Waiting for Godot (12 page)

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 is 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:
We wait till we can get up. Then we go on. On!

VLADIMIR:
Before you go tell him to sing.

POZZO:
Who?

VLADIMIR:
Lucky.

POZZO:
To sing?

VLADIMIR:
Yes. Or to think. Or to recite.

POZZO:
But he is dumb.

VLADIMIR:
Dumb!

POZZO:
Dumb. He can't even groan.

VLADIMIR:
Dumb! Since when?

POZZO:
(suddenly furious.) Have you not done tormenting me with your accursed
time! It's abominable! When! When! One day, is that not enough for you, one
day he went dumb, one day I went blind, one day we'll go deaf, one day we
were born, one day we shall die, the same day, the same second, is that not
enough for you? (Calmer.) They give birth astride of a grave, the light
gleams an instant, then it's night once more. (He jerks the rope.) On!
Exeunt Pozzo and Lucky. Vladimir follows them to the edge of the stage, looks
after them. The noise of falling, reinforced by mimic of Vladimir, announces
that they are down again. Silence. Vladimir goes towards Estragon,
contemplates him a moment, then shakes him awake.

ESTRAGON:
(wild gestