Of her
tenacious
trace.
Samuel Beckett
Less.
G
90
91
denly fled. Quick then the chair before she reappears. At length. Everv angle. With what one word convev
. 0.
It is less. The same but less. Whencesoever the glare. True that the light. See now how words too. A few drops mishaphazard. Then strangur)-. To sa)- the least. Less. It will end by being no more. Bv never having
. 0.
been. Divine prospect. True that the light.
~
Suddenly enough and way for remembrance. Closed •G•
again to that end the vile jell)- or opened again or left as
it was however that was. Till all recalled. First finally by far hanging from their skirts two black greatcoats. Followed b:- the first hazy outlines of what possibl)' a hutch when suddenly enough. Remembrance! When
• c.
all worse there than when first ill seen. The pallet. The chair. The coffer. The trap. Alone the eye has changed. Alone can cause to change. In the meantime nothing wanting. Wrong. The buttonhook. The nail. Wrong. There the)' are again. Still. Worse there than ever. Un changed for the worse. Ope eye and at them to begin. But flrst the partition. It rid they too would be. It less thev by as much.
It of all the properties doubtless the least obdurate. See the instant see it again when unaided it dissolved.
'
So to sa)' of itself. With no help from the eye. Not till
long after to reappear. As if reluctantly. For what rea
son? For one not far to seek. For others then said
obscure. One other above all. One other still far to
seek. Analogy of the heart? The skull? Hear from here c. ,
the howls of laughter of the damned.
Enough. Quicker. Quick seC' how all in keeping
92
93
'- ,
with the chair. Minimallv Ie:,;s. No more. Well on tilt' way to inc:\. istence. As to zero the infinite. Quick sa:-. And of her'? As much. Quick find )1('1' again. In that black heart. That mock brain.
The sheet. Bet\veen tips of trembling [mgers. In two.
LL
Four. Eight. Old frantic fingers. Not paper an: more. Each eighth apart. In two. Four. Finish with the knife. Hack into shrells. Down the plughole. On to the nc:\. t. White. Quick blacken.
Alone the face remains. Of the rest beneath its covcr
ing no trace. During the inspection a sudden sound.
Startling without consequence for the gaze the mind L c.
awake. How e:\. plain it? And without going so far how L c.
say it? Far behind the e)-e the quest begins. What time
the event recedes. When suddenly to the rescue it
comes again. Forthwith the uncommon common noun
collapsion. Reinforced a little later if not enfeebled b),
the infrequent slumberous. A slumberous collapsion.
Two. Then far from the still agonizing en' a gleam of
GL. L
hope. B~' the grace of these modest beginnings. With in second sight the shack in ruins. To scrute to(Tether
~b with the inscrutable face. All curiosity spent.
Later while the face still Ulwielding another sound of
•0
fall but this time sharp. Heightening the fond illusion o0
of general havoc in train. Here a great leap into what brief future remains and sum111ar~' puncture of that pun:' balloon. Far ahead to the instant when the coats will havE' gone from their rods and the buttonhook from its nail. And been have the sigh no more than
that. Sigh upon sigh till all sighed quite awa:. All the fond trash. Destined before bf'ing to be no more than that. Last sighs. Of relief.
Quick beforehand again two 111Ysteries. Not even. Mild shocks. Not even. In such abeyance the mind then. And from then on. First the curtains gone with out loss of dark. Sweet foretaste of the joy at journey's end. Second after long hesitation no trace of the fallen where they fell. No trace of all the ado. Alone on the
one hand the rods alone. A little bent. And alone on
the other most alone the nail. Unilllpaired. All set to
st'rve again. Like unto its glorious ancestors. At the oL
place of the skull. One Apri! afternoon. Deposition done.
Full glare now on the face pn~sent throughout the recent future. As seen ill s(~en throughout the past neither more nor less. Less! Collated \II-ith its cast it lives be\ ond a douht. Were it onl\- hy virtue of its imperfect pallor. And imperceptible tremor unworth~'
of true plaster. Heartening on the other hand the e~'es
persistentl~-closed. No doubt a record in this position.
Unobserved at least till now. Suddenly the look. :\"0
thing having stirred. Look? Too weak a word. Too o0
wrong. Its absence? No better. Unspeakable glohe. Unbearable.
Ample time none the less a few seconds for the iris to be lacking. Wholly. As if engulfed by the pupil. And for the sclerotic not to say the white to appear reduced
by half. Already that much less at least hut at what
. .
cost. Soon to be foreseen save unforesel'n two black
9 4
9. 5
i
1
]l\allks. Fit ,-c'ntholes of thc~ sou] that jakes. Here re
appearance of the sk:lights OpaC[LLe to no purpose
henct:'fon\'ard. Set:'inu t]ll' Illack niuht or better J)lack t' t"'
ness }llll'(' and simpll' that limpid the" \\ oLLld shed. Dlacknc'ss in it':' might at last. \\here no more to be seen. PerforcT to 1w seen.
:\. bscncc' :3lLpn'nll' good and wi. Illumination then go again and on return no Ll10re tract:'. On earth's face. Of ,,-hat \\as newr. c\. nd if b:- mishap some left then go again. For good again. SO OIl. Till no more trace. On earth's face. Instead of always the same place. SlaYing a"a: forever in the same place. At this and that trace. And \\-hat if the en~ could not? No more tear itself a\\-ay from the remains of trace. Of what was
newr. Quick sa' it suddc~nh- can and farewell say say . ))
farc\\Tll. If onh- to the facc~.
Of her tenacious trace.
Decision no sooner reached or rather long after than what is the 'wrong word? For the last time at last for to end :-et again what the wrong word? Than re voked. No but slowly dispelled a little very little like
the last wisps of day when the curtain closes. Of itself by :olow millimetres or drawn by a phantom hand. Farewell to farewell. Then in that perfect dark fore knell darling sound pip for end begun. First last mo ment. Grant only enough remain to devour all. Mo
ment by glutton moment. Sky earth the whole kit and boodle. Not another crumb of carrion left. Lick chops and basta. No. One moment more. One last. Grace to breathe that void. Know happiness.
96 1
97
. ,. . o
On. Say on. Be said on. Somehow on. Till nohow on. Said nohow on.
Say for be said. Missaicl. From now say for lw mis said.
Say a bod\. Where none. No mind. Where none. That at least. A place. Where none. For the body. To be in. Move in. Out of. Back into. No. No out. No hack. Onh in. Sta\ in. On in. Still.
All of olel. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed.
No matter. Tn again. Fail again. Fail ht,tter. •LL
First the body. No. First the place. No. First both. Now either. Now the other. Sick of the either tn the other. Sick of it back sick of the either. So on. Some how on. Till sick of both. Throw up and go. Where neither. Till sick of there. Throw up and back. The
101
bach agam. \vherc none. The place again. \vhere LL
none. Tn again. Fail again. Better again. Or better L L L.
worse. Fail wor"c again. Still worse again. Till sick for good. Throw U1J for good. Go for good. W-lwre neitlwr
L L 1. . .
for good. Good and all.
It stands. What? Yes. Say it stands. Hac! to up in
the end and stand. Say bones. No how-'" but say bones.
Sa\- ground. No ground but say ground. So as to sa\
•LL•L•
pain. No mind and pain? Sa: :es that tI](' bOlw" nw\ pain till no choice but "tanel. Somehow lip and ::,tand. Or better worse remains. Sa\ remains of mind \\here none to permit of pain. Pain of bone::, till no choice lJu! up and stand. Someho\\ lip. Some! Hm stand. Remains ofmind\\-herenoneforthesakeofpain. HereofllOnes. Other example::; if needs mlht. Of pain. Relief from. Change of.
All of old. Nothing else eyer. But ne\('r su failed. Worse failed. With care newr \HlrSt' failed.
Dim light source unknown. Know minimum. Knmr nothing no. Too much to hopf'. At most mere mini mum. lVIeremost minimum.
No choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Some how stand. That or groan. The groan so long on its
L,L
\\a:. ~o. No groan. Simph pain. Simph- up. A time when tn how. Tn see. Tn- say. How first it lay. Then somehow knelt. Bit b\ bit. Tlwn on from there. Bit by bit. Till up at la"t. :\'ot n(m. Fail lJetter \\'(lr"e nO\L
,~notl]('r. Say another. Head ::;unk on crippled hamb. vertex \ertical. E\ t'S clenched. St'at of all. Germ of all.
. L\0 futureinthis. Alasy('''.
It stand::,. See in the dim \oid hmr at last it stands. In the dim light source unknown. Before the downcast ew::;. Clenched ('\ e::,. Staring ('ws. Clenched ::'taring t'\ ('S.
That shade. Once hing. :\ow stamling. That a hody?
102
]():i
Yt's. Say that a body. Somehow standing. In tIlt' llim \oid.
A place. W! wrt' nOllt'o A time when tr:" see. Tr: sa:.
How small. How vast. How if not boundless boundt'll.
Whenct' tlw dim. Not now. Know bettt'r now. Unkno\\
! wtter now. Know only no out of. No knowing how
•L
know onh no out of. Into onlv. Hence anotht'r. An other place where none. Whither once wht'nce no return. No. No place but the one. None Lut the one whert' none. Whence nt'ver once in. Somehow in. Be yondless. Thenceless there. Thitherless there.
90
91
denly fled. Quick then the chair before she reappears. At length. Everv angle. With what one word convev
. 0.
It is less. The same but less. Whencesoever the glare. True that the light. See now how words too. A few drops mishaphazard. Then strangur)-. To sa)- the least. Less. It will end by being no more. Bv never having
. 0.
been. Divine prospect. True that the light.
~
Suddenly enough and way for remembrance. Closed •G•
again to that end the vile jell)- or opened again or left as
it was however that was. Till all recalled. First finally by far hanging from their skirts two black greatcoats. Followed b:- the first hazy outlines of what possibl)' a hutch when suddenly enough. Remembrance! When
• c.
all worse there than when first ill seen. The pallet. The chair. The coffer. The trap. Alone the eye has changed. Alone can cause to change. In the meantime nothing wanting. Wrong. The buttonhook. The nail. Wrong. There the)' are again. Still. Worse there than ever. Un changed for the worse. Ope eye and at them to begin. But flrst the partition. It rid they too would be. It less thev by as much.
It of all the properties doubtless the least obdurate. See the instant see it again when unaided it dissolved.
'
So to sa)' of itself. With no help from the eye. Not till
long after to reappear. As if reluctantly. For what rea
son? For one not far to seek. For others then said
obscure. One other above all. One other still far to
seek. Analogy of the heart? The skull? Hear from here c. ,
the howls of laughter of the damned.
Enough. Quicker. Quick seC' how all in keeping
92
93
'- ,
with the chair. Minimallv Ie:,;s. No more. Well on tilt' way to inc:\. istence. As to zero the infinite. Quick sa:-. And of her'? As much. Quick find )1('1' again. In that black heart. That mock brain.
The sheet. Bet\veen tips of trembling [mgers. In two.
LL
Four. Eight. Old frantic fingers. Not paper an: more. Each eighth apart. In two. Four. Finish with the knife. Hack into shrells. Down the plughole. On to the nc:\. t. White. Quick blacken.
Alone the face remains. Of the rest beneath its covcr
ing no trace. During the inspection a sudden sound.
Startling without consequence for the gaze the mind L c.
awake. How e:\. plain it? And without going so far how L c.
say it? Far behind the e)-e the quest begins. What time
the event recedes. When suddenly to the rescue it
comes again. Forthwith the uncommon common noun
collapsion. Reinforced a little later if not enfeebled b),
the infrequent slumberous. A slumberous collapsion.
Two. Then far from the still agonizing en' a gleam of
GL. L
hope. B~' the grace of these modest beginnings. With in second sight the shack in ruins. To scrute to(Tether
~b with the inscrutable face. All curiosity spent.
Later while the face still Ulwielding another sound of
•0
fall but this time sharp. Heightening the fond illusion o0
of general havoc in train. Here a great leap into what brief future remains and sum111ar~' puncture of that pun:' balloon. Far ahead to the instant when the coats will havE' gone from their rods and the buttonhook from its nail. And been have the sigh no more than
that. Sigh upon sigh till all sighed quite awa:. All the fond trash. Destined before bf'ing to be no more than that. Last sighs. Of relief.
Quick beforehand again two 111Ysteries. Not even. Mild shocks. Not even. In such abeyance the mind then. And from then on. First the curtains gone with out loss of dark. Sweet foretaste of the joy at journey's end. Second after long hesitation no trace of the fallen where they fell. No trace of all the ado. Alone on the
one hand the rods alone. A little bent. And alone on
the other most alone the nail. Unilllpaired. All set to
st'rve again. Like unto its glorious ancestors. At the oL
place of the skull. One Apri! afternoon. Deposition done.
Full glare now on the face pn~sent throughout the recent future. As seen ill s(~en throughout the past neither more nor less. Less! Collated \II-ith its cast it lives be\ ond a douht. Were it onl\- hy virtue of its imperfect pallor. And imperceptible tremor unworth~'
of true plaster. Heartening on the other hand the e~'es
persistentl~-closed. No doubt a record in this position.
Unobserved at least till now. Suddenly the look. :\"0
thing having stirred. Look? Too weak a word. Too o0
wrong. Its absence? No better. Unspeakable glohe. Unbearable.
Ample time none the less a few seconds for the iris to be lacking. Wholly. As if engulfed by the pupil. And for the sclerotic not to say the white to appear reduced
by half. Already that much less at least hut at what
. .
cost. Soon to be foreseen save unforesel'n two black
9 4
9. 5
i
1
]l\allks. Fit ,-c'ntholes of thc~ sou] that jakes. Here re
appearance of the sk:lights OpaC[LLe to no purpose
henct:'fon\'ard. Set:'inu t]ll' Illack niuht or better J)lack t' t"'
ness }llll'(' and simpll' that limpid the" \\ oLLld shed. Dlacknc'ss in it':' might at last. \\here no more to be seen. PerforcT to 1w seen.
