Words and
Music
A Play by SAMUEL BECKETT
(1962)
MUSIC: Small
orchestra softly tuning up.
WORDS: Please!
(Tuning. Louder.) Please!
(Tuning dies away.) How
much longer cooped up here, in the dark? (With
loathing.) With you! (Pause.) Theme ... (Pause.) Theme... sloth. (Pause. Rattled off, low.) Sloth is of all
the passions the most powerful passion and indeed no passion is more
powerful than the passion of sloth, this is the mode in which the mind is
most affected and indeed-(Burst of tuning. Loud,
imploring.) Please! (Tuning
dies away. As before.) The mode in which the mind
is most affected and indeed in no mode is the mind more affected than in
this, by passion we are to understand a movement of the soul pursuing or
fleeing real or imagined pleasure or pain pleasure or pain real or
imagined pleasure or pain, of all these movements and who can number them
of all these movements and they are legion sloth is the most urgent and
indeed by no movement is the soul more urged than by this by this by this
to and from by no movement the soul more urged than by this to
and-(Pause.) From.
(Pause.) Listen!
(Distant sound of rapidly shuffling carpet
slippers.) At last! (Shuffling louder. Burst of tuning.)
Hsst!
Tuning dies away. Shuffling louder.
Silence.
CROAK: Joe.
WORDS:
(humble). My
Lord.
CROAK: Bob.
MUSIC:
Humble muted
adsum.
CROAK: My comforts! Be friends!
(Pause.)
Bob.
MUSIC: As
before.
CROAK: Joe.
WORDS: (as before).
My Lord.
CROAK: Be friends! (Pause.) I am late, forgive.
(Pause.) The face.
(Pause.) On the stairs.
(Pause.) Forgive.(Pause.)
Joe.
WORDS: (as
before). My Lord.
CROAK:
Bob.
MUSIC: As
before.
CROAK: Forgive. (Pause.) In the tower. (Pause.) The face. (Long pause.) Theme tonight ...
(Pause.) Theme tonight...
love. (Pause.) Love.
(Pause.) My club.
(Pause.)
Joe.
WORDS: (as
before). My Lord.
CROAK:
Love. (Pause. Thump of club on
ground.) Love!
WORDS:
(orotund). Love is of all
the passions the most powerful passion and indeed no passion is more
powerful than the passion of love. (Clears
throat.) This is the mode in which the mind is
most strongly affected and indeed in no mode is the mind more strongly
affected than in this.
Pause.
CROAK: Rending sigh. Thump of
club.
WORDS: (as
before). By passion we are to understand a
movement of the soul pursuing or fleeing real or imagined pleasure or
pain. (Clears throat.) Of
all-
CROAK: (anguished). Oh!
WORDS: (as before).
Of all these movements then and who can number them and they are legion
sloth is the LOVE is the most urgent and indeed by no manner of movement
is the soul more urged than by this, to and -
Violent thump of club.
Words and
Music
Page
2
CROAK: Bob.
WORDS:
From.
Violent thump of club.
CROAK: Bob!
MUSIC: As before.
CROAK- Love!
MUSIC: Rap of baton on stand. Soft music
worthy of foregoing, great expression, with audible groans and
protestations- "No!" "Please etc.-from WORDS. Pause.
CROAK: (anguished).
Oh! (Thump of club.)
Louder!
MUSIC: Loud rap of
baton and as before fortissimo, all expression gone, drowning WORDS'
protestations.
Pause.
CROAK: My comforts. (Pause.) Joe sweet.
WORDS: (as before).
Arise then and go now the manifest unanswerable-
CROAK: Groans.
WORDS: ... to wit this love what is this love that more than all
the cursed deadly or any other of its great movers so moves the soul and
soul what is this soul that more than by any of its great movers is by
love so moved? (Clears throat.
Prosaic.) Love of woman, I mean, if that is what
my Lord means.
CROAK: Alas!
WORDS: What? (Pause. Very
rhetorical.) Is love the word? (Pause. Do.) Is soul the word?
