Chapter 11 night talk
We have now reached an inflection point on which we must focus our full attention, as it not only occupied the final years of the game master, but also drove his determination to leave his post and his school of games and enter Another realm of life, until his death.Although he remained faithful to his duties with exemplary honesty until the moment of his resignation; although he was always loved and trusted by students and colleagues until the day of his departure, we still refrain from continuing to describe the circumstances of his tenure. For we have found him inwardly weary of the position, and turned inwardly to another object.He has done his best to extend the extent possible of his official duties, he has crossed the line into the turning point, and he must leave tradition as a great man.To follow the path of order and embark on a new road that has no previous footprints and experience, and no one to lead, he must trust the supreme power that human beings cannot yet measure.
Once consciously aware of the situation, he examines his present situation and the possibilities of changing it calmly and carefully.He had reached the top of the job at an unusual age, a goal any talented and aspiring Castalian would think was worth striving for.It was neither ambition nor hard work that he acquired this high position, which was almost forced against his own will; It is the most suitable for him, which is also his greatest personal wish.He paid little attention to the advantages and powers that a high position can bring, and we found that he seemed to be tired of such honors and privileges soon after taking office, especially since he always regarded the political work and management work of the highest executive authority as a heavy burden; although He always dedicates his energy with conscience, even his own job, even the most unique work of training the best elite talents, although occasionally he feels happy, and these elites also admire him very much, but the more he gets Later, it made him feel more burdened than happy.It was teaching and education that really brought him joy and satisfaction. He also gained such an experience from it: the younger the student, the greater the joy and results he got in education, so that he often felt lost because his job Work sent him only youth and adults, not youth and toddlers.
Of course, his long tenure also produced many thoughts, experiences, and perspectives that made him skeptical and critical of his own job and of certain aspects of Waldzell itself, or rather, Feeling that mastership is a huge obstacle to expanding one's talents most productively.Some of the things he doubts are already familiar to us, while others are just our speculations.As for the following questions: Knecht, the game master, is trying to get rid of the shackles of official positions, and wants to do less prominent work according to his wishes, isn't he?Are his criticisms of Castalia's situation correct?Should people see him as a pioneer and a brave warrior, or as a traitor of some sort or even a deserter?We do not intend to discuss this long list of issues, because there have been too many debates.In the Waldzell area this controversy for a time divided the whole school into two camps, a rift which has not yet been fully healed.While we have deep respect for the great master of the game, we don't want to be biased in this type of debate.We think that there will eventually be a synthetic judgment about the many controversies and disagreements about the person and life of Joseph Knecht, and yes, in fact this has already begun to take shape.We therefore wish not to make any criticism or alteration of what follows, but, as always, have written as faithfully as possible the history of our beloved Master's final period.But to be precise, what we describe is not a pure historical fact, but a so-called legend, a report written by a mixture of real materials and oral rumors, as if it came from various sources, clear or dirty The pooled spring water flows to the descendants of our generation in the academy.
Just when Joseph Knecht began to think about how to embark on a path of freedom, he unexpectedly met a person he was familiar with but almost completely forgotten. That person was his youthful rival and friend Pu Linnio Tesignoli.The scion of an ancient family whose predecessors had helped Castalia, who had been an auditor at an elite school in his youth, was now a powerful socialite, both a MP and a He is a political writer who suddenly appeared at a meeting of the school's religious group authorities one day because of official business.As we have already mentioned, the management committee in charge of Castalia's finances is re-elected every few years, and this Tesignoli happened to be one of the members elected for this term.He met the master of the glass bead game when he attended his first council meeting in the Hillsland church organizing room as a committee member.The meeting not only impressed Knecht, but had consequences.
What we have of that meeting is obtained partly from Deglarius and partly from Tesignoli himself, who again became Knecht during a period of Knecht's later life which we do not quite understand. Sitter's friend, yes, should be said to be a close friend.
After decades of separation, they reunited under the introduction of others.The host of the meeting introduced the newly elected members of the committee as usual. When Knecht heard Tesignoli’s name, he couldn’t help being surprised, and even felt ashamed, because he couldn’t recognize him at a glance. An old friend with a little change.Knecht immediately changed his attitude, waived all the politeness, kindly stretched out his right hand, and looked at the other person's face, trying to find the change that made him fail to recognize his old friend.During the meeting, Knecht's eyes often stayed on this once very familiar face.In addition, because Tesignoli was honored by the title of master, Knecht had to ask him to change his address twice, and return to the one he used in his youth until he changed his name.
Plinio in Knecht’s memory was a lively, cheerful, talkative, and radiant young man. He was both an excellent student and a descendant of a family. He felt superior to the Castalian youths who had escaped the secular life, and often teased and laughed at them. .At that time, he might be a bit vain, but he was open-minded and definitely not the kind of narrow-minded person, so he attracted the favor and support of many peers. By the way, many people were also impressed by his elegant appearance, confident manner and good manners Overwhelmed by his breath, he often surrounds him.A few years later, when Plinio was about to end his studies, Knecht met him again, and found that Plinio was superficial and vulgar, and seemed to have completely lost his previous charm, which disappointed Knecht .The two broke up coldly.
Now Plinio seems to be a different person.First of all, he seems to have completely discarded or lost the active spirit of his youth. His love of socializing, arguing and communicating with people, his positive, competitive, and outgoing personality, seem to have all been lost.The fact is also the same, for example, when he met an old friend, he just stared at the other party, and did not take the initiative to say hello, for example, he did not call his friend the old name, but respected the master, reluctantly accepted Knecht's plea to change his address, yes , even his demeanor, gaze, way of speaking, and even the expression on his face have changed greatly. A kind of rigidity and dullness have replaced the former aggressiveness, frankness and enthusiasm. He has become silent and restrained, perhaps a kind of A phenomenon of overwork, or just boredom.His youthful charm had faded and disappeared, and so had the superficial, vain features of his former self.Now his whole figure, and especially his face, were marked with the marks of pain at once desperate and noble.
Our glass bead game master participated in the meeting, but involuntarily divided part of his attention, thinking about the phenomenon in front of him, what kind of pain is it, and it turns a happy young man who is lively, unrestrained and vigorous by nature into such a repressed.Knecht speculated that it must be a kind of pain that he was completely unfamiliar with and completely ignorant of. The more he immersed himself in speculation and exploration, the more he sympathized with this suffering person.Sympathy and friendship coalesced into a vague feeling that he felt guilty for the sufferings of his friends in his youth, and owed something to make amends.
