The Complete Dramatic Works (36 page)
Read The Complete Dramatic Works Online
Authors: Samuel Beckett
MR ROONEY:
Say that again.
MRS ROONEY:
Come on, dear, don’t mind me, we are getting drenched.
MR ROONEY:
[
Forcibly.
]
Can what what?
MRS ROONEY:
Hinnies procreate. [
Silence.
]
You know, hinnies, or jinnies, aren’t they barren, or sterile, or whatever it is?
[
Pause.
]
It wasn’t an ass’s colt at all, you know, I asked the Regius Professor.
[
Pause.
]
MR ROONEY:
He should know.
MRS ROONEY:
Yes, it was a hinny, he rode into Jerusalem or wherever it was on a hinny. [
Pause
.] That must mean something. [
Pause
.] It’s like the sparrows, than many of which we are of more value, they weren’t
sparrows at all.
MR ROONEY:
Than many of which!… You exaggerate, Maddy.
MRS ROONEY:
[
With
emotion.
]
They weren’t sparrows at all!
MR ROONEY:
Does that put our price up?
[
Silence.
They
move
on.
Wind
and
rain.
Dragging
feet,
etc.
They
halt.
]
MRS ROONEY:
Do you want some dung? [
Silence.
They
move
on.
Wind
and
rain,
etc.
They
halt.
]
Why do you stop? Do you want to say something?
MR ROONEY:
No.
MRS ROONEY:
Then why do you stop?
MR ROONEY:
It is easier.
MRS ROONEY:
Are you very wet?
MR ROONEY:
To the buff.
MRS ROONEY:
The buff?
MR ROONEY:
The buff. From buffalo.
MRS ROONEY:
We shall hang up all our things in the hot-cupboard and get into our dressing-gowns.
[
Pause.
]
Put your arm round me. [
Pause.
]
Be nice to me! [
Pause.
Gratefully.
]
Ah, Dan! [
They
move
on.
Wind
and
rain.
Dragging
feet,
etc.
Faintly
same
music
as
before.
They
halt.
Music
clearer.
Silence
but
for
music
playing.
Music
dies
.]
All day the same old record. All alone in that great empty house. She must be a very
old woman now.
MR ROONEY:
[
Indistinctly.
]
Death and the Maiden.
[
Silence.
]
MRS ROONEY:
You are crying. [
Pause
.]
Are you crying?
MR ROONEY:
[
Violently.
]
Yes! [
They
move
on.
Wind
and
rain.
Dragging
feet,
etc.
They
halt.
They
move
on.
Wind
and
rain.
Dragging
feet,
etc.
They
halt
.]
Who is the preacher tomorrow? The incumbent?
MRS ROONEY:
No.
MR ROONEY:
Thank God for that. Who?
MRS ROONEY:
Hardy.
MR ROONEY:
“How to be Happy though Married”?
MRS ROONEY:
No no, he died, you remember. No connexion.
MR ROONEY:
Has he announced his text?
MRS ROONEY:
“The Lord upholdeth all that fall and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” [
Silence.
They
join
in
wild
laughter.
They
move
on.
Wind
and
rain.
Dragging
feet,
etc.
] Hold me tighter, Dan! [
Pause.
]
Oh yes!
[
They
halt
]
MR ROONEY:
I hear something behind us.
[
Pause.
]
MRS ROONEY:
It looks like Jerry. [
Pause.
]
It is Jerry.
[
Sound
of
JERRY
’
s
running
steps
approaching.
He
halts
beside
them,
panting.
]
JERRY:
[
Panting
]
You dropped–
MRS ROONEY:
Take your time, my little man, you will burst a blood-vessel.
JERRY:
[
Panting
]
You dropped something, sir. Mr Barrell told me to run after you.
MRS ROONEY:
Show. [
She
takes
the
object
]
What is it? [
She
examines
it.
]
What is this thing, Dan?
MR ROONEY:
Perhaps it is not mine at all.
JERRY:
Mr Barrell said it was, sir.
MRS ROONEY:
It looks like a kind of ball. And yet it is not a ball.
MR ROONEY:
Give it to me.
MRS ROONEY:
[
Giving
it.
]
What
is
it, Dan?
MR ROONEY:
It is a thing I carry about with me.
MRS ROONEY:
Yes, but what–
MR ROONEY:
[
Violently.
]
It is a thing I carry about with me!
[
Silence.
MRS ROONEY
looks
for
a
penny.
]
MRS ROONEY:
I have no small money. Have you?
MR ROONEY:
I have none of any kind.
MRS ROONEY:
We are out of change, Jerry. Remind Mr Rooney on Monday and he will give you a penny
for your pains.
JERRY:
Yes, Ma’am.
MR ROONEY:
If I am alive.
JERRY:
Yessir.
[
JERRY
starts
running
back
towards
the
station.
]
MRS ROONEY:
Jerry! [
JERRY
halts
.]
Did you hear what the hitch was? [
Pause.
]
Did you hear what kept the train so late?
MR ROONEY:
How would he have heard? Come on.
MRS ROONEY:
What was it, Jerry?
JERRY:
It was a–
MR ROONEY:
Leave the boy alone, he knows nothing! Come on!
MRS ROONEY:
What was it, Jerry?
JERRY:
It was a little child, Ma’am.
[
MR ROONEY
groans.
]
MRS ROONEY:
What do you mean, it was a little child?
JERRY:
It was a little child fell out of the carriage, Ma’am. [
Pause.
