Worstward Ho
Page 1
WORS1WARD HO
WORS1WARD HO
by
Samuel Beckett
Grove Press, Inc. I New York
Copyright C> 1983 by Samuel Beckett
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieve!
system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
First Edition 1983
ISBN: 0-394-53230-9
library of Congress Catalog Card Number 82-94626
Ubrary of Conpoess Catalocfnc in Publication Data
Beckett, Samuel, 1906-
Worstward Ho.
I. Title
PR6003. E282C65 1980 822.912 80-995
ISBN 0-394-53230-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
GROVE PRESS INC., 196 West Houston Street,
New York, N.Y . 10014
WORS1WARD HO
HO
On. Say on. Be said on. Somehow
on. Till nohow on. Said nohow on.
Say for be said. Missaid. From now
say for be missaid.
Say a body. 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 back. Only in. Stay in. On in. Still.
All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever
tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again.
Fail again. Fail better.
First the body. No. First the place.
SAMUEL BECKETI'
No. First both. Now either. Now the
other. Sick of the either try the other.
Sick of it back sick of the either. So on.
Somehow on. Till sick of both. Throw
up and go. Where neither. Till sick of
there. Throw up and back. The body
again. Where none. The place again.
Where none. Try again. Fail again. Better again. Or better worse. Fail worse again. Still worse again. Till sick for
good. Throw up for good. Go for good.
Where neither for good. Good and all.
It stands. What? Yes. Say it stands.
Had to up in the end and stand. Say
bones. No bones but say bones. Say
ground. No ground but say ground. So
as to say pain. No mind and pain? Say yes
that the bones may pain till no choice
but stand. Somehow up and stand. Or
WORSTWARD HO
better worse remains. Say remains of
mind where none to permit of pain.
Pain of bones till no choice but up and
stand. Somehow up. Somehow stand.
Remains of mind where none for the
sake of pain. Here of bones. Other
examples if needs must. Of pain. Relief
from. Change of.
All of old. Nothing else ever. But
never so failed. Worse failed. With care
never worse failed.
Dim light source unknown. Know
minimum. Know nothing no. Too much
to hope. At most mere minimum. Meremost minimum.
SAMUEL BECKE'IT
No choice but stand. Somehow
up and stand. Somehow stand. That or
groan. The groan so long on its way. No.
No groan. Simply pain. Simply up. A
time when try how. Try see. Try say.
How first it lay. Then somehow knelt.
Bit by bit. Then on from there. Bit by bit.
Till up at last. Not now. Fail better
worse now.
Another. Say another. Head sunk
on crippled hands. Vertex vertical. Eyes
clenched. Seat of all. Germ of all.
No future in this. Alas yes.
It stands. See in the dim void how
at last it stands. In the dim light source
11
HO
unknown. Before the downcast eyes.
Clenched eyes. Staring eyes. Clenched
staring eyes.
That shade. Once lying. Now
standing. That a body? Yes. Say that a
body. Somehow standing. In the dim
void.
A place. Where none. A time
when try see. Try say. How small. How
vast. How if not boundless bounded.
Whence the dim. Not now. Know better now. Unknow better now. Know only no out of. No knowing how know
only no out of. Into only. Hence
another. Another place where none.
Whither once whence no return. No.
No place but the one. None but the one
SAMUEL BECKE'IT
where none. Whence never once in.
Somehow in. Beyondless. Thenceless
there. Thitherless there. Thenceless
thitherless there.
Where then but there see -
See for be seen. Misseen. From
now see for be misseen.
Where then but there see now -
First back turned the shade
astand. In the dim void see first back
turned the shade astand. Still.
WORSTWARD HO
Where then but there see now
another. Bit by bit an old man and child.
In the dim void bit by bit an old man and
child. Any other would do as ill.
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 holding hands. Plod on as one. One
shade. Another shade.
Head sunk on crippled hands.
Clenched staring eyes. At in the dim
SAMUEL BECKETI'
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.
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.
Un c h a n g e d ? S u d d e n b a ck
unchanged? Yes. Say yes. Each time
unchanged. Somehow unchanged. Till
no. Till say no. Sudden back changed.
Somehow changed. Each time somehow changed.
The dim. The void. Gone too?
