Becket t ices [A]

«Hand in hand with equal plod they go. In the free hands — no. Free empty hands. Backs turned both bowed with equal plod they go. The child hand raised to reach the holding hand. Hold the old holding hand. Hold and be held. Plod on and never recede. Slowly with never a pause plod on and never recede. Backs turned. Both bowed. Joined by held joining hands. Plod on as one. One shade. Another shade.

Hand in hand with equal plod they go. In their free hands..... No: the free hands are empty. With their backs turned, and both bowed, with equal plod they go. The child has its hand raised to reach the hand holding it, to hold the old holding hand, to hold and be held. They plod on and never recede. Slowly with never a pause they plod on and never recede, with their backs turned and both bowed, joined by held joining hands. They plod on as one — as one shade. (That's another shade.)

Head sunk on crippled hands. Clenched staring eyes. At in the dim void shades. One astand at rest. One old man and child. At rest plodding on. Any others would do as ill. Almost any. Almost as ill.

The head is sunk on crippled hands, its clenched eyes staring at shades in the dim void: one shade standing at rest, one an old man and child (plodding on, but at rest). Any others would do as ill. (Almost any others would do as ill — almost as ill.)



They fade. Now the one. Now the twain. Now both. Fade back. Now the one. Now the twain. Now both. Fade? No. Sudden go. Sudden back. Now the one. Now the twain. Now both.

They fade away — now the single shade, now the twain, now both together. Then they fade back — now the single shade, now the twain, now both together. But do they fade? No, they go suddenly, and suddenly come back: now the single shade, now the twain, now both together.

Unchanged? Sudden back unchanged? Yes. Say yes. Each time unchanged. Somehow unchanged. Till no. Till say no. Sudden back changed. Somehow changed. Each time somehow changed.

Are they unchanged? Have they come back (suddenly) unchanged? Yes, I'll say yes, they're unchanged. Each time they are unchanged, somehow unchanged. Till no: till I say no. Now they return (suddenly) changed — each time they are somehow changed.»

Samuel Beckett — Nohow On — Worstward Ho (1983)

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