little, seasoned
it, made it more yearning and faltering and milder. The sun was half shining
through, like sunshine in dreams. There was a certain hesitancy to everything,
the air fluttered about their hair and faces—Kaspar’s face was solemn but
serene. For a while he rowed with powerful strokes, then let the oars sink, and
the boat bobbed on unguided. He turned around to look at the receding city, saw
its towers and rooftops glittering faintly in the half-sun, saw
industrious people hurrying across the bridges. Carts and wagons followed, the
electrical tram jolted past making its peculiar sound. Wires were humming, whips
were cracking, one could hear whistles and great resounding dins from somewhere
or other. All at once the eleven o’clock bells rang out amid all the silence
and
distant trembling sounds. Both of them were feeling indescribable joy at this
day, this morning, the sounds and colors. Everything was dissolving into
perception and sound. Being lovers, they heard all things melded as a single
sound. A simple bouquet lay in Klara’s lap. Kaspar had taken off his jacket and
was now rowing again. Then came the stroke of noon, and all these working and
professional people dispersed like a trampled anthill into all the streets and
directions. The white bridge was swarming with nimble black dots. And when you
considered that each dot had a mouth with which it was now planning to eat
lunch, you couldn’t help bursting into laughter. What a singular image of life,
the two of them felt, laughing. They now turned back as well; after all, they
too were human and beginning to get hungry; and the closer they drew to shore,
the larger the ants became; and then they disembarked and were dots themselves,
just like the others. But they kept strolling blissfully up and down beneath
the
light-green trees. Many curious people turned to look at this strange
pair: the woman in her long white gown whose train swept the ground and the
churl of a lad who didn’t even have on clean trousers, who stood in such
insolent contrast to the lady he accompanied. Thus do people wax indignant and
form false judgments about their fellow man. All at once someone came striding
quickly up to Kaspar. Indeed, it was someone who had every reason to greet him
in this fashion, namely Klaus, who hadn’t seen his brother in years. Behind him
came their sister and another gentleman, and now there was a general exchange
of
greetings. The stranger’s name was Sebastian.
Simon was meanwhile sitting scarcely a thousand paces away in a
dining establishment, a small room stuffed full of eating people. All sorts of
folks came to eat here who had to eat cheaply and quickly. Simon was quite fond
of the place, though it was utterly devoid of elegance and comfort. After all,
he did have to watch his expenses. This dining hall had been established by a
group of women who, taken all together, called themselves the Association for
Moderation and the Public Good. Indeed, anyone who went there had to be
satisfied with a perfectly moderate and scanty meal. And all were satisfied for
the most part, aside from occasional petty, narrow-minded
dissatisfactions. Everyone who frequented the place appeared content with the
food, which consisted of a plate of soup, a piece of bread, a portion of meat,
ditto vegetables and a miniscule, dainty dessert. The service left nothing to
be
desired beyond a bit more alacrity, and in fact all in all the waitresses were
swift enough considering the large number of hungry eaters. Each received his
meal promptly enough, though each felt some slight impatience for even prompter
distribution. There was a constant stream of meals being served up, doled out
and devoured. Some whose meals had already been put away may well have wished
they hadn’t yet finished and cast envious glances at the ones still awaiting
what was in fact quite
it, made it more yearning and faltering and milder. The sun was half shining
through, like sunshine in dreams. There was a certain hesitancy to everything,
the air fluttered about their hair and faces—Kaspar’s face was solemn but
serene. For a while he rowed with powerful strokes, then let the oars sink, and
the boat bobbed on unguided. He turned around to look at the receding city, saw
its towers and rooftops glittering faintly in the half-sun, saw
industrious people hurrying across the bridges. Carts and wagons followed, the
electrical tram jolted past making its peculiar sound. Wires were humming, whips
were cracking, one could hear whistles and great resounding dins from somewhere
or other. All at once the eleven o’clock bells rang out amid all the silence
and
distant trembling sounds. Both of them were feeling indescribable joy at this
day, this morning, the sounds and colors. Everything was dissolving into
perception and sound. Being lovers, they heard all things melded as a single
sound. A simple bouquet lay in Klara’s lap. Kaspar had taken off his jacket and
was now rowing again. Then came the stroke of noon, and all these working and
professional people dispersed like a trampled anthill into all the streets and
directions. The white bridge was swarming with nimble black dots. And when you
considered that each dot had a mouth with which it was now planning to eat
lunch, you couldn’t help bursting into laughter. What a singular image of life,
the two of them felt, laughing. They now turned back as well; after all, they
too were human and beginning to get hungry; and the closer they drew to shore,
the larger the ants became; and then they disembarked and were dots themselves,
just like the others. But they kept strolling blissfully up and down beneath
the
light-green trees. Many curious people turned to look at this strange
pair: the woman in her long white gown whose train swept the ground and the
churl of a lad who didn’t even have on clean trousers, who stood in such
insolent contrast to the lady he accompanied. Thus do people wax indignant and
form false judgments about their fellow man. All at once someone came striding
quickly up to Kaspar. Indeed, it was someone who had every reason to greet him
in this fashion, namely Klaus, who hadn’t seen his brother in years. Behind him
came their sister and another gentleman, and now there was a general exchange
of
greetings. The stranger’s name was Sebastian.
Simon was meanwhile sitting scarcely a thousand paces away in a
dining establishment, a small room stuffed full of eating people. All sorts of
folks came to eat here who had to eat cheaply and quickly. Simon was quite fond
of the place, though it was utterly devoid of elegance and comfort. After all,
he did have to watch his expenses. This dining hall had been established by a
group of women who, taken all together, called themselves the Association for
Moderation and the Public Good. Indeed, anyone who went there had to be
satisfied with a perfectly moderate and scanty meal. And all were satisfied for
the most part, aside from occasional petty, narrow-minded
dissatisfactions. Everyone who frequented the place appeared content with the
food, which consisted of a plate of soup, a piece of bread, a portion of meat,
ditto vegetables and a miniscule, dainty dessert. The service left nothing to
be
desired beyond a bit more alacrity, and in fact all in all the waitresses were
swift enough considering the large number of hungry eaters. Each received his
meal promptly enough, though each felt some slight impatience for even prompter
distribution. There was a constant stream of meals being served up, doled out
and devoured. Some whose meals had already been put away may well have wished
they hadn’t yet finished and cast envious glances at the ones still awaiting
what was in fact quite
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