Collected Shorter Plays Works by Samuel Beckett published by Grove Press Cas cando Mercier and Camier Collected Poems in Molloy English and French More Pricks Than Kicks The Collected Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett Murphy Company Nohow On (Company, Seen Disjecta Said, Worstward Ho) Endgame Ill Ohio Impromptu Ends and Odds Ill Proust First Love and Other Stories Rockaby Happy Days Stories and Texts How It Is for Nothing I Can't Go On, I'll Go On Three Novels Krapp Last Tape Waiting for Godot The Lost Ones Watt s Malone Dies Worstward Ho Happy Days: Samuel Beckett's Production Notebooks, edited by James Knowlson Samuel Beckett: The Complete Short Prose, 1929-/989, edited and with an introduction and notes by S. E. Gontarski The Theatrical Notebooks of Samuel Beckett: Endgame, edited by S. E. Gontarski The Theatrical Notebooks of Samuel Beckett: Krapp's Last Tape, edited by James Knowlson The Theatrical Notebooks of Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot, edited by Dougald McMillan and James Knowlson COLLECTED SHORTER PLAYS SAMUEL BECKETT Grove Press New York Copyright© 1984 by Samuel Beckett All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying,recording, or otherwise,without prior written permission of the publisher. Grove Press 841 Broadway New York, NY 10003 All That Fall © Samuel Beckett, 1957; Act Without Words I © Samuel Beckett, 1959; Act Without Words II© Samuel Beckett,1959; Krapp's Last 'Ihpe© Samuel Beckett,1958; Rough for Theatre I © Samuel Beckett, 1976; Rough for Theatre II© Samuel Beckett,1976; Embers © Samuel Beckett,1959; Rough for Radio I© Samuel Beckett,1976; Rough forRadio II© Samuel Beckett, 1976; Words and Music © Samuel Beckett,1962; Cascando© Samuel Beckett, 1963; Play © Samuel Beckett, 1963; Film © Samuel Beckett, 1967; The Old Tune, adapt. © Samuel Beckett, 1963; Come and Go© Samuel Beckett, 1966; Eb Joe © Samuel Beckett,1967; Breath © Samuel Beckett,1970; Not I© Samuel Beckett, 1973; That Time © Samuel Beckett,1976; Footfalls© Samuel Beckett,1976; Ghost Trio© Samuel Beckett, 1976; ... but the clouds... © Samuel Beckett,1977; A Piece of Monologue © Samuel Beckett, 1982; Rockaby© Samuel Beckett, 1982; Ohio Impromptu© Samuel Beckett,1982; Quad © Samuel Beckett, 1984; Catastrophe© Samuel Beckett,1984; Nachtund Traume© Samuel Beckett, 1984; What Where © Samuel Beckett,1984. The publishers acknowledge with gratitude the permission of John Calder (Publishers) Ltd. to include in this volume The Old Tune, an adaptationby Samuel Beckett of La Manivelle by Robert Pinget, first published by Editions de Minuit, Paris,and published by John Calder (Publishers) Ltd. in 1963. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 8349371 ISBN -0-8021-5505-1 Manufactured in the United States of America First Grove Press Edition 1984 First Evergreen Edition 1984 Contents All That Fall 9 Act Without Words I 41 Act Without Words II 47 Krapp's Last Tape 53 Rough for Theatre I 65 Rough for Theatre II 75 Embers 91 Rough for Radio I 105 Rough for Radio II 113 Words and Music 125 Cas cando 135 Play 145 Film 161 The Old Tune 175 Come and Go 191 Ehjoe 199 Breath 209 Not I 213 That Time 225 Footfalls 217 Ghost Trio 245 ... but the clouds ... 255 A Piece of Monologue 263 Rockaby 271 Ohio Impromptu 283 Quad 289 Catastrophe 295 Nacht und Traume 303 What Where 307 All That Fall A play for radio Written in English in July-September First published by Grove Press, New York, in First broadcast by the BBC Third Programme on January 1956. 1957. 13 1957. 10 CAST MRS ROONEY (Maddy) a lady in her seventies CHRISTY a carter MR TYLER a retired bill-broker MR SLOCUM Clerk of the Racecourse TOMMY a porter MR BA RRELL a station-master MISS FITT a lady in her thirties A FEMALE VO IC E DO LLY a small girl MR ROONEY (Dan) husband of Mrs Rooney, blind JE RRY a small boy 11 Rural sounds. Sheep, bird, cow, cock, severally, then together. Silence. MRS ROONEY advances along country road towards railway station. Sound of her draggingfeet. Music faint from house by way. "Death and the Maiden." The steps slow doum, stop. MRS ROONEY: Poor woman. All alone in that ruinous old house. [Music louder. Silence but for music playing. The steps resume. Music dies. MRS ROONEY murmurs, melody. Her murmur dies. Sound of approaching cartwheels. The cart stops. The steps slow down, stop.] Is that you, Christy? CHRISTY: It is, Ma'am. MRS ROONEY: I thought the hinny was familiar. How is your poor wife ? CHRISTY: No better, Ma'am. MRS ROONEY: Your daughter then? CHRISTY: No worse, Ma'am. [Silence.] MRS ROONEY: Why do you halt? [Pause.] But why do I halt? [Silence.] CHRISTY : Nice day for the races, Ma'am. MRS ROONEY: No doubt it is. [Pause.] But will it hold up? [Pause. With emotion.] Will it hold up? [Silence.] CHRISTY: I supposP.you wouldn't- MRS ROONEY: Hist! [Pause.] Surely to goodness that cannot be the up mail I hear already. [Silence. The hinny neighs. Silence.] CHRISTY: Damn the mail. MRS ROONEY: Oh thank God for that! I could have sworn I 12 ALL THAT FALL 13 heard it, thundering up the track in the far distance. [Pause.] So hinnies whinny. Well, it is not surprising. CHRISTY: suppose you wouldn't be in need of a small load of dung? MRS ROONEY:I Dung? What class of dung? CHRISTY: Stydung. MRS ROONEY: Stydung . .. I like your frankness, Christy. [Pause.] I'll ask the master. [Pause. Christy. CHRISTY: Yes, Ma'am . MRS ROONEY: Do you find anything ...J biza rre about my way of speaking? [Pause.] I do not mean the voice. [Pause.] No, I mean the words. [Pause. More to herself] I use none but the simplest words, I hope, and yet I sometimes find my way of speaking very ... bizarre. [Pause.] Mercy! What was that? CHRISTY: Never mind her, Ma'am , she's very fresh in herself today. [Silence.] MRS ROONEY: Dung? What would we want with dung, at our time of life? [Pause.] Why are you on your feet down on the road? Why do you not climb up on the crest of your manure and let yourself be carried along? Is it that you have no head for heights? [Silence.] CHRISTY: [To the hinny.] Yep! [Pause. Louder.] Yep wiyya to hell owwa that! [Silence.] MRS ROONEY: She does not move a muscle. [Pause.] I too should be getting along, if I do not wish to arrive late at the station. [Pause.] But a moment ago she neighed and pawed the ground. And now she refuses to advance. Give her a good welt on the rump. [Sound of welt. Pause.] Harder! [Sound of welt. Pause.] Well! If someone were to do that for me I should not dally. [Pause. ] How she gazes at me to be sure, with her great moist cleg-tormented eyes! Perhaps if I were to move on, down the road, out of her field of vision .... [Sound of welt.] No, no, enough ! Take her by the snaffleand pull her eyes away from me. Oh this is awful! [She moves on. Sound of her draggingfeet.] CO LLE CTED SHORTER PLAYS What have I done to deserveall this, what, what? [Dragging 14 feet.] So long ago .... No! No! [Dragging feet. Quotes.] "Sigh out a something something tale of things, Done long ago and ill done." [She halts.] How can I go on, I cannot. Oh let me just flopdow n flaton the road like a big fat jelly out of a bowl and never move again! A great big slop thick with grit and dust and flies, they would have to scoop me up with a shovel. [Pause.] Heavens, there is that up mail again, what will become of me! [The dragging steps resume.] Oh I am just a hysterical old hag know, destroyed with sorrowand pining and gentility and church­ going and fat and rheumatism and childlessness. I[Pause. Brokenly.] Minnie! Little Minnie! [Pause.] Love, that is all I asked, a little love , daily, twice daily, fifty years of twice daily love like a Paris horse-butcher's regular, what normal woman wants affection? A peck on the jaw at morning, near the ear, and another at evening, peck, peck, till you grow whiskers on you . There is that lovely laburnum again. [Dragging feet. Sound of bicycle-bell. It is old MR TYLER coming up behind her on his bicycle, on his way to the station. Squeak of brakes. He slows down and rides abreast of her. ] MR TAYLOR: Mrs Rooney ! Pardon me if I do not doff my cap, fall off. Divine day for the meeting. MRS ROONEY: Oh, Mr Tyler, you startled the life out of meI'd stealing up behind me like that like a deer-stalker! Oh! MR TYLER: [Playfully.] I rang my bell, Mrs Rooney, the moment I sighted you started tinkling my bell, now don't you deny it. MRS ROONEY: Your bell is oneI thing, Mr Tyler, andyou are another. What news of your poor daughter? MR TYLER: Fair, fair. They removed everything, you know, the whole ... er ... bag of tricks. Now am grandchildless. [Dragging feet. ] MRS ROONEY: Gracious how you wobble!I Dismount, for mercy's sake, or ride on. MR TYLER: Perhaps if I were to lay my hand lightly on your ALL THAT FALL shoulder, Mrs Rooney, how would that be? 15 [Pause. ] Would you permit that? MRS ROONEY: No, Mr Rooney, Mr Tyler I mean, I am tired of light old hands on my shoulders and other senseless places, sick and tired of them.