(Pause. Do.) Do we mean
love, when we say love? (Pause. Do.) Soul, when we say soul?
Pause.
CROAK: (anguished). Oh! (Pause.) Bob
dear.
WORDS: Do we? (With
sudden gravity.) Or don't we?
CROAK: (imploring).
Bob!
MUSIC: Rap of baton.
Love and soul music, with just audible protestations-"No!" "Please"
"Peace" etc.-from WORDS. Pause.
CROAK:
(anguished). Oh!
(Pause.) My balms!
(Pause.)
Joe.
WORDS: (humble). My Lord.
CROAK: Bob.
MUSIC: Adsum as before.
CROAK: My balms!
(Pause.) Age.
(Pause.) Joe.
(Pause. Thump of club.)
Joe!
WORDS: (as
before). My Lord.
CROAK:
Age!
Pause.
WORDS: (faltering). Age is ... age is when ... old age I mean... if that is what my
Lord means ... is when ... if you're a man were a man ... huddled ...
nodding ... the ingle waiting-
Violent thump of club.
CROAK: Bob. (Pause.) Age. (Pause.
Violent thump of club.) Age!
MUSIC: Rap of baton. Age music, soon
interrupted by violent thump.
CROAK: Together.
(Pause. Thump.) Together!
(Pause. Violent thump.)
Together, dogs!
MUSIC: Long
la.
WORDS: (imploring). No!
Violent thump.
CROAKS: Dogs!
MUSIC:
La.
WORDS:
(trying to sing). Age is
when ... to a man...
MUSIC: Improvement of above.
WORDS:
(trying to sing this). Age
is when to a man . . .
MUSIC: Suggestion for following.
WORDS:
(trying to sing this).
Huddled o'er . . . the ingle (Pause. Violent thump.
Trying to sing.) Waiting for the hag to put the
... pan ... in the bed...
MUSIC: Improvement of above.
WORDS:
(trying to sing this).
Waiting for the hag to put the pan in the bed...
MUSIC: Suggestion for
following.
WORDS: (trying to sing this). And bring the ...
arrowroot (Pause. Violent thump. As
before.) And bring the toddy.
Pause. Tremendous thump.
CROAK: Dogs!
MUSIC:
Suggestion for following.
WORDS: (trying to sing this). She comes in the ashes ... (Imploring.) No!
MUSIC: Repeats
suggestion.
WORDS: (trying to sing this). She comes in the
ashes who loved could not be ... won or...
Pause.
MUSIC: Repeats end of previous
suggestion.
WORDS: (trying to sing this). Or won not loved ...
(wearily)… or some other
trouble ... (Pause. Trying to sing.) Comes the ashes like in that old-
MUSIC: Interrupts with improvement of this
and brief suggestion.
WORDS: (trying to sing this). Comes in the ashes
like in that light ... her face ... in the ashes . . .
Pause.
CROAK: Groans.
MUSIC: Suggestion for
following.
WORDS: (trying to sing this). That old moonlight
... on the earth... again.
Pause.
MUSIC: Further brief
suggestion.
Silence.
CROAK: Groans.
MUSIC: Plays air through alone, then invites
WORDS with opening, pause, invites again and finally accompanies very
softly
WORDS: (trying to
sing, softly).
Age is when to a man
Huddled o'er the ingle
Shivering for the
hag
To put the pan in the bed
And bring the toddy
She comes in the
ashes
Who loved could not be won
Or won not loved
Or some other
trouble
Comes in the ashes
Like in that old light
The face in the
ashes
That old starlight
On
the earth again.
Long pause.
CROAK: (murmur). The face. (Pause.) The face. (Pause.) The face. (Pause.) The face.
MUSIC: Rap of baton and warmly sentimental, about one
minute.
Pause.
CROAK: The face.
WORDS:
(cold). Seen from above in
that radiance so cold and faint...
Pause.
MUSIC: Warm suggestion from above
for above.