:\. bscncc' :3lLpn'nll' good and wi. Illumination then go again and on return no Ll10re tract:'. On earth's face. Of ,,-hat \\as newr. c\. nd if b:- mishap some left then go again. For good again. SO OIl. Till no more trace. On earth's face. Instead of always the same place. SlaYing a"a: forever in the same place. At this and that trace. And \\-hat if the en~ could not? No more tear itself a\\-ay from the remains of trace. Of what was
newr. Quick sa' it suddc~nh- can and farewell say say . ))
farc\\Tll. If onh- to the facc~.
Of her tenacious trace.
Decision no sooner reached or rather long after than what is the 'wrong word? For the last time at last for to end :-et again what the wrong word? Than re voked. No but slowly dispelled a little very little like
the last wisps of day when the curtain closes. Of itself by :olow millimetres or drawn by a phantom hand. Farewell to farewell. Then in that perfect dark fore knell darling sound pip for end begun. First last mo ment. Grant only enough remain to devour all. Mo
ment by glutton moment. Sky earth the whole kit and boodle. Not another crumb of carrion left. Lick chops and basta. No. One moment more. One last. Grace to breathe that void. Know happiness.
96 1
97
. ,. . o
On. Say on. Be said on. Somehow on. Till nohow on. Said nohow on.
Say for be said. Missaicl. From now say for lw mis said.
Say a bod\. Where none. No mind. Where none. That at least. A place. Where none. For the body. To be in. Move in. Out of. Back into. No. No out. No hack. Onh in. Sta\ in. On in. Still.
All of olel. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed.
No matter. Tn again. Fail again. Fail ht,tter. •LL
First the body. No. First the place. No. First both. Now either. Now the other. Sick of the either tn the other. Sick of it back sick of the either. So on. Some how on. Till sick of both. Throw up and go. Where neither. Till sick of there. Throw up and back. The
101
bach agam. \vherc none. The place again. \vhere LL
none. Tn again. Fail again. Better again. Or better L L L.
worse. Fail wor"c again. Still worse again. Till sick for good. Throw U1J for good. Go for good. W-lwre neitlwr
L L 1. . .
for good. Good and all.
It stands. What? Yes. Say it stands. Hac! to up in
the end and stand. Say bones. No how-'" but say bones.
Sa\- ground. No ground but say ground. So as to sa\
•LL•L•
pain. No mind and pain? Sa: :es that tI](' bOlw" nw\ pain till no choice but "tanel. Somehow lip and ::,tand. Or better worse remains. Sa\ remains of mind \\here none to permit of pain. Pain of bone::, till no choice lJu! up and stand. Someho\\ lip. Some! Hm stand. Remains ofmind\\-herenoneforthesakeofpain. HereofllOnes. Other example::; if needs mlht. Of pain. Relief from. Change of.
All of old. Nothing else eyer. But ne\('r su failed. Worse failed. With care newr \HlrSt' failed.
Dim light source unknown. Know minimum. Knmr nothing no. Too much to hopf'. At most mere mini mum. lVIeremost minimum.
No choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Some how stand. That or groan. The groan so long on its
L,L
\\a:. ~o. No groan. Simph pain. Simph- up. A time when tn how. Tn see. Tn- say. How first it lay. Then somehow knelt. Bit b\ bit. Tlwn on from there. Bit by bit. Till up at la"t. :\'ot n(m. Fail lJetter \\'(lr"e nO\L
,~notl]('r. Say another. Head ::;unk on crippled hamb. vertex \ertical. E\ t'S clenched. St'at of all. Germ of all.
. L\0 futureinthis. Alasy('''.
It stand::,. See in the dim \oid hmr at last it stands. In the dim light source unknown. Before the downcast ew::;. Clenched ('\ e::,. Staring ('ws. Clenched ::'taring t'\ ('S.
That shade. Once hing. :\ow stamling. That a hody?
102
]():i
Yt's. Say that a body. Somehow standing. In tIlt' llim \oid.
A place. W! wrt' nOllt'o A time when tr:" see. Tr: sa:.
How small. How vast. How if not boundless boundt'll.
Whenct' tlw dim. Not now. Know bettt'r now. Unkno\\
! wtter now. Know only no out of. No knowing how
•L
know onh no out of. Into onlv. Hence anotht'r. An other place where none. Whither once wht'nce no return. No. No place but the one. None Lut the one whert' none. Whence nt'ver once in. Somehow in. Be yondless. Thenceless there. Thitherless there.
