MS. Pages: | frontcover - 04r | 05r - 09r | backcover - backcover |


by
Samuel Beckett
[place = margin top] Samuel Beckett
[place = margin bottom] Royal Court Theatre,
Sloane Square,
London, S.W.1.
Tel: 01-730 5174

[0005] Curtain. [0006] Stage in darkness. [0007] Fade up to Listener's face about ten feet above stage level midstage off centre.
[0008] Old white face, long flaring white hair as if seen from above outspread.
[0009] Voices A B C are his own coming to him from both sides and above. [0010] They modulate back and forth without any break in general flow except where silence indicated. [0011] See note below.
[0012] Silence 7". [0013] Listener's eyes are open. [0014] His breath audible, slow and regular.
A: |
[0015] that time you went back that last time to look was the ruin still there where you hid as a child when was
that (eyes close) grey day took the eleven to the end
of the line and on from t here |
C: |
[0016] when you went in out of the rain always winter then always raining that time in the Portrait Gallery in off the street out of the cold and rain slipped in when no one was looking and through the rooms shivering and dripping till you found a seat marble slab and sat down to rest and dry off and on to hell out of there when was that |
B: |
[0017] on the stone together in the sun on the stone at the edge of the little wood and as far as eye could see the wheat turning yellow vowing every now and then you loved each other just a murmur not touching or anything of that nature you one end of the stone she the other long low stone like millstone no looks just there together on the stone in the sun with the little wood behind gazing at the wheat or eyes closed all still no sign of life not a soul abroad no sound |
A: |
[0018] straight off the ferry and up with the nightbag to the
high street neither right nor left nor |


A: |
[0018] that time you went back that last time to look was the ruin still there where you hid as a child someone’s folly |
C: |
[0019] was your mother ah for God’s sake all gone long ago all dust the lot you the last huddled up on the slab in the old green greatcoat with your arms round you whose else hugging you for a bit of warmth to dry off and on to hell out of there and on to the next not a living soul in the place only yourself and the odd attendant drowsing around in his felt shufflers not a sound to be heard only every now and then a shuffle of felt drawing near then dying away. |
B: |
[0020] all still just the leaves and ears and you too still
on the stone in a daze no sound not a word only every
now and then to vow you loved each other just a
murmur onething |
A: |
[0021] Foley was it Foley’s Folly bit of a tower still standing all the rest rubble and nettles where did you sleep no friend all the homes gone was it that kip on the front where you no she was with you then still with you then just the one night in any case off the ferry one morning and back on her the next to look was the ruin still there where none ever came where you hid as a child slip off when no one was looking and hide there all day long on a stone among the nettles with your picture-book. |
C: |
[0022] till you hoisted your head and there before your eyes
when they opened a vast oil black with age and dirt
someone famous in his time some famous man or
woman or even child such as a young prince or
princess some young prince or princess of the blood
black with age be hind |
B: |
[0023] on the stone in the sun gazing at the wheat or the sky or the eyes closed nothing to be seen but the wheat turning yellow and the blue sky vowing every now and then you loved each other just a murmur tears without fail till they dried up altogether suddenly there in whatever thoughts you might be having whatever scenes perhaps way back in childhood or the womb worst of all or that old Chinaman long before Christ born with long white hair |


C: |
[0024] never the same after that never quite the same but that was nothing new if it wasn’t this it was that common occurrence something you could never be the same after crawling about year after year sunk in your lifelong mess muttering to yourself who else you’ll never be the same after this you were never the same after that |
A: |
[0025] or talking to yourself who else out loud imaginary conversations there was childhood for you ten or eleven on a stone among the giant nettles making it up now one voice now another till you were hoarse and they all sounded the same well on into the night some moods in the black dark or moonlight and they all out on the roads looking for you |
B: |
[0026] or by the window in the dark harking to the owl not a
thought in your head till hard to believe harder and
harder to believe you ever told anyone you loved
them or anyone you till just one of those things you
kept making up to keep the void out just another of
those old tales to keep the void from pouring in on
topof |
[0027] (Silence 10". [0028] Breath audible. [0029] After 3" eyes open)
C: |
[0030] never the same but the same as what for God’s sake
did you ever |
B: |
[0031] muttering that time together on the stone in the sun
or that time together on the towpath or that time
together in the sand that time that time making it
up from there as best you could always together
somewhere in the sun on the towpath facing downstream into the sun sinking and the bits of flotsam
coming from be hind |
MS. Pages: | frontcover - 04r | 05r - 09r | backcover - backcover |