Read Online The Collected Shorter Plays by Samuel Beckett - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Samuel Beckett
Ads: Link
Billy. Then I may go back, settle in the old nook again and say, I have seen man for the last time, I struck him and he succoured me. [
Pause
.] Find a few rags of love in my heart and die reconciled, with my species. [
Pause
.] What has you gaping at me like that? [
Pause
.] Have I said something I shouldn’t have? [
Pause
.] What does my soul look like?
[
A gropes towards him
.]
A Make a sound.
[
B makes one. A gropes towards it, halts
.]
B Have you no sense of smell either?
A It’s the same stink everywhere. [
He stretches out his hand
.] Am I within reach of your hand?
[
He stands motionless with outstretched hand
.]
B Wait, you’re not going to do me a service for nothing? [
Pause
.] I mean unconditionally? [
Pause
.] Good God!
[
Pause. He takes A’s hand and draws it towards him
.]
A Your foot.
B What?
A You said your foot.
B Had I but known! [
Pause
.] Yes, my foot, tuck it in. [
A stoops, groping
.] On your knees, on your knees, you’ll be more at your ease. [
He helps him to kneel at the right place
.] There.
A [
irritated
] Let go my hand! You want me to help you and you hold my hand! [
B lets go his hand. A fumbles in the rug
.] Have you only one leg?
B Just the one.
A And the other?
B It went bad and was removed.
[
A tucks in the foot
.]
A Will that do?
B A little tighter. [
A tucks in tighter
.] What hands you have!
[
Pause
.]
A [
groping towards B’s torso
] Is all the rest there?
B You may stand up now and ask me a favour.
A Is all the rest there?
B Nothing else has been removed, if that is what you mean.
[
A’s hand, groping higher, reaches the face, stays
.]
A Is that your face?
B I confess it is. [
Pause
.] What else could it be? [
A’s fingers stray, stay
.] That? My wen.
A Red?
B Purple. [
A withdraws his hand, remains kneeling
.] What hands you have!
[
Pause
.]
A Is it still day?
B Day? [
Looks at sky
.] If you like. [
Looks
.] There is no other word for it.
A Will it not soon be evening?
[
B stoops to A, shakes him
.]
B Come, Billy, get up, you’re beginning to incommode me.
A Will it not soon be night?
[
B looks at sky
.]
B Day . . . night . . . [
Looks
.] It seems to me sometimes the earth must have got stuck, one sunless day, in the heart of winter, in the grey of evening. [
Stoops to A, shakes him
.] Come on, Billy, up, you’re beginning to embarrass me.
A Is there grass anywhere?
B I see none.
A [
vehement
] Is there no green anywhere?
B There’s a little moss. [
Pause. A clasps his hands on the rug and rests his head on them
.] Good God! Don’t tell me you’re going to pray?
A No.
B Or weep?
A No. [
Pause
.] I could stay like that for ever, with my head on an old man’s knees.
B Knee. [
Shaking him roughly
.] Get up, can’t you!
A [
settling himself more comfortably
] What peace! [
B pushes him roughly away, A falls to his hands and knees
.] Dora used to say, the days I hadn’t earned enough, You and your harp! You’d do better crawling on all fours, with your father’s medals pinned to your arse and a money box round your neck. You and your harp! Who do you think you are? And she made me sleep on the floor. [
Pause
.] Who I thought I was . . . [
Pause
.] Ah that . . . I never could . . . [
Pause. He gets up
.] Never could . . . [
He starts groping again for his stool, halts, listens
.] If I listened long enough I’d hear it, a string would give.
B Your harp? [
Pause
.] What’s all this about a harp?
A I once had a little harp. Be still and let me listen.
[
Pause
.]
B How long are you going to stay like that?
A I can stay for hours listening to all the sounds.
[
They listen
.]
B What sounds?
A I don’t know what they are.
[
They listen
.]
B I can see it. [
Pause
.] I can—
A [
imploring
] Will you not be still?