WORDS: (disregarding, cold). Seen from above at
such close quarters in that radiance so cold and faint with eyes so dimmed
by . . . what bad passed, its quite . . . piercing beauty is a
little...
Pause.
MUSIC: Renews timidly previous
suggestion.
WORDS: (interrupting, violently).
Peace!
CROAK: My comforts! Be friends!
Pause.
Words and
Music
Page
3
WORDS: ... blunted. Some moments later however, such are
the powers of recuperation at this age, the head is drawn back to a
distance of two or three feet, the eyes widen to a stare and begin to
feast again. (Pause.) What
then is seen would have been better seen in the light of day, that is
incontestable. But bow often has it not, in recent months, bow often, at
all hours, under all angles, in cloud and shine, been seen, I mean. And
there is, is there not, in that clarity of silver ... that clarity of
silver ... is there not ... my Lord ... (Pause.) Now and then the rye, swayed by a
light wind, casts and withdraws its shadow.
Pause.
CROAK: Groans.
WORDS: Leaving aside the features or lineaments proper, matchless
severally and in their ordonnance-
CROAK:
Groans.
WORDS: -flare of
the black disordered hair as though spread wide on water, the brows
knitted in a groove suggesting pain but simply concentration more likely
all things considered on some consummate inner process, the eyes of course
closed in keeping with this, the lashes . . . (pause) . . . the nose ... (pause) ... nothing, a little pinched
perhaps, the lips...
CROAK: (anguished). Lily!
WORDS: ... tight, a gleam of tooth biting on the under, no coral,
no swell, whereas normally...
CROAK:
Groans.
WORDS: ... the
whole so blanched and still that were it not for the great white rise and
fall of the breasts, spreading as they mount and then subsiding to their
natural ... aperture-
MUSIC: Irrepressible burst of spreading and subsiding music with vain
protestations-"Peace!" "No!" "Please!" etc.-from WORDS. Triumph and
conclusion.
Pause.
WORDS: (gently
expostulatory). My Lord! (Pause. Faint thump of club.) I resume, so
wan and still and so ravished away that it seems no more of the earth than
Mira in the Whale, at her tenth and greatest magnitude on this particular
night and shining coldly down-as we say, looking up. (Pause.) Some moments later however, such
are the powers-
CROAK: (anguished). No!
WORDS: -the brows uncloud, the lips part and the eyes ...
(pause) . . . the brows
uncloud, the nostrils dilate, the lips part and the eyes ...
(pause) ... the lips part,
a little colour comes back into the cheeks and the eyes (reverently) ... open. (Pause.) Then down a little way
(Pause. Change to poetic tone. Low.)
Then down a little way
Through the trash
To where ... towards
where...
Pause.
MUSIC: Discreet suggestion for
above.
WORDS: (trying to
sing this).
Then down a
little way
Through the trash
Towards where...
Pause.
MUSIC: Discreet suggestion for
following.
WORDS: (trying to sing this).
All dark no begging
No giving no
words
No sense no need...
Pause.
MUSIC: More confident suggestion
for following.
WORDS: (trying to sing this).
Through the scum
Down a little
way
To whence one glimpse
Of
that wellhead.
Pause.
MUSIC: Invites with opening,
pause, invites again and finally accompanies very
softly.
WORDS: (trying
to sing, softly).
Then down
a little way
Through the trash
Towards where
All dark no
begging
No giving no words
No sense no need
Through the
scum
Down a little way
To
whence one glimpse
Of that
wellhead.
(Pause.
Shocked.) My Lord! (Sound
of club let fall. As before.) My Lord!
(Shuffling slippers, with halts. They die away.
Long pause.) Bob. (Pause.) Bob!
MUSIC:
Brief rude retort.
WORDS: Music. (Imploring.) Music!
Pause.
MUSIC: Rap of baton and statement
with elements already used or wellhead alone.
Pause.
WORDS: Again. (Pause.
Imploring.) Again!
MUSIC:
As before or only very slightly
varied.
Pause.
WORDS: Deep sigh.
END
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