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.
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