Back too? No. Say no. Never gone. Never
back. Till yes. Till say yes. Gone too.
Back too. The dim. The void. Now the
one. Now the other. Now both. Sudden
gone. Sudden back. 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.
First sudden gone the one. First
sudden back. Unchanged. Say now
unchanged. So far unchanged. Back
turned. Head sunk. Vertex vertical in
hat. Cocked back of black brim alone.
Back of black greatcoat cut off midthigh. Kneeling. Better kneeling. Better worse kneeling. Say now kn
eeling.
16_�--
SAMUEL BECKE'IT
From now kneeling. Could rise but to
its knees. Sudden gone sudden back
unchanged back turned head sunk dark
shade on unseen knees. Still.
Next sudden gone the twain.
Next sudden back. Unchanged. Say now
unchanged. So far unchanged. Backs
turned. Heads sunk. Dim hair. Dim
white and hair so fair that in that dim
light dim white. Black greatcoats to
heels. Dim black. Bootheels. Now the
two right. Now the two left. As on with
equal plod they go. No ground. Plod as
on void. Dim hands. Dim white. Two
free and two as one. So sudden gone
sudden back unchanged as one dark
shade plod unreceding on.
The dim. Far and wide the same.
High and low. Unchanging. Say now
unchanging. Whence no knowing. No
saying. Say only such dim light as never.
On all. Say a grot in that void. A gulf.
Then in that grot or gulf such dimmest
light as never. Whence no knowing. No
saying.
The void. Unchanging. Say now
unchanging. Void were not the one.
The twain. So far were not the one and
twain. So far.
The void. How try say? How try
fail? No try no fail. Say only-
First the bones. On back to them.
SAMUEL BECKE1T
Preying since first said on foresaid
remains. The ground. The pain. No
bones. No ground. No pain. Why up
unknown. At all costs unknown. If ever
down. No choice but up if ever down.
Or never down. Forever kneeling. Better forever kneeling. Better worse forever kneeling. Say from now forever
kneeling. So far from now forever kneeling. So far.
The void. Before the staring eyes.
Stare where they may. Far and wide.
High and low. That narrow field. Know
no more. See no more. Say no more.
That alone. That little much of void
alone.
On back to unsay void can go.
Void cannot go. Save dim go. Then all
go. All not already gone. Till dim back.
Then all back. All not still gone. The one
can go. The twain can go. Dim can go.
Void cannot go. Save dim go. Then all
go.
On back better worse to fail the
head said seat of all. Germ of all. All? If of
all of it too. Where if not there it too?
There in the sunken head the sunken
head. The hands. The eyes. Shade with
the other shades. In the same dim. The
same narrow void. Before the staring
eyes. Where it too if not there too? Ask
not. No. Ask in vain. Better worse so.
The head. Ask not if it can go. Say
no. Unasking no. It cannot go. Save dim
SAMUEL BECKE'IT
go. Then all go. Oh dim go. Go for good.
All for good. Good and all.
Whose words? Ask in vain. Or not
in vain if say no knowing. No saying. No
words for him whose words. Him? One.
No words for one whose words. One?
It. No words for it whose words. Better
worse so.
Something not wrong with one.
Meaning - meaning! - meaning the
kneeling one. From now one for the
kneeling one. As from now two for the
twain. The as one plodding twain. As
from now three for the head. The head
as first said missaid. So from now. For to
gain time. Time to lose. Gain time to
lose. As the soul once. The world once.
HO
Something not wrong with one.
Then with two. Then with three. So on.
Something not wrong with all. Far from
wrong. Far far from wrong.
The words too whosesoever.
What room for worse! How almost true
they sometimes almost ring! How wanting in inanity! Say the night is young alas and take heart. Or better worse say still
a watch of night alas to come. A rest of
last watch to come. And take heart.
First one. First try fail better one.
Something there badly not wrong. Not
that as it is it is not bad. The no face bad.
The no hands bad. The no - . Enough. A
pox on bad. Mere bad. Way for worse.
Pending worse still. First worse. Mere
SAMUEL BECKEtT
worse. Pending worse still. Add a -.
Add? Never. Bow it down. Be it bowed
down. Deep down. Head in hat gone.
More back gone. Greatcoat cut off
higher. Nothing from pelvis down.
