
[4309] He was clumsy, stupid, slow, dirty, untruthful, deceitful, prodigal,
unfilial, but he did not abandon me.
[4310] I often thought [place = supralinear] [⁁]a lot about myself.
[4311] That is to say I often took a quickl [place = margin left] [₰] [place = overwritten] look at myself, closed my eyes,
forgot, began again.
[4312] We took a long time getting to Ballyba, we even
got there without knowing it.
[4313] Stop, I said to my son one day.
[4314] I had
just caught sight of a shepherd I liked the look of.
[4315] He was sitting on
the ground stroking his dog.
[4316] A flock of black shorn sheep strayed about
them, unafraid.
[4317] What a pastoral land, my God.
[4318] Leaving my son on the
side of the road I went towards them, across the grass.
[4319] I often stopped
and rested, leaning on my umbrella.
[4320] The shepherd watched me as I came,
without getting up.
[4321] The dog too, without barking.
[4322] The sheep too. [4323] Yes,
little by little, one by one, they turned and faced me, watching me as
I came.
[4324] Here and there faint movements of recoil, a tiny foot stamping
the ground, betrayed their uneasiness.
[4325] They did not seem timid, as sheep
go.
[4326] And my son of course watched me as I went, I felt his eyes in my
back.
[4327] The silence was absolute.
[4328] Profound in any case. [4329] All things
considered it was a solemn moment.
[4330] The weather was divine.
[4331] It was the
close of day.
[4332] Each time I stopped I looked about me.
[4333] I looked at the
shepherd, the sheep, the dog and even at the sky.
[4334] But when I moved I saw
nothing but the ground and the play of my feet, the good one springing
forward, holding back, setting itself down, waiting for the other to
come up.
[4335] I came finally to a halt about ten paces from the shepherd.
[4336] There was no use going any fa [place = overwritten] urther.
[4337] How I would love to dwell upon him.
[4338] His dog loved him, his sheep did not fear him.
[4339] Soon he would rise, feeling
the falling dew.
[4340] The fold was far, far,
[4341] he would see from afar the light
in his cot.
[4342] Now I was in the midst of the sheep, they made a circle
round me, their eyes converged on me.
[4343] Perhaps I was the butcher come
to make his choice.
[4344] I took off my hat.
[4345] I saw the dog's eyes following
- Segments
Molloy © 2016 Samuel Beckett Digital Manuscript Project.
Editors: Magessa O'Reilly, Dirk Van Hulle, Pim Verhulst and Vincent Neyt