Samuel Beckett
Digital Manuscript Project
L'Innommable / The Unnamable

MS-HRC-SB-5-10

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Segment 1

[2206.7] one must have something, its a pity, but there it is, fear of
sound, fear of sounds, the sounds of beasts, the sounds of men,
sounds in the daytime and sounds at night, that's sufficient,
fear of sounds, all sounds, more or less, more or less fear,
all sounds, there's only one, one sound, continuous, day and
night, what is it, it's steps coming and going, it's voices
speaking for a moment, it's bodies making their way, it's
the air, it's things, it's the air among things, that's

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Segment 2

[2206.7] sufficient, that I seek, like it, no, not like it, like
me, in my own way, what am I saying, after my fashion, that I
seek, what do I seek now, what it is, it must be that, it can
only be that, what it is, what it can be, what what can be, what
I seek, no, what I hear, now it comes back to me, all back to me,
I seek, I hear them say I seek what it is I hear, [2206.8] now it comes
back to me, what it can possibly be, and where it can possibly
come from, to me, since all is silent here, and the walls thick,

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Segment 3

[2206.8] and how I manage, without feeling an ear on me, or a head, or
a body, or a soul, how I manage, to do what, why nothing obviously,
how I manage, it's not clear, dear dear, you say it's not clear, something
is wanting to make it clear, I'll seek, what is wanting, to make
everything clear, I'm always seeking something, it's wearisome
in the end, and it's only the beginning, how I manage, under such
conditions, to do what I'm doing, what am I doing, I must find
out what I'm doing, tell me what you're doing and I'll ask how it's
possible, [2206.9] I hear, you say I hear, and that I seek, it's a
lie, I seek nothing, nothing any more, no matter, let's leave it,
no harking, and that I seek, listen to them jogging my memory,
firstly what it is, secondly where it comes
from, thirdly how I manage, that's it, now we've got [] it, how
I manage, to do it, seeing that this, considering that that,
inasmuch as God knows what, that's clear now, how I manage, to hear, and how I manage to
understand, it's a lie, what would I understand with, that's why

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Segment 4
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Segment 5

[2206.9] I'm asking, how I manage, to understand, oh not the half, not
the hundredth, nor the five thousandth, let us go on
dividing by fifty, nor the quarter millionth, that's sufficient,

Transcription
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