When Knecht made several hypotheses about the cause of Plinio's pain, and immediately overturned it, an idea appeared in his mind: the expression of pain on this face is unusual, it seems to be a kind of noble , Tragic pain, this kind of expression form does not belong to the category of Castalia. He recalled seeing similar expressions on the faces of people in the outside world, of course, they were not as obvious and charming as the ones he saw in front of him.At this time, he also thought that he had seen similar expressions on ancient portraits and statues, and he had read in the works of some scholars or artists a certain expression of sadness, loneliness and despair that was partly pathological and partly fateful.Our game master not only has the delicate feeling of an artist who penetrates into the secrets of people's hearts, but also has the clear mind of an educator who is good at grasping different personalities. In his eyes, everyone's face has a certain degree of physiognomy marks. It can be summarized into a system, but it can be intuitively perceived proficiently.He can distinguish, for example, the peculiar laughs, smiles, and joyful expressions of the Castalians from those of the secular, and likewise he can distinguish their peculiar ways of expressing pain and sorrow.He decided that he saw in the face of Tesignoli this worldly expression of sorrow, and that it really expressed one of the strongest and purest sorrows, as if this face intended to be a representative of countless faces, It reflects the inner pain of countless people.
Knecht was puzzled by this face, but also deeply moved by it.It seemed to him not only a worthwhile thing for the secular world to bring back its lost friend, and to have Plinio and Joseph, as they once did in their schoolday debates, now truly represent the secular and the church respectively. Good thing; Knecht felt that what was more important and more symbolic was that what the secular world offered Castalia with this clouded, lonely and sad face was no longer its laughter, its joy in life, its Power and vulgar desires, but its unhappiness and misery.Knecht also felt that Tsignoli wanted to avoid him rather than want to see him. He was hesitant to react to his friend’s friendship and had a strong sense of resistance. Of course, this situation made Knecht exhausted. Brain, thinking hard but still can't understand it.In any case, however, Knecht believed he could save him; Plinio, his old schoolmate, educated by Castalia, would never have been as stubborn as some of the other members of this important committee. Deal with, even hostile to Castalia.In fact, it has long been known that Plinio respected this religious group, was a supporter of the Game Academy, and served it on many occasions.Only the glass bead game, which he has not touched for many years.
We cannot report precisely by what means the master of the glass bead game gradually regained the confidence of his friends.But we all know the master's understanding and kindness, so we can imagine his way of handling this matter.Knecht continued to win over Plinio, and who could resist this indomitable and earnest pursuit to the end?
Several months after their first reunion, Tesignoli finally came to Walzell over Knecht's repeated invitations.It was a cloudy and windy autumn afternoon, and the two drove through the fields that alternately changed from light to darkness, to the old place where they used to study and make friends.Knecht looked relaxed and cheerful, while his guest was silent and melancholy. The scene was just like the empty field under their feet after harvesting. It was bright and dark at times, and the joy of reunion between them was at times, at times, The sorrow of the diaphragm.After they got off the bus near the academy, they walked on the old road they walked together in the past, recalling the classmates and teachers in the past, and also remembered the topics they talked about back then.Tesignoli stayed at Knecht's place for a day as agreed, watching and participating in Knecht's official duties and work that day.At the end of the day—the guests were to say goodbye the next morning—the two friends sat down in Knecht's living room and talked at night, almost returning to their old intimacy.
During the whole day, the guests were able to observe the master's daily work in detail and left a deep impression.
Tesignoli took a detailed note of the conversation as soon as he got home.Although the notes also contain some unimportant trifles, which may make some readers feel that it hinders us from describing this article objectively, we have reproduced the full text intact.
"I would have liked you to see many things," said the Master, "but I have not been able to quite do so. Such as the lovely garden in my mansion. Do you remember our 'Master's Garden' and the plants that Master Thomas brought over? —Yes, there are many other things. I hope you will take the time to look at them again in the future. Anyway, since yesterday you have reviewed a lot of the past, and you have a general understanding of my duties and daily work .”
"I thank you very much for this," continued Plinio, "and today I have had the opportunity to investigate once again the nature of your academy, to measure the great secret of this educational tolerance, and for many years I have often thought about everything here. , more than you think. You let me see your work and your life today, Joseph, so I hope it's not the last time, and I hope we have the opportunity to talk often about what I've seen here today, because I can't comment on this right now. Also, I feel obligated to repay the kindness you have shown me. I know you must have been surprised by the neglect of the past few days. To be honest, you have to visit me once to see My home life. But I can only give you a brief introduction today, so that you can get acquainted with my recent situation. Frankly speaking, it is really embarrassing to say it, and it can also be regarded as a kind of confession. It will relieve the burden in my heart to some extent .
"You know my origin. This is an ancient conservative family composed of generations of landowners and high-ranking officials. It has served the country and your academy. But look, this simple fact makes me I am facing a chasm that separates us! When I said the word 'family', I thought I was talking about something simple, self-evident, and clear, but what is it? You learn The people in the garden have their own church organization and religious order, but you don't have a family. You can't imagine what family lineage, blood and family status mean, so you can't know the mystery contained in what people call "family family". I think these are the words and concepts that we use most to express the meaning of life. Most of the things that seem important to us, you don’t think so, and some of them you even really don’t. I can't understand, and yet some of the same things have very different meanings to you than to us. How can you communicate with such opposites! You see, when you talk to me, I feel as if a foreigner is talking to me , at least this foreigner said what I learned when I was young and said it myself, so I basically understood it. But you are different. When I speak to you, what you hear is an unfamiliar language. You can only understand half of what it says, with no nuances or undertones at all. What you hear is a life experience and way of life that has nothing to do with you, most of which, either Interesting to you, but still foreign to you, those things are only half-knowledgeable to you at best. You recall the many arguments and conversations in our school days. From my point of view, I was just An attempt, one of my many attempts, to reconcile the Academy with our secular world, both in life and in language. You were the most receptive of those I was trying to communicate with Foreign things, the most understanding and honest opponents. When you stood up bravely to defend the rights of Castalia, you did not deny my other world in the slightest, nor ignored its rights, or had Any disparaging words about it. It should be said that we were almost close in those days. Ah, we shall have to talk about this subject later."
When Tesignoli bowed his head in thought and was silent for a moment, Knecht interjected cautiously: "But it's not as incomprehensible as you think. There is no doubt that people of different nationalities and languages communicate with each other, of course It is impossible to communicate with each other as smoothly and kindly as people of the same country and the same language. But this is by no means a reason for us to give up communicating with each other. Even if we live in the same country and speak the same language, there are various limitations that hinder people from obtaining Complete communication and mutual understanding, such as cultural, educational, talent and personality limitations. We can assert that, in principle, everyone in the world can talk to anyone, however, we can also assert that anyone in the world It is impossible for two people to have a truly flawless mutual understanding and conversation.—The last sentence is as true as the next sentence. It is Yin and Yang, day and night, both are true, and we often have to Take both. I have to say, of course, I don't believe that the two of us can communicate completely without misunderstanding each other. However, even if you are a Westerner and I am a Chinese, even if we each say Our own language, as long as we both have a good desire to communicate, then we can still have a lot of communication, and besides the actual stuff, we will also figure out and feel a lot of non-verbal things. In any case, we are willing to try Try it!"