Nothing but bowed back. Topless baseless hindtrunk. Dim black. On unseen knees. In the dim void. Better worse so.
Pending worse still.
Next try fail better two. The
twain. Bad as it is as it is. Bad the no -
First back on to three. Not yet to
try worsen. Simply be there again.
There in that head in that head. Be it
again. That head in that head. Clenched
eyes clamped to it alone. Alone? No.
Too. To it too. The sunken skull. The
23
WORS1WARD HO
crippled hands. Clenched staring eyes.
Clenched eyes clamped to clenched
staring eyes. Be that shade again. In that
shade again. With the other shades.
Worsening shades. In the dim void.
Next-
First how all at once. In that stare.
The worsened one. The worsening two.
And what yet to worsen. To try worsen.
Itself. The dim. The void. All at once in
that stare. Clenched eyes clamped to
all.
Next two. From bad to worsen.
Try worsen. From merely bad. Add -.
Add? Never. The boots. Better worse
SAMUEL BECKEtT
bootless. Bare heels. Now the two right.
Now the two left. Left right left right on.
Barefoot unreceding on. Better worse
so. A little better worse than nothing so.
Next the so-said seat and germ of
all. Those hands! That head! That near
true ring! Away. Full face from now. No
hands. No face. Skull and stare alone.
Scene and seer of all.
On. Stare on. Say on. Be on. Somehow on. Anyhow on. Till dim gone. At long last gone. All at long last gone. For
bad and all. For poor best worse and all.
Dim whence unknown. At all
costs unknown. Unchanging. Say now
2S
HO
unchanging. Far and wide. High and
low. Say a pipe in that void. A tube.
Sealed. Then in that pipe or tube that
selfsame dim. Old dim. When ever what
else? Where all always to be seen. Of the
nothing to be seen. Dimly seen.
Nothing ever unseen. Of the nothing to
be seen. Dimly seen. Worsen that?
Next the so-said void. The somissaid. That narrow field. Rife with shades. Well so-missaid. Shade-ridden
void. How better worse so-missay?
Add others. Add? Never. Till if
needs must. Nothing to those so far.
Dimly so far. Them only lessen. But with
them as they lessen others. As they
worsen. If needs mu
st. Others to lessen.
SAMUEL BECKE1T
To worsen. Till dim go. At long last go.
For worst and all.
On. Somehow on. Anyhow on. Say
all gone. So on. In the skull all gone. All?
No. All cannot go. Till dim go. Say then
but the two gone. In the skull one and
two gone. From the void. From the
stare. In the skull all save the skull gone.
The stare. Alone in the dim void. Alone
to be seen. Dimly seen. In the skull the
skull alone to be seen. The staring eyes.
Dimly seen. By the staring eyes. The
others gone. Long sudden gone. Then
sudden back. Unchanged. Say now
unchanged. First one. Then two. Or first
two. Then one. Or together. Then all
again together. The bowed back. The
plodding twain. The skull. The stare. All
back in the skull together. Unchanged.
1.7
HO
Stare clamped to all. In the dim void.
The eyes. Time to -
First on back to unsay dim can go.
Somehow on back. Dim cannot go. Dim
to go must go for good. True then dim
can go. If but for good. One can go not
for good. Two too. Three no if not for
good. With dim gone for good. Void no
if not for good. With all gone for good.
Dim can worsen. Somehow worsen. Go
no. If not for good.
The eyes. Time to try worsen.
Somehow try worsen. Unclench. Say
staring open. All white and pupil. Dim
white. White? No. All pupil. Dim black
SAMUEL BECKE'IT
holes. Unwavering gaping. Be they so
said. With worsening words. From now
so. Better than nothing so bettered for
the worse.
Still dim still on. So long as still
dim still somehow on. Anyhow on.
With worsening words. Worsening
stare. For the nothing to be seen. At the
nothing to be seen. Dimly seen. As now
by way of somehow on where in the
nowhere all together? All three
together. Where there all three as last
worse seen? Bowed back alone. Barefoot plodding twain. Skull and lidless stare. Where in the narrow vast? Say
only vasts apart. In that narrow void
vasts of void apart. Worse better later.
What when words gone? None for
what then. But say by way of somehow
on somehow with sight to do. With less