B No! [
A takes his head in his hands
.] I can see it clearly, over there on the stool. [
Pause
.] What if I took it, Billy, and made off with it? [
Pause
.] Eh Billy, what would you say to that? [
Pause
.] There might be
Pause
.] Find a few rags of love in my heart and die reconciled, with my species. [
Pause
.] What has you gaping at me like that? [
Pause
.] Have I said something I shouldn’t have? [
Pause
.] What does my soul look like?
[
A gropes towards him
.]
A Make a sound.
[
B makes one. A gropes towards it, halts
.]
B Have you no sense of smell either?
A It’s the same stink everywhere. [
He stretches out his hand
.] Am I within reach of your hand?
[
He stands motionless with outstretched hand
.]
B Wait, you’re not going to do me a service for nothing? [
Pause
.] I mean unconditionally? [
Pause
.] Good God!
[
Pause. He takes A’s hand and draws it towards him
.]
A Your foot.
B What?
A You said your foot.
B Had I but known! [
Pause
.] Yes, my foot, tuck it in. [
A stoops, groping
.] On your knees, on your knees, you’ll be more at your ease. [
He helps him to kneel at the right place
.] There.
A [
irritated
] Let go my hand! You want me to help you and you hold my hand! [
B lets go his hand. A fumbles in the rug
.] Have you only one leg?
B Just the one.
A And the other?
B It went bad and was removed.
[
A tucks in the foot
.]
A Will that do?
B A little tighter. [
A tucks in tighter
.] What hands you have!
[
Pause
.]
A [
groping towards B’s torso
] Is all the rest there?
B You may stand up now and ask me a favour.
A Is all the rest there?
B Nothing else has been removed, if that is what you mean.
[
A’s hand, groping higher, reaches the face, stays
.]
A Is that your face?
B I confess it is. [
Pause
.] What else could it be? [
A’s fingers stray, stay
.] That? My wen.
A Red?
B Purple. [
A withdraws his hand, remains kneeling
.] What hands you have!
[
Pause
.]
A Is it still day?
B Day? [
Looks at sky
.] If you like. [
Looks
.] There is no other word for it.
A Will it not soon be evening?
[
B stoops to A, shakes him
.]
B Come, Billy, get up, you’re beginning to incommode me.
A Will it not soon be night?
[
B looks at sky
.]
B Day . . . night . . . [
Looks
.] It seems to me sometimes the earth must have got stuck, one sunless day, in the heart of winter, in the grey of evening. [
Stoops to A, shakes him
.] Come on, Billy, up, you’re beginning to embarrass me.
A Is there grass anywhere?
B I see none.
A [
vehement
] Is there no green anywhere?
B There’s a little moss. [
Pause. A clasps his hands on the rug and rests his head on them
.] Good God! Don’t tell me you’re going to pray?
A No.
B Or weep?
A No. [
Pause
.] I could stay like that for ever, with my head on an old man’s knees.
B Knee. [
Shaking him roughly
.] Get up, can’t you!
A [
settling himself more comfortably
] What peace! [
B pushes him roughly away, A falls to his hands and knees
.] Dora used to say, the days I hadn’t earned enough, You and your harp! You’d do better crawling on all fours, with your father’s medals pinned to your arse and a money box round your neck. You and your harp! Who do you think you are? And she made me sleep on the floor. [
Pause
.] Who I thought I was . . . [
Pause
.] Ah that . . . I never could . . . [
Pause. He gets up
.] Never could . . . [
He starts groping again for his stool, halts, listens
.] If I listened long enough I’d hear it, a string would give.
B Your harp? [
Pause
.] What’s all this about a harp?
A I once had a little harp. Be still and let me listen.
[
Pause
.]
B How long are you going to stay like that?
A I can stay for hours listening to all the sounds.
[
They listen
.]
B What sounds?
A I don’t know what they are.
[
They listen
.]
B I can see it. [
Pause
.] I can—
A [
imploring
] Will you not be still?
B No! [
A takes his head in his hands
.] I can see it clearly, over there on the stool. [
Pause
.] What if I took it, Billy, and made off with it? [
Pause
.] Eh Billy, what would you say to that? [
Pause
.] There might be
Similar Books