Tsignoli nodded in agreement, and continued: "I want to say something that you must know so that you can understand my situation. First of all, the family should be paramount in the life of a young man." Whether he wants to admit it or not. When I was an auditor in your elite school, I always had a good relationship with my family. In those years, I have always been cared for by you, and I was always pampered and pampered when I returned home during the holidays. I am the only child in the family. I love my mother very much, passionately and deeply. When I travel, the only thing that makes me sad is to be separated from her. My relationship with my father is relatively cold, but it is okay, at least in That was true during my childhood, and during my teenage years with you. My father was one of the older Castalian spirits, and I was able to attend elite schools and play noble glass bead games. It's something he's proud of. When I go home for the holidays, it's always a festive atmosphere, to the extent that my family and I only see each other when we're in our holiday attire. It is pity that you stay at school and miss out on this joy.
"You know that part of my life better than anyone else, and I need say no more. I've become almost a Castalian, shallow, vulgar, impetuous perhaps, but passionate and lively, Fighting. Those were the happiest years of my life, and of course I didn't realize it at the time. I stayed at Waldzell only in anticipation that the highest joy and pinnacle of my life would be when I left school. Returning to my hometown, I came after conquering the outside world with the advantage I gained from you. But the fact is just the opposite. After I left you, I began to have inner conflicts, which have continued to this day. Although I tried hard to argue, I couldn’t win as I wished. Because I returned to a profane world that no longer contained only my own family, nor embraced me and recognized the superiority of my Waldzell origin. Immediately afterwards, I encountered trouble, disharmony, and great embarrassment in my own family. Disappointed. It took me a while to realize my problems because my innocence, my childish beliefs and my jovial nature have always stood by me, along with the moral self-discipline and meditative habits I learned from your religious groups. Protected me a lot.
"I went on to specialize in political studies at the university, and it was such a disappointment! The tone of voice of the students, their general level of education and their social life, and some of the personal qualities of the teachers, in a word, everything It is very different from what I am used to among you. Do you remember how I praised the simplicity of life when I defended my world against yours?
If it was a wrong that must be punished, I have in fact been severely punished.For this innocent, simple instinctive life, this childlike untainted innocence, probably still exists among peasants, artisans, or somewhere else, but I have never been able to find, let alone Needless to say share this life.Do you always remember, too, that I used to criticize the Castalians exaggeratedly, mocking their hierarchy and arrogance?Now, I find that my world is just as bad with people who are ill-bred, have a crude sense of humor, and are foolishly limited to practical, selfish ends, and yet contemptuous of others.They are narrow-minded, but they think they are dignified, holy, and extraordinary, far beyond me, the most flashy elite in Waldzell.Some of them laughed at me or patted me on the shoulder, while others openly hated the Castalianness in me with the attitude of ordinary people against everything strange and noble.And I made up my mind to accept this abhorrence as a reward. "
At this point, Tesignoli stopped talking and glanced at Knecht to see if he was bored.He met his friend's gaze, and was relieved to find that he was listening attentively and kindly.He could see that Knecht was listening with an open heart, neither casually listening to people chatting, nor listening to an interesting story with great interest, but listening attentively, as if sitting in meditation.At this time, he also saw a kind of pure kindness in Knecht's eyes, that kind of sincere and enthusiastic eyes that resembled a child's, and Plinio couldn't help being shocked, because he was surprised by the same person's face. Seeing such a different look, because he had spent a whole day admiring the wisdom and authority with which his friend handled the complicated daily work and official duties.
Relieved, Plinio continued: "I don't know if my life is useful, or just a misunderstanding, or has some meaning. If it has any meaning, I think maybe it should. Description: In our time there is such a concrete person who once knew and experienced in a state of great clarity and pain that Castalia was far from his own country, or vice versa However, our motherland has become very different from that most noble educational school and its spirit. The body and soul, ideal and reality of our country have long since run counter to theirs. How little they know each other, and how unwilling they are to go further. Get to know each other. If I can have any ideals and missions in this life, I will do my best to synthesize and coordinate these two principles, to be a mediator, translator and arbiter between the two. I have tried and failed Of course I can't tell you all about my life today, and even if I tell you all, you may not be able to understand everything, so for the time being, let me introduce to you the specific circumstances of my failure.
"The difficulty I faced in my early days as a researcher at the university was not so much the ridicule or hostility I received as a model student from Castalia. Rather, it was the new students who regarded my status as an elite student as an honor. My friend, I got into trouble, even bigger troubles. Yes, I have to admit, maybe the biggest trouble was my self-righteousness, my wanting to do the impossible, my Castalian Life dissolves into worldly life. I did not feel any difficulty at first. I lived according to the rules I learned from you for a long time, and I felt that it seemed to be suitable for worldly life. For me, it seems to be able to keep me full of energy and inner health, and more importantly, it strengthens my determination to spend my research years absolutely independently in the Castalian way. I only move forward according to my desire for knowledge, Instead of taking the learning path that ordinary college students must take, that is, let college students completely learn a specialty for earning a living in the shortest possible time, without considering the possibility of each student developing freedom and broad spirit.
"However, it turns out that the protection Castalia afforded me was not only dangerous but also dubious, for I was not meant to be a cloistered soul-peaceful but to meditate to protect the peace of mind. My goal was to conquer This world, I want to understand this world, and at the same time force it to understand me; I also want to update and improve it as much as possible on the basis of affirming this world. Yes, I want to do my best to make Castalia and the secular world Pulling them together and bringing them into harmony. Whenever I've been through some disappointment, argument, or excitement, I've always stepped back into meditation retreats, and at first it really worked. Every time I retreat, I can unwind, let in the new, and Let the physical strength return to the best condition. Over time, I have gradually discovered that it is precisely this kind of meditation, this means of cultivating and training the soul, that isolates me, makes me a monster in the eyes of others, and makes me I can’t really understand them. Only then did I really understand that if I want to truly understand them, these worldly people, the only way is to become them again. I have to give up my sense of superiority, and I can’t even use meditation as a refuge.
"Of course, I can also use another more concealed method to describe my change process. The situation may be, or it may be just because of a simple fact: because I have no classmates, partners, and teachers. Without the overall atmosphere of Waldzell's protective and healing spirit, I gradually lost my ability to practice and became slack and lazy, so that I couldn't extricate myself from stereotypes. Whenever my conscience was condemned , In order to find an excuse to forgive myself, I said nonsense that stereotypes and bad habits are the symptoms of human beings in this world. Let it be a little bit, and you can get the understanding of the surrounding environment. But I don’t want to hide the truth from you, and I don’t want to deny and hide it The fact that I have struggled and struggled, and even made mistakes repeatedly. This issue is very serious to me. No matter how hard I try to put myself on a meaningful track, whether it is just my fantasy, anyway , of course I failed. In short, the secular world was stronger than me, and in the end slowly overwhelmed me and swallowed me. The situation was so consistent with our arguments back then, that life seemed to accept my opinions exactly, and made me a model of the world. , the honesty, innocence, health and strength of this profane world, with their general superiority, are the arguments for which I tried to defend your logic in the Waldzell debate. You will always remember.
"Now I must remind you of something else, which you may have forgotten, because it has nothing to do with you. This thing means a lot to me, it is not only important to me, but also terrible. My university The times are over, I have to adapt to my new situation, I have failed, but not completely, I should say, I have always regarded myself as your kind in my heart, and I think that some adjustments and sacrifices I have made , not so much the result of suffering failure, as a kind of wisdom and free choice. Therefore, I still firmly maintain some habits and preferences of my youth. Among them is the glass bead game. Maybe this does not make much sense, because One is the lack of regular training, and the other is that there is no game partner who is at the same level or even better than one’s own, so it is impossible to improve the skill. At most, a person playing alone can only replace sincere and serious dialogue with self-questioning. All in all, my elite I was overwhelmed by my schooling, and I worked very hard to preserve my skill at the glass bead game, my Castalian spirit, for these valuable possessions.
At that time, I had some friends who were very interested in the glass bead game but were laymen. Whenever I briefly introduced the format of the game to one of them or analyzed a fragment of a certain game, I often felt that the other party was completely ignorant and seemed to be facing With a kind of magic.When I was in my third or fourth year at university, I went to Waldzell to attend a workshop on glass bead games, and seeing the fields and the town, my alma mater and the school again was a mixed blessing.You were away, went to Monteport or Copheim, where they described you as a climbing monster.The workshop I attended was really nothing more than a summer school for poor mortals and half-asses like us.Nevertheless, I worked hard, and at the end of the course I obtained the most common 'third class' qualification, which I was quite pleased with, as it was a passing certificate, a passport to various future holiday courses.
