Waiting for Godot (13 page)

(
striking Pozzo
)
.
Will you stop it! Crablouse! (
Pozzo extricates himself with cries of pain and crawls away. He stops, saws the air blindly, calling for help. Vladimir, propped on his elbow, observes his retreat.
) He's off! (
Pozzo collapses.
) He's down!

•

ESTRAGON:

What do we do now?

VLADIMIR:

Perhaps I could crawl to him.

ESTRAGON:

Don't leave me!

VLADIMIR:

Or I could call to him.

ESTRAGON:

Yes, call to him.

VLADIMIR:

Pozzo! (
Silence.
) Pozzo! (
Silence.
) No reply.

ESTRAGON:

Together.

VLADIMIR and ESTRAGON:

Pozzo! Pozzo!

VLADIMIR:

He moved.

ESTRAGON:

Are you sure his name is Pozzo?

VLADIMIR:

(
alarmed
)
.
Mr. Pozzo! Come back! We won't hurt you!

Silence.

ESTRAGON:

We might try him with other names.

VLADIMIR:

I'm afraid he's dying.

ESTRAGON:

It'd be amusing.

VLADIMIR:

What'd be amusing?

ESTRAGON:

To try him with other names, one after the other. It'd pass the time. And we'd be bound to hit on the right one sooner or later.

VLADIMIR:

I tell you his name is Pozzo.

ESTRAGON:

We'll soon see. (
He reflects.
) Abel! Abel!

POZZO:

Help!

ESTRAGON:

Got it in one!

VLADIMIR:

I begin to weary of this motif.

ESTRAGON:

Perhaps the other is called Cain. Cain! Cain!

POZZO:

Help!

ESTRAGON:

He's all humanity. (
Silence.
) Look at the little cloud.

VLADIMIR:

(
raising his eyes
)
.
Where?

ESTRAGON:

There. In the zenith.

VLADIMIR:

Well? (
Pause.
) What is there so wonderful about it?

Silence.

ESTRAGON:

Let's pass on now to something else, do you mind?

VLADIMIR:

I was just going to suggest it.

ESTRAGON:

But to what?

VLADIMIR:

Ah!

Silence.

ESTRAGON:

Suppose we got up to begin with?

VLADIMIR:

No harm trying.

They get up.

ESTRAGON:

Child's play.

VLADIMIR:

Simple question of will-power.

ESTRAGON:

And now?

POZZO:

Help!

ESTRAGON:

Let's go.

VLADIMIR:

We can't.

ESTRAGON:

Why not?

VLADIMIR:

We're waiting for Godot.

ESTRAGON:

Ah! (
Despairing.
) What'll we do, what'll we do!

POZZO:

Help!

VLADIMIR:

What about helping him?

ESTRAGON:

What does he want?

VLADIMIR:

He wants to get up.

ESTRAGON:

Then why doesn't he?

VLADIMIR:

He wants us to help him get up.

ESTRAGON:

Then why don't we? What are we waiting for?

They help Pozzo to his feet, let him go. He falls.

VLADIMIR:

We must hold him. (
They get him up again. Pozzo sags between them, his arms round their necks.
) #

Feeling better?

POZZO:

Who are you?

VLADIMIR:

Do you not recognize us?

POZZO:

I am blind.

Silence.

ESTRAGON:

Perhaps he can see into the future.

VLADIMIR:

Since when?

POZZO:

I used to have wonderful sight— but are you friends?

ESTRAGON:

(
laughing noisily
)
.
He wants to know if we are friends!

VLADIMIR:

No, he means friends of his.

ESTRAGON:

Well?

VLADIMIR:

We've proved we are, by helping him.

ESTRAGON:

Exactly. Would we have helped him if we weren't his friends?

VLADIMIR:

Possibly.

ESTRAGON:

True.

VLADIMIR:

Don't let's quibble about that now.

POZZO:

You are not highwaymen?

ESTRAGON:

Highwaymen! Do we look like highwaymen?

VLADIMIR:

Damn it, can't you see the man is blind!

ESTRAGON:

Damn it, so he is. (
Pause.
) So he says.

POZZO:

Don't leave me!

VLADIMIR:

No question of it.

ESTRAGON:

For the moment.

POZZO:

What time is it?

VLADIMIR:

(
inspecting the sky
)
.
Seven o'clock . . . eight o'clock . . .

ESTRAGON:

That depends what time of year it is.

POZZO:

Is it evening?

Silence. Vladimir and Estragon scrutinize the sunset.

ESTRAGON:

It's rising.

VLADIMIR:

Impossible.

ESTRAGON:

Perhaps it's the dawn.

VLADIMIR:

Don't be a fool. It's the west over there.

ESTRAGON:

How do you know?

POZZO:

(
anguished
)
.
Is it evening?

VLADIMIR:

Anyway, it hasn't moved.

ESTRAGON:

I tell you it's rising.

POZZO:

Why don't you answer me?

ESTRAGON:

Give us a chance.

VLADIMIR:

(
reassuring
)
.
It's evening, Sir, it's evening, night is drawing nigh. My friend here would have me doubt it and I must confess he shook me for a moment. But it is not for nothing I have lived through this long day and I can assure you it is very near the end of its repertory. (
Pause.
) How do you feel now?

