Samuel Beckett
Digital Manuscript Project
L'Innommable / The Unnamable

MS-HRC-SB-5-10

X
Segment 1

[2206.10] to have now, with regard to me, that it has not been yet our good fortune to estab-
lish with any degree of accuracy what I am, where I am, whether
I am words among words, or whether I am silence in the midst of
silence, to recall only two of the hypotheses launched in this
connexion, though silence to tell the truth has not been very
conspicuous up to now, [2206.11] but appearances are deceptive, I resume,
not yet our good fortune to establish, among other things, what I am, no, already mentioned

X
Segment 2

[2206.11] that, what I'm doing, how I manage, to hear, if I hear,
it is I who hear, and who can doubt it, I don't know, doubt is
present, in this connexion, somewhere or other, I resume, how I
succeed in hearing, if it's I who hear, and how in understanding,
ellipse when possible, it saves time, how in understanding, same
observation, and how it happens, if it is I who speak, and it may
be assumed it is, as it may be suspected it is not, if it's I
who speak, that I speak without stopping, that I long to stop,

X
Segment 3

[2206.11] that I can't stop, I indicate the principal divisions, it's more
synoptic, I resume, not the good fortune to establish, with re-
gard to me, if it is I who seek, what exactly it is I seek, find,
lose, find again, throw away, find again, throw away again, no,
I never threw anything away, never threw anything away of all the
things I found, never found anything that I didn't lose, never
lost anything that I might not have thrown away, [2206.12] if it is I who
seek, find, lose, find again, lose again, seek again, seek in

X
Segment 4

[2206.12] vain, seek again, find again, lose again, seek no more, if it's
I what it is, and if it's not I who it is, and what it is, I see
nothing else for the moment, yes I do, I conclude, not the good for-
tune to establish, considering the futility of my telling myself
even any old thing, to pass the time, why I do it, if it's I who
do it, as if reasons were required for doing any old thing, to
pass the time, no matter, the question may be asked, off the
record, why time does not pass, does not pass from you, why it

X
Segment 5

[2206.12] piles up all about you, instant on instant, on all sides, deeper
and deeper, thicker and thicker, your time, others' time, the time
of the ancient dead and the dead yet unborn, why it buries you

Transcription
  • Segments