle talking with his disciples…… 
 

Back a few hours, after Evan (my own student) and I had finished discussing with his Oxford mentor (each scholar is supposed to have two mentors, one from NIH and the other from Oxford or Cambridge), I decided to take a walk on the “King’s Parade”, the main street along which most of the Cambridge colleges are located. Cambridge Univ. is composed of many colleges (31 all together). Each college has its own dormitory, chapel, dining hall, library, lecture hall, etc., and is completely separated by fences and walls. The events of the NIH/Oxford/Cambridge Colloquium were scheduled mostly in Pembroke College and Peterhouse, but I stayed at King’s College. Walking across King’s Parade, I quickly arrived at the “Eagles”, the local bar in which Watson and Crick announced their DNA double helix model for the first time. This bar is located just blocks from the famous Cavendish Laboratory, where Watson and Crick worked. I walked inside the bar, sat in one of its rooms, and imagined what it was like for a young guy in his late twenties to tell his friends that he had uncovered the secret of life. I remember at a Cold Spring Harbor meeting, Watson was asked by a student what discoveries in life science of the past 50 years he could think of that would be on par with that of double helix. He paused for a moment and said “Gee, there is none!”. “But Sir, there are many people who got Nobel prizes”, the student argued. “They got a Nobel prize. I got the Nobel prize”, Watson replied. I read the “The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA” by Watson, which describes the twists and turns of the historical event. Sitting in the Eagles gave me a vivid feel of that exciting moment in the history of biology. Personally, however, I prefer a life of progressive advancement. “It must have been awful for someone that young to make such a lifetime achievement,” I entertained the thought, “He had nothing more to live for.” 
 

I continued walking up north and came to the dock of the River Cam. This is the little river that runs in the back of most of the colleges and is famous for its spectacular view of the campuses and their wonderful bridges. Riding on a small boat, or “punting” as the locals call it, is not just a relaxing way to spend an hour or two. It is like life in heaven! With the summer breeze, draping tree leaves and the tranquility of its water, it is simply poetic. Who could resist this romantic temptation? Sitting on the punt, the imagery of the beautiful poem “再別康橋” (Farewell Cambridge) by Xu Zhimo came to my mind: 
 


再别康桥
 
作者: 徐志摩
 
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；
波光裡的艷影，
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，
在星輝斑斕裡放歌。
　
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。

English translation:

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 heep 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