ESTRAGON:

How much longer are we to cart him around? (
They half release him, catch him again as he falls.
) We are not
caryatids!

VLADIMIR:

You were saying your sight used to be good, if I heard you right.

POZZO:

Wonderful! Wonderful, wonderful sight!

Silence.

ESTRAGON:

(
irritably
)
.
Expand! Expand!

VLADIMIR:

Let him alone. Can't you see he's thinking of the days when he was happy. (
Pause.
)
Memoria praeteritorum bonorum
— that must be unpleasant.

ESTRAGON:

We wouldn't know.

VLADIMIR:

And it came on you all of a sudden?

POZZO:

Quite wonderful!

VLADIMIR:

I'm asking you if it came on you all of a sudden.

POZZO:

I woke up one fine day as blind as Fortune. (
Pause.
) Sometimes I wonder if I'm not still asleep.

VLADIMIR:

And when was that?

POZZO:

I don't know.

VLADIMIR:

But no later than yesterday—

POZZO:

(
violently
)
.
Don't question me! The blind have no notion of time. The things of time are hidden from them too.

VLADIMIR:

Well just fancy that! I could have sworn it was just the opposite.

ESTRAGON:

I'm going.

POZZO:

Where are we?

VLADIMIR:

I couldn't tell you.

POZZO:

It isn't by any chance the place known as the Board?

VLADIMIR:

Never heard of it.

POZZO:

What is it like?

VLADIMIR:

(
looking round
)
.
It's indescribable. It's like nothing. There's nothing. There's a tree.

POZZO:

Then it's not the Board.

ESTRAGON:

(
sagging
)
.
Some diversion!

POZZO:

Where is my menial?

VLADIMIR:

He's about somewhere.

POZZO:

Why doesn't he answer when I call?

VLADIMIR:

I don't know. He seems to be sleeping. Perhaps he's dead.

POZZO:

What happened, exactly?

ESTRAGON:

Exactly!

VLADIMIR:

The two of you slipped. (
Pause.
) And fell.

POZZO:

Go and see is he hurt.

VLADIMIR:

We can't leave you.

POZZO:

You needn't both go.

VLADIMIR:

(
to Estragon
)
.
You go.

ESTRAGON:

After what he did to me? Never!

POZZO:

Yes yes, let your friend go, he stinks so. (
Silence.
) What is he waiting for?

VLADIMIR:

What are you waiting for?

ESTRAGON:

I'm waiting for Godot.

Silence.

VLADIMIR:

What exactly should he do?

POZZO:

Well to begin with he should pull on the rope, as hard as he likes so long as he doesn't strangle him. He usually responds to that. If not he should give him a taste of his boot, in the face and the privates as far as possible.

VLADIMIR:

(
to Estragon
)
.
You see, you've nothing to be afraid of. It's even an opportunity to revenge yourself.

ESTRAGON:

And if he defends himself?

POZZO:

No no, he never defends himself.

VLADIMIR:

I'll come flying to the rescue.

ESTRAGON:

Don't take your eyes off me.

He goes towards Lucky.

VLADIMIR:

Make sure he's alive before you start. No point in exerting yourself if he's dead.

ESTRAGON:

(
bending over Lucky
)
.
He's breathing.

VLADIMIR:

Then let him have it.

With sudden fury Estragon starts kicking Lucky, hurling abuse at him as he does so. But he hurts his foot and moves away, limping and groaning. Lucky stirs.

ESTRAGON:

Oh the brute!

He sits down on the mound and tries to take off his boot. But he soon desists and disposes himself for sleep, his arms on his knees and his head on his arms.

POZZO:

What's gone wrong now?

VLADIMIR:

My friend has hurt himself.

POZZO:

And Lucky?

VLADIMIR:

So it is he?

POZZO:

What?

VLADIMIR:

It is Lucky?

POZZO:

I don't understand.

VLADIMIR:

And you are Pozzo?

POZZO:

Certainly I am Pozzo.

VLADIMIR:

The same as yesterday?

POZZO:

Yesterday?

VLADIMIR:

We met yesterday. (
Silence.
) Do you not remember?

POZZO:

I don't remember having met anyone yesterday. But tomorrow I won't remember having met anyone today. So don't count on me to enlighten you.

VLADIMIR:

But—

POZZO:

Enough! Up pig!

VLADIMIR:

You were bringing him to the fair to sell him. You spoke to us. He danced. He thought. You had your sight.

POZZO:

As you please. Let me go! (
Vladimir moves away.
) Up!

Lucky gets up, gathers up his burdens.

VLADIMIR:

Where do you go from here?

POZZO:

On. (
Lucky, laden down, takes his place before Pozzo.
) Whip! (
Lucky puts everything down, looks for whip, finds it, puts it into Pozzo's hand, takes up everything again.
) Rope!

Lucky puts everything down, puts end of rope into Pozzo's hand, takes up everything again.

VLADIMIR:

What is there in the bag?

POZZO:

Sand. (
He jerks the rope.
) On!

VLADIMIR:

Don't go yet.

POZZO:

I'm going.

VLADIMIR:

What do you do when you fall far from help?

POZZO: