Pribislav Hippe (MM3) (2023) Peinture par Noël Van Hoof

Thomas Mann – The Magic Mountain – Part 3

"And so his heart had become accustomed to this mute, distant relationship with Pribislav Hippe, and he considered it a fundamental, permanent fixture in his life. He loved the surges of emotion that came with it, the tension of whether he would meet him on a given day, whether Pribislav would pass close by him, perhaps even look at him, loved the silent, tender satisfaction that his secret bestowed upon him, loved even the disappointments it sometimes brought, the greatest of which was when Pribislav was “absent” – and then schoolyard was desolate, the day lacked every spice, but enduring hope remained.
And so things continued for a year, until that adventurous high-point; and another year passed as well – the result of Hans Castorp's abiding loyalty. And then it was all over – without his ever noticing the loosening and breaking of the bonds that tied him to Pribislav Hippe, and more than he had noticed their strengthening. Pribislav left the school and the city, too, when he was transferred. But Hans Castorp barely noticed, he had already forgotten him by then. One might say that the figure of this “Kirghiz” emerged imperceptibly out of the fog and into his life, slowly taking on clarity and palpability, until the moment when he was most near, most physically present, there in the schoolyard, stood there in the foreground for a while, and then gradually receded and vanished again into the fog, without even the pain of farewell."

(English translation by John E. Woods)

Thèmes connexes

Thomas MannThe Magic MountainDer Zauberberg