"Then, some years later, I signed up again with great interest to attend a vacation workshop held by your predecessor, and I prepared myself as best I could to show myself at Waldzell. I reviewed the I read my previous workbooks, reviewed the concentration exercises, and in short, I did my best to adjust myself to the training class, like a real glass bead player preparing for the annual competition.
So I came to Walzell again, and because of the interval of several years, I felt strange again, but at the same time I was deeply attracted, as if I had returned to a beautiful hometown that had been lost, and I couldn't even speak the local dialect well.This time I finally got my wish to meet you again.Do you remember, Joseph? "
Knecht looked into his eyes sincerely, nodded and smiled, but didn't speak.
"Well," Tesignoli went on, "then you remember this encounter. But what do you remember? A passing meeting with a classmate of mine, an encounter and a disappointment Then they went their separate ways and never thought of each other again—unless someone foolishly brought up the past to the other party decades later.
Isn't that so?What else?Is there anything more for you? "
Tesignoli was clearly trying to restrain himself, but the agitation that had perhaps accumulated for many years but could not be overcome seemed to be on the verge of breaking out.
"You are waiting," Knecht replied cautiously. "As for my impressions, I will tell you later when it is my turn. Now please go on, Plinio. I see, that time Encounter makes you unhappy.
I also felt unhappy at the time.Now please continue to talk about what happened back then, don’t keep it, just tell it all! "
"I'll try," agreed Plinio. "Of course I don't want to accuse you. I must admit that your attitude towards me was beyond reproach, and it can be said to be extremely polite. It has been many years since I accepted your invitation to come to Waldzell this time. Since the second I have not set foot here since my last vacation workshop, yes, even after being elected to the Castalian Management Council, and I am determined to tell you about that experience, whether it was pleasant or not. Now I'll tell you the truth. I came to summer school and was put in a guest room. The attendees were almost my age, and a few were many years older than me. I think there were twenty or so at the most. , mostly from within Castalia, but these are either lazy, poor, bad glass bead players, or just beginners who just want to see. Fortunately, I don't know anyone, Finally, I felt a little more relaxed. The instructor of our workshop is an assistant of the archives. Although he works very hard and treats people extremely politely, the overall atmosphere of the workshop gave people a second-rate and third-rate impression from the very beginning.一种受惩罚的感觉。这些偶然凑在一起的学生对短训班的意义和可能取得的成果一无所知，而他们的辅导教师也同样缺乏信心——即或参加者谁也不愿承认。人们也许会惊讶，为什么这批人要集合在一起，自觉自愿地从事他们既不擅长又缺乏强烈兴趣的事情，既耗费时间又劳累精神。而一位技艺精湛的专家，为什么仍孜孜不倦地加以指导，给他们安排明知不可能有多少成果的游戏实习。我当年并不清楚，这全因我运气不佳进了差班。很久之后我才从一位有经验的玻璃球游戏选手口中得知，倘若我遇上另外一批学员，也许会受到促进和感动，甚至会大受鼓舞呢。后来我又听说，每个讲习班上，凡是能够有两位彼此熟悉而且友好的参与者时时互相激励，那么往往就会带动全班学员乃至教师达到较高水平。你是玻璃球游戏大师，你必然懂得这个道理。
“可惜我的运气太坏。我们那个偶然凑成的小组缺乏生气，没有丝毫温暖气息，更说不上欣欣向荣的气氛了，整个水平只够得上为少年儿童办的一个补习班而已。
日子一天天过去，我的失望与日俱增。幸而除了玻璃球游戏之外，还有这片又神圣又令人惬意的华尔采尔土地供我留恋。我的游戏课程虽然失败，我仍应该庆幸自己有机会返回母校和许多老同学叙旧，也许还会遇见我最想念的老同学，那位在我眼中最能代表卡斯塔里的人物——你，约瑟夫呢。如果我能够重逢几位以往的青年伙伴，如果我步行穿越美丽的学园时邂逅几位学生年代的优秀人物，尤其是也许会再度接近你，能够像从前那样倾心交谈，而不是像我在卡斯塔里外面那样自问自答- -那么，我也可算不虚此行了，我也不必再介意课程失败等诸如此类倒霉事了。
“我在路上最先遇到的两个老同学是泛泛的普通学友。他们愉快地拍拍我的肩膀，提了一些幼稚问题，打听我在世俗世界生活的奇闻轶事。接着遇见的几位就不那么容易应对了，他们是游戏学园里年轻一辈的精英分子，他们没有向我提出天真的问题，只是用一种有点夸张的、近乎谦下的姿态向我问候致意，这是你们神圣殿堂里的人士与人迎面相逢，无法回避时惯用的手法。他们这种举止清楚表明他们正忙于重要事务，没有时间，没有兴趣，没有愿望与我重叙往日的友情。好吧，我当然不想勉强他们，我不打扰他们，让他们静静地停留在威严崇高的、嘲讽市俗的卡斯塔里世界里。我远远遥望着他们安然自得地打发日子，就像一个囚犯透过铁窗望向自由天地，或者像一个饥寒交迫的穷人张目凝望那些贵族与富豪，他们生活优裕，有教养，营养充足，因而漂亮潇洒，容光焕发，手指光洁。
“最后出现的是你，约瑟夫，我满心欢喜，脑海里浮现出新的希望。你正穿过庭院，我在你身后从步态上认出了你，立即喊叫你的名字。终于见到了有思想的人！
我心里暗暗思忖，可能是朋友，也许竞是敌手，不过无论如何总是一个可以与之交谈的人。这个人确实是彻底的卡斯塔里人，不过卡斯塔里精神还没有把他凝结成一副面具和盔甲。他仍然是一个活生生的人，一个善解人意的人！当时你必定看出我多么高兴，又对你寄托着多大希望，事实上你也极其殷勤和有礼貌地转身朝我迎面走来。你记得我，我对你也非泛泛之交，再度见到我的脸使你愉快。因此我们短暂而快乐的问候也并不在庭院里告一段落，你还邀请了我，你为我奉献、牺牲了一个傍晚。但是，亲爱的克乃西特，那是怎样一个傍晚啊！我们两人都受尽了折磨，我们尽力显得谦逊，客气到了近乎公事公办的程度，我们艰难地从一个话题扯到另一个话题，多么无聊乏味的谈话啊！别人对我冷淡倒还罢了，和你相会更加糟糕，这种心力交瘁的叙旧之举才真正让人痛苦呢！那个傍晚终于彻底消灭了我的幻想。它无情地向我宣告：我不是你们的同伴，我不追求你们的目标；我不是卡斯塔里人，不是宗教阶层中的一员；我只是一个令人累赘的蠢货，一个缺乏教养的外人。然而这一切都是用无可指摘的彬彬有礼的举止表现的，一切失望和不耐烦都掩藏在完美的面具之后，对我而言，这才是最糟糕的状况。倘若你斥责我，非难我说：“你是怎么搞的，朋友，怎么堕落成这样｝也许倒会打破坚冰，我也可能快活起来。然而这不过是我的痴心妄想。我看到，我的归属卡斯塔里感纯属瞎想，我对你们的敬爱，对玻璃球游戏的兴趣，对伙伴关系的寻求，统统一无是处。青年教师克乃西特有礼貌地接受了我这次令人厌烦的华尔采尔之行，他牺牲了整整一个傍晚，忍受着折磨与无聊，随后以无懈可击的礼貌打发了我。”
特西格诺利竭力克制着自己的激动情绪，满脸痛苦，向游戏大师瞥了一眼。那一位只是静静坐着，聚精会神地倾听着，没有丝毫不耐烦的模样，脸上展出一丝十分善意的微笑望着自己的老朋友。由于特西格诺利中断了谈话，克乃西特的目光便停留在他脸上足足有一分钟左右，神情温厚，向朋友表达着一种抚慰之情。
“你还微笑？”普林尼奥激动地叫嚷说，尽管还没有发怒，“为什么笑？你认为一切正常么？”
“我得说，”克乃西特笑着回答，“你出色地描述了事件的过程，太出色了。
事实如此，精确得丝毫不差，也许甚至连你说话声调中那种残留的委屈和谴责感情也是必不可少的事实，不仅为了倾诉，也为了完整生动地把当年场景再现在我面前。
而且我还认为，尽管你显然坚持着老眼光，你心里的冰块也令人遗憾地没有化解，然而你的故事叙述却很客观正确——两个青年同陷一场尴尬困境的故事，两个人不得不互相伪装，而其中一个人正是你自己，你犯了一个严重的错误，你不仅没有除去假面具，反而用一种快乐的外表来遮掩当时的处境所导致的内心痛苦。看来你直到今天仍然把责任归咎于我，尽管唯有你才可能改变当时的处境。难道你果真看不清问题的症结？无论如何我都得说你今天的描述十分精彩。我确实又重新目睹了那个奇怪傍晚的全部尴尬景象，刚才有一忽儿，我仿佛又觉得必须克制自己，又有点为我们的行为惭愧了。是的，你的叙述完全正确。能听到如此精彩的叙述，我非常满足。 "
“啊，”普林尼奥有点惊讶，但是说话中仍然带有不悦和怀疑的音调，“我很高兴，至少我的故事让我们中的一个人得到了乐趣。不过我必须告诉你，我可没得到什么乐趣。”
“但是，今天呢，”克乃西特说，“今天你总可以看出这个故事多么有趣，这不正是我们两人的光荣么？让我们一笑置之吧！”
“一笑置之？为什么？”
“因为这是一个旧卡斯塔里人普林尼奥的故事，此人曾努力研习玻璃球游戏，曾渴望赢得过去同窗好友们的赞赏，如今一切都已过去，都已彻底消失了。那个彬彬有礼的青年教师克乃西特也和他一样，当年虽然受到过卡斯塔里式的全面培养，却不知道怎样抵挡普林尼奥的突然袭击式的光临，许多年后的今天才面对明镜一般看清了自己的丑相。我再说一遍，普林尼奥，你的记忆力真好，所以讲得精彩，我想我做不到。我们很幸运，事情已经完全过去了，我们能够一笑置之了。”
特西格诺利显然有点被搞糊涂了。游戏大师的愉悦让他也感到了一丝惬意和温暖，这种笑绝不是任何形式的嘲笑，他同时也察觉，愉悦背后潜藏着强烈的严肃性。
然而他叙述时过于充满对那场苦涩经历的痛苦感觉，整个故事又太像一份忏悔录，以致他一下子难以改变说话的口吻。
“你也许没有想到，”他迟疑地说道，心里已有一半被说服了，“我所叙述的内容对你而言与我的感受不同。事情对你不过是一次不愉快，顶多是懊悔而已，对我却不一样，这是一次惨败和垮台，同时也是我一生中重大改变的开端。当年我一结束讲习班学业就离开了华尔采尔，当时决心不再重返游戏学园，而且憎恨卡斯塔里以及这里所有的人。我因为幻想破灭而认识到，我永远也不会再和你们在一起，也许过去也不曾像自己所想象的属于你们。当年或许只要再添加一点刺激因素，就可能使我彻底成为卡斯塔里的死敌。”
而他的朋友始终用一种快活而清澈的目光望着他。
“毫无疑问，”克乃西特说，“我希望你下一次把你的想法统统告诉我。我想说说我们眼前的处境：我们青年时代是朋友，后来分了手，走上了各自截然不同的道路。后来又再度相逢，也就是在那届不幸的暑期讲习班期间的重逢，当时你已部分，或者可以说全部成了世俗之人，而我那时多少有点自负，是一个遵循卡斯塔里思考方式行事的华尔采尔青年精英。目前我们是在今天情况下回忆那场令人失望而惭愧的重逢。如今我们回顾当年的窘境，不仅能够正视，也能够一笑置之，因为事过境迁，一切都已完全改变。我现在也已不必隐瞒你当时给我的印象，我确实颇为狼狈，那是一种令人不快的反面印象。我不知道拿你怎么办，你显得那么不成熟用p么粗鲁，那么俗气，简直出乎我的意料，让我觉得震惊和厌烦。那时我还年轻，对卡斯塔里以外的世俗世界缺乏认识，实际上也不想认识。而当时的你则是一个来自外界的陌生青年，我当时全不明白他来看我们的原因，为什么要参加玻璃球游戏课程。事实上你学生时代学到的游戏知识几乎所剩无几。你刺激我的神经犹如我刺激你的神经。我不得不向你摆出华尔采尔人的高傲姿态，因为一个卡斯塔里人必须与非卡斯塔里人和业余玻璃球游戏选手谨慎地保持距离。而你表现得像个野蛮人或者半个文明人，似乎不时在对我的兴趣和友谊提出令人难堪的、多愁善感的无理要求。
我们彼此回避，已近于相互憎恨了。我们唯有分道扬镳了，因为我们既不能向对方奉献什么，又不能公正地看待对方。
“但是，今天的我们，普林尼奥，既能把尘封已久的可耻往事重新曝光，也能把那一场景置之一笑了。因为今天，我们已非昨日的我们，如今相聚在与从前迥异的目标之下，有着与从前不同的发展的可能性。我们如今不再多愁善感，不必再压制嫉妒和忌恨的感情，也不再自高自大了。我们早就是成年男子汉了。”特西格诺利轻松地笑了，却仍然问道：“我们能够肯定自己的判断吗？不管怎么说，我们当时也都怀着善良愿望的啊！”
“我也这么认为的，”克乃西特笑着说。“而我们却受善良愿望的驱使把自己折磨得死去活来，直至无法忍受。当时我们相互不自觉地越来越忍受不了对方，我们从自己的角度看对方，总觉得对方不可信，让人嫌，又陌生又可气，只是我们自己假想的责任感和互相依存感迫使我们把那场艰难的闹剧演了整整一个晚上。你离开后不久我就察觉了这个问题。往昔存在的友谊连同往昔存在的分歧，都未随着岁月而消失。我们没有听任它们消灭，而认为必须重新发掘出来，无论采用什么手段都要让我们的关系继续向前发展。我们有负疚感，却不知道如何还清自己欠下的友情债务。难道不是么！”
“我以为，”普林尼奥沉思地说，“你直到今天仍然过分地讲礼貌。你总说'我们两人'，可是事实上并非我们两人，我们之间并没有相互寻求。只有我单方面的寻求和敬爱，因而也只存在我这一面的失望和痛苦。我问你，我们分别后，你的生活难道有了什么改变？毫无改变！我则恰恰相反，那次重逢成了一道深入心腑的痛苦伤口，因此我无法附和你的一笑置之的见解。”
“很抱歉，”克乃西特友善地抚慰道，“我也许太心急了。不过，我希望时间也会让你得以一笑置之的。你说得很正确，你当时是受了伤害，但是伤害你的不是我，尽管你当时这样想，而且这种想法至今似乎仍然没有改变。然而，你的受害在于你们和卡斯塔里存在的裂痕和鸿沟，我们两人求学时期的友谊似乎己将这条裂缝联结弥合，突然间却又可怖地裂开，形成又宽又深的鸿沟。你对我个人有什么可指责的，尽管坦率相告吧。”
“啊，绝不会有什么指责。责备倒是有的。当年你没有听进去，就是今天似乎也不想听。你当年就只用微笑和彬彬有礼来对付我，今天又故伎重演了。”
虽然特西格诺利在游戏大师目光里读到的唯有友谊和深深的善意，却禁不住还是不断加强自己的语气。是啊，总得让他把积累已久的块垒趁机吐尽才对。
克乃西特脸上的友善神情纹丝没变。他略略思索了片刻，终于谨慎地开口道：“朋友，我直到现在才开始了解你。也许你是对的，我必须为此检查自己。而我首先还想提醒你：当然你有权利要求我把你所谓的责备听进心里去，但是你总得把这些责备切切实实地讲清楚才行。事实怎样呢，那天晚上在你住的客房里，我没有听见任何责备的言语，却同我一模一样，尽力显得轻快勇敢，扮演着一个无可指责的勇士，没听到你说过一句怨言。虽然你内心暗暗希望我能够听听你那些隐秘的苦水，看看你面具背后的真实面貌。嗯，是的，那时我应该有所察觉的，尽管远不是全部真情。但是，我又该怎样向你表示同情和担心，却不伤害你的自尊呢？我们既已分道扬镳，各走各的路，因而我对你也就没什么可奉献的，我双手空空，没有忠言，没有抚慰，没有友谊，我伸出援助之手，对你又有什么益处呢？我坦白承认吧，你当年掩藏在轻松快活表面之后的不安与不幸感，颇令我反感和烦恼，它们向我提出给予你关注和同情的要求，而你的轻快态度又恰恰提出了相反要求。当时你让我觉得有些烦人而且幼稚，此外多少还有点儿寒心之感。你对我们的友谊提出要求，你想成为卡斯塔里人，做一个玻璃球游戏者，同时却又显得不受拘束，行动怪异，很想以我为中心！这是我当时的大致判断。因为我清楚看出卡斯塔里精神在你身上已几近荡然无存了，就连那些最基本的规条，你也都忘得一干二净。是啊，这不关我的事。但是你为什么还要来华尔采尔，为什么想成为我们的伙伴呢？我刚才说过，这种情况颇让我烦恼和反感，当你把我那时的彬彬有礼理解为一种拒绝时，你倒是完全正确的。是的，我确实本能地拒绝过你，却绝非由于你是一个红尘俗客，而是因为你要求我们祝你为卡斯塔里人。如今事隔多年，最近你再度出现在我们中间时，你那往昔的迹象己无影无踪。你不仅外貌是世俗人，连语言也完全世俗化了，尤其令人注目的是那种凄惨表情，悲伤、忧愁或者不幸，都让我觉得陌生。但是这一切却为我所喜爱，不论是你的举止、语言，还是你的悲伤模样，在我眼中都很得体，都很适合你，使你显得有尊严，一点也不让我烦恼，我不但能够接受你，而且可以毫无反感地肯定你。这回我们全然不必再行什么虚礼，所以我立即以朋友的身份款待你，努力表达我的关心和友情。当然这回情况恰恰相反，是我尽力在争取你，而你却竭力后退。我确实只把你默默无言来到我们学园和你对卡斯塔里事业的兴趣看成是一种信任和依恋的表现。现在么，你对我的殷勤终于有了反应，我们也就走到了互相敞开心胸的时候，我希望，我们往昔的友谊也能因而获得更新。
“刚才你说，那次会面对你是一件痛苦经历，对我却无足轻重。我们不必为此争论，你很可能没说错。而我们现在的会面，朋友，对我并不是无足轻重。它对我所具有的意义，远远超出我今天向你表述的一切言语，也决非你所能够想象的。我仅能向你稍作暗示，它对我所具有的意义远非仅仅找回一个失落的朋友，让旧时只在新力量和新变化中获得复活。对我来说，首先它意味着一种召唤，一种殷切的欢迎，为我敞开了一条通向世俗世界的道路。它使我得以重新捡起那个老问题，在你们和我们之间进行综合调和。我得告诉你，它来得正是时候。这一次的召唤将会发现并非对牛弹琴，将会发现我比以往任何时候都更为清醒。因为我对它的降临毫无意外之感，我对它毫不陌生，不是什么可理可不理的外来之物，而且它实质上来自我自身，是对我内心中那种极其强烈和迫切热望所作的答复，是对我心灵的饥渴和祈求的回答。不过，时间很晚了，下回再谈吧，我们两人都需要休息。
“你刚才说我愉快而你悲伤，你的意思似乎是指我没有公正对待你所谓的'责备'，而且认为我直到今天仍然不正确，因为我竟然对此一笑置之。这里有些我不太理解的东西。为什么不允许用愉悦心情倾听责备？为什么人们相互对答时不得含笑而得愁眉苦脸？从你带着满脸愁容忧心冲忡再度光临卡斯塔里这一事实来判断，我可以下结论说：我们笑脸相迎，也许对你恰恰更为有利。倘若我没有分享你的悲伤苦恼，没有受你沉重情绪感染的话，决不意味着我不重视你的悲伤或者缺乏关心。
我完全尊重你脸上表露的神情，因为那是你的世俗生活和命运烙下的痕迹，那是使你之成为你、并且属于你的东西。我爱它们，也尊重它们，尽管我也希望它们有所改变。至于它们的起因为何，我仅能揣测而已。你以后愿意统统告诉我，或者保持缄默，我认为都是可以的。我仅能看出你似乎有过一段极沉重的生活。不过你为何确定我不愿意也不能够正确对待你的困难呢？ "
特西格诺利的脸色又阴沉起来。“有时候，”他绝望地说道，“我常常产生一种想法，觉得我们好似不仅代表两种不同的语言和表达方式，人们仅能暗示性地把这一种语言译成另一种语言，而且我们还是根本上截然不同的造物，相互间永远不可能互相了解。我们之中，究竟是谁可称为完美真实的人类，是你们抑或是我们？
