Samuel Beckett
Digital Manuscript Project
L'Innommable / The Unnamable

MS-HRC-SB-5-9-2

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Segment 1

[1901] there was a time when he did not, the same Worm,
according to them, he has therefore changed, that's
grave, gravid, who knows to what extremes he may
be carried, no, he can be trusted.

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Segment 2

[1902] The eye too, of course, is there to put him to flight,
to make him take fright, badly enough
to break his bonds, they called that bonds,
ah mother of God, the things people say, perhaps
it's tears of hilarity.

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Segment 3

[1903] Well, no matter, let's
get on to the end of the joke, we must be nearly
there, and see what they have to offer him, in the
way of bugaboos.
[1904] Who, we?[1905] Don't speak all at once,
that's no
good either.
[1906] All will be resolved, later on in the
evening, everyone gone and silence restored.

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Segment 4

[1907] In the meantime no sense in
bickering about pronouns and other parts of blather.
[1908] The subject doesn't matter, there is none.[1909] Worm
being in the singular, as it happens, they are in the
plural, to avoid confusion, confusion
is better avoided, pending the great confounding.

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Segment 5

[1910] Perhaps there is only one of them, one would do
just as well, but he might get confused with
his victim, that would be abominable,
regular masturbation.
[1911] We're getting on.[1912] Nothing much then in the way of
sights to see.

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Segment 6

[1913] But who can who hasn't been there,
lived there, they call that living, for them the
spark is present, ready to burst into flame,
all it needs is to be preached upon, to become
a living torch, screams included.
[1914]
Then they can go silent, without having to fear
an embarrassing silence, when steps are heard
on graves as the saying is, real torture.

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Segment 7

[1915] Decidedly
this eye (is hard of hearing) [ADDITION]Addition on page 32vis very longeared .
[1916] Noises travel,
traverse walls, but can the same be said of
appearances?
[1917] By no means, generally speaking.
[1918] But the present case is rather special.[1919] But what
appearances, it is always well to try and know
what one is talking about, even at
the risk of being deceived.

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Segment 8

[1920] This grey to begin with,
meant to be depressing no doubt.
[1921] And yet there is
yellow in it, pink too apparently, it's
a nice grey, of the kind described as going with
everything, urinous and warm.

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Segment 9

[1922] In it the
can see, otherwise why the eye, but dimly,
to put it vaguely, avoid superfluous
particulars, doomed to be given the lie to.
[1923] A man
would wonder where his kingdom ended, his eye
would strive to penetrate the gloom, he

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