]
On to the line, Ma’am. [
Pause.
]
Under the wheels, Ma’am.
[
Silence.
JERRY
runs
off.
His
steps
die
away.
Tempest
of
wind
and
rain.
It
abates.
They
move
on.
Dragging
steps,
etc.
They
halt.
Tempest
of
wind
and
rain.
]
END
A mime for one player
Written in French in 1956, with music by John Beckett, the author’s cousin. First
published in Paris in 1957. Translated by the author and first published in English
by Grove Press, New York, in 1958. First performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London,
on 3 April 1957.
Desert. Dazzling light.
The man is flung backwards on stage from right wing. He falls, gets up immediately,
dusts himself, turns aside, reflects.
Whistle from right wing.
He reflects, goes out right.
Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up immediately, dusts himself, turns
aside, reflects.
Whistle from left wing.
He reflects, goes out left.
Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up immediately, dusts himself, turns
aside, reflects.
Whistle from left wing.
He reflects, goes towards left wing, hesitates, thinks better of it, halts, turns
aside, reflects.
A little tree descends from flies, lands. It has a single bough some three yards from
ground and at its summit a meagre tuft of palms casting at its foot a circle of shadow.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees tree, reflects, goes to it, sits down in its shadow, looks at his hands.
A pair of tailor’s scissors descends from flies, comes to rest before tree, a yard
from ground.
He continues to look at his hands.
Whistle from above.
He looks up, sees scissors, takes them and starts to trim his nails.
The palms close like a parasol, the shadow disappears.
He drops scissors, reflects.
A tiny carafe, to which is attached a huge label inscribed
WATER
, descends from flies, comes to rest some three yards from ground.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He looks up, sees carafe, reflects, gets up, goes and stands under it, tries in vain
to reach it, renounces, turns aside, reflects.
A big cube descends from flies, lands.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees cube, looks at it, at carafe, reflects, goes to cube, takes it up,
carries it over and sets it down under carafe, tests its stability, gets up on it,
tries in vain to reach carafe, renounces, gets down, carries cube back to its place,
turns aside, reflects.
A second smaller cube descends from flies, lands.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees second cube, looks at it, at carafe, goes to second cube, takes it
up, carries it over and sets it down under carafe, tests its stability, gets up on
it, tries in vain to reach carafe, renounces, gets down, takes up second cube to carry
it back to its place, hesitates, thinks better of it, sets it down, goes to big cube,
takes it up, carries it over and puts it on small one, tests their stability, gets
up on them, the cubes collapse, he falls, gets up immediately, brushes himself, reflects.
He takes up small cube, puts it on big one, tests their stability, gets up on them
and is about to reach carafe when it is pulled up a little way and comes to rest beyond
his reach.
He gets down, reflects, carries cubes back to their place, one by one, turns aside,
reflects.
A third still smaller cube descends from flies, lands.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees third cube, looks at it, reflects, turns aside, reflects.
The third cube is pulled up and disappears in flies.
Beside carafe a rope descends from flies, with knots to facilitate ascent.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees rope, reflects, goes to it, climbs up it and is about to reach carafe
when rope is let out and deposits him back on ground.
He reflects, looks around for scissors, sees them, goes and picks them up, returns
to rope and starts to cut it with scissors.
The rope is pulled up, lifts him off ground, he hangs on, succeeds in cutting rope,
falls back on ground, drops scissors, gets up again immediately, brushes himself,
reflects.
The rope is pulled up quickly and disappears in flies.
With length of rope in his possession he makes a lasso with which he tries to lasso
the carafe.
The carafe is pulled up quickly and disappears in flies.
He turns aside, reflects.
He goes with lasso in his hand to tree, looks at bough, turns and looks at cubes,
looks again at bough, drops lasso, goes to cubes, takes up small one, carries it over
and sets it down under bough, goes back for big one, takes it up and carries it over
under bough, makes to put it on small one, hesitates, thinks better of it, sets it
down, takes up small one and puts it on big one, tests their stability, turns aside
and stoops to pick up lasso.
The bough folds down against trunk.
He straightens up with lasso in his hand, turns and sees what has happened.
He drops lasso, turns aside, reflects.
He carries back cubes to their place, one by one, goes back for lasso, carries it
over to the cubes and lays it in a neat coil on small one.
He turns aside, reflects.
Whistle from right wing.
He reflects, goes out right.
Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up immediately, brushes himself, turns
aside, reflects.
Whistle from left wing.
He does not move.
He looks at his hands, looks round for scissors, sees them, goes and picks them up,
starts to trim his nails, stops, reflects,
runs his finger along blade of scissors, goes and lays them on small cube, turns aside,
opens his collar, frees his neck and fingers it.
The small cube is pulled up and disappears in flies, carrying away rope and scissors.
He turns to take scissors, sees what has happened.
He turns aside, reflects.
He goes and sits down on big cube.
The big cube is pulled from under him. He falls. The big cube is pulled up and disappears
in flies.
He remains lying on his side, his face towards auditorium, staring before him.
The carafe descends from flies and comes to rest a few feet from his body.
He does not move.
Whistle from above.
He does not move.
The carafe descends further, dangles and plays about his face.
He does not move.
The carafe is pulled up and disappears in flies.
The bough returns to horizontal, the palms open, the shadow returns.
Whistle from above.
He does not move.
The tree is pulled up and disappears in flies.
He looks at his hands.
CURTAIN