或者我们谁也不是，这更是我脑海里一再浮现的疑虑。某些时候，我会翘首仰望你们教会团体里的人和玻璃球游戏选手们，怀着深深的敬意，深深的自卑感和深深的妒忌，钦羡你们的永恒自在、永恒快活、永恒从容享受生活，不受烦恼的干扰，简直与神仙或超人差不多。然而另一些时候，我又觉得你们是些可怜可卑的下等阉人，虚伪地停留于永恒的童年之中，天真而幼稚地蛰居于密密围着篱笆墙的又整洁又乏味的儿童游戏天地里。在玻璃球游戏场里，每一只鼻子都擦洗得干于净净，每一种感情都安抚得平平静静，每一个危险思想都熨压得服服帖帖，在这里，人人都一辈子兢兢业业从事那优雅可爱、毫无危险，却也毫无生气的玻璃球游戏，在这里，每一种强烈的感情、每一次真诚的热情冲动、每一场心灵波动都立即果断地通过静坐疗法加以控制、中和而使其消逝。难道这不是一个虚伪、教条、没有生育能力的世界么？这难道不只是一个苟且偷生的虚假世界么？这里的人没有负担、没有苦恼、免受饥饿，却也没有果汁和调料。这也是一个没有家庭、没有母亲、没有儿童的世界，甚至几乎也没有妇女！人的原始本能被静坐入定功夫所控制驯服了，凡是危险的、担风险的、难以管理的工作，例如经济、法律、政治等等，你们多少世代以来便都推卸给了别人，你们懦弱无能，却保养良好，不必忧虑衣食，也没有很重的责任，你们就这么过着游手好闲的日子，为了不让生活无聊乏味，你们热切地培养学问渊博的专家，他们忙着计算音节和字母，演奏音乐，制作玻璃球游戏，而外面世界上的穷苦人们，这时却在肮脏的泥污里，生活在真实的生活中，于着真实的工作。 "
克乃西特始终神情友好地、不懈怠地注意倾听着。
“我亲爱的朋友，”他平静从容地说道，“你这番话不禁让我回忆起我们学生时代的那些激烈论战。不过如今的我已不会再扮演从前的角色了。我如今的任务已不是保卫教会和学园免遭你的攻击。我很高兴这次不必为那项曾令我精疲力竭的艰难任务而出力了。你也知道，我要反击你刚才再一次发动的华丽出色的进攻，实在力不从心。譬如你说到，外边全国各地的人们都'生活在真实的生活中，干着真实的工作'。这话听着绝对正确、绝对正直，几乎可说是一个公理，倘若有什么人想加以反驳，那么他恰恰会让说这番话的人有理由说，他的一部分'真实的工作'也就正是参与某个委员会的工作而使卡斯塔里得到改善了。不过我们暂且不开玩笑吧！
我从你的言论和声调中听出，你对我们始终怀有怨恨，同时又满怀绝望的依恋之情，充满了羡慕或者也可以说向往之情。你既把我们视作懦夫、懒汉或者在幼儿园里玩耍的孩子，又同时把我们看成永恒逍遥自在的神仙。对你所说的一切，无论如何，我想有一句话总是可以说的：对你的悲伤、你的烦恼，或者我们用别的名称提到的东西，都不应该归咎于卡斯塔里。原因肯定出在别的什么地方。倘若卡斯塔里人应当承担罪责，那么今天你对我们的责备和指控肯定不是我们童年时代所争论的同一内容了。我们以后交谈时，你必须更多讲一些，我毫不怀疑，我们会找出一个办法，让你变得更幸福、更快乐，或者至少使你和卡斯塔里的关系更加愉快惬意。就我目前能够观察到的而言，你对待我们和卡斯塔里，包括你青年时代的态度在内，全都是错误的、有局限性的、感情用事的。你把自己的灵魂分裂成了卡斯塔里的与世俗的两大部分，并已为那些纯粹不该由你负责的事情而过度责备自己；而你对另外一些本当由你承担责任的事情倒很可能疏忽了。我猜测，你大概相当长时间没有静坐练功了。Is it not? "
特西格诺利苦笑着答道：“你的眼光真锐利，我的主啊！你倒想想看，有多久了？自从我放弃静坐这一魔术以来，已经过去了多少年！你为什么突然关心起我来？
当年，我在华尔采尔的假期短训班期间，你们给了我那么多虚礼，那么多冷眼，那么巧妙地婉言拒绝了我寻求友谊的要求，使我离开时作出了决定，终止一切卡斯塔里式的活动。我回去后就放弃了玻璃球游戏，再也没有练习过静坐，甚至连音乐也疏忽了相当长一段时间。我开始结交新朋友，他们指导我学会了种种世俗的娱乐。
我们喝酒、嫖娼，我们尝试了一切可以弄到手的麻醉品。我们蔑视唾弃一切体面、虔诚和理想。当然，这等无知状态并没有持续很长时间，可是也长得足够把我身上存留的最后一丝卡斯塔里痕迹一扫而空了。若干年后，我偶尔也想到自己也许在物欲中陷得太深，亟须静坐入定以补救时，又碍于自尊，不愿意再从入门学起了。 "
“碍于自尊？”克乃西特轻声间。
“是的，碍于自尊。我早已沉没于俗世生活，成了一个借人。我已不想成为任何别的人类，只想成为俗人中的一员。我已不想过任何别的生活，只想和其他俗人一样，过这种热烈的、幼稚的、卑陋而不受约束的生活，永远在快乐和恐惧之间摇摆不停。我不屑于借用你们那种方法来求取一点儿自我安慰和优越感。”
游戏大师目光锐利地瞥了他一眼。“你就这么过了许多年？难道你没有采取任何措施以结束这种糟糕状况么？”
“嗅，是的，”普林尼奥承认，“我采用过，现在仍然采用着各种措施。有时候，我又恢复饮酒，大多数情况下是服用各式各样的麻醉剂，以便入睡。”
克乃西特闭上双眼，好似突然累极了，片刻后又再度直直凝视着朋友。他默默望着对方的脸，最初是审视式的，严肃的，逐渐越来越温和、友好和开朗。特西格诺利后来曾在一篇记述中描写道，他以往从未在任何人眼中见到这种目光，既尖锐又慈爱，既纯真又挑剔，闪射出如此友善和睿智的光芒。他承认这种目光起初使他心烦意乱，随后便慢慢地被这种温柔的压力制服而平静下来。然而他还试图反抗。
“你方才说，”特西格诺利指出，“你有办法使我变得更幸福更快乐。但你却没有间我本人是否有此要求。”
“事实如此啊，”克乃西特笑着回答，“如果我们能够使一个人变得更加幸福和快乐，我们无论如何都得尽力而为，不论这个人是否曾向我们提出要求。你又怎能不寻求、不渴望幸福快乐呢？否则你为什么来这里，为什么和我面对面促膝交谈，这正是你重返卡斯塔里的原因。你憎恨卡斯塔里，轻视它的一切，过分为自己的世俗气和多愁善感而自豪，以致不愿通过任何理智的和静思的方法放松自己。——然而，许多年来，你始终对我们这些人和我们的快乐自在怀着隐秘的、难以抑制的向往之情，最终还是把你吸引回来，不得不再一次和我们进行试验。我现在告诉你，你来得正是时候，因为我也在等待来自世俗世界的召唤，我正在渴望一扇开向世俗世界的门户呢。我们以后再详谈吧。你已向我讲了许多东西，朋友，我为此而感谢你，你将会看到我的回报的。时间很晚了，你明晨就要启程，我则有一大堆公务要处理，我们必需上床休息了。不过，我请求你，再给我一刻钟吧！”
他站起身，走到窗口，仰望晶莹清澈的夜空，只见浮云飘动，繁星点点。他没有马上坐回到椅子上，于是他的客人也站起身来走向窗边，站在他身旁。游戏大师静静站着，目光仰视着夜空，有节奏地呼吸着秋天夜晚的清淡凉爽的空气。
“瞧啊，”他手指夜空说道，“这满天浮云的美景！乍一看，你也许会认为最昏暗的地方便是苍穹的深处，但是你立即会发觉，这些黑黝黝的地方不过是些浮云，而苍穹的深处却始于这些浮云山峦的边缘和拐角，然后沉没入一望无际的天际之中，对我们人类而言，繁星闪耀的太空庄严地象征着至高无上的光明与秩序。宇宙的深邃和神秘不存在于云层和黑暗之处，唯有那一片洁莹澄澈才是宇宙最深处。倘若允许我向你提出请求，我就请你在上床前再望一会这些缀满星星的港湾和海峡，它们也许会带给你什么想法或者梦境，请你不要拒绝。”
普林尼奥的心里不由得一阵寒颤，他也说不清究竟是痛苦还是快乐。他想起自己曾听见这类似的话语，那已是十分遥远的往事，他刚刚开始自己美丽愉快的华尔采尔学习生涯，就因受到与这类似语言的鼓舞而第一次练习静坐功夫。
“请允许我再说一句，”玻璃球游戏大师又低声嘱咐道，“我非常乐意再向你谈几句涉及快活、星星和心灵的话，当然也要谈谈什么是卡斯塔里式的愉快。你现在已与快活背道而驰，也许因为你不得不走一条悲伤的道路。但是，如今在你眼中，一切光明和欢欣，尤其是我们卡斯塔里人的愉快心情，似乎显得浅薄、幼稚，而且很懦弱，似乎是在现实的恐怖与深渊之前临阵脱逃，躲进了一个纯粹由形式与公式、由抽象概念与精巧雅致构成的清清白白、秩序井然的世界之中。但是，我亲爱的悲伤者，即或存在着这种逃避现实，即或有一些懦弱胆小的卡斯塔里人只敢玩弄公式套语，是的，即或我们大部分卡斯塔里人都属于此类人物-一这一切统统加在一起，也丝毫无损于真正愉悦目在的价值和光辉，更毋庸说太空和苍穹了。在我们中间确实有浅尝辄止的浮躁者和虚假的快乐者，然而也一代接一代地不断涌现与他们截然不同的人，他们的快乐绝不肤浅，却是深沉而严肃的。找就认识其中的一位，这人就是我们从前的音乐大师，你在华尔采尔求学时曾见过他许多次。这位大师在去世前的最后几年里掌握了快乐的最高德性，以致这种快乐像太阳一般向人们放射光芒，它们向所有人传送着慈悲、生活的乐趣、美好的心情、信心和信任感，它们连续不断地放射给一切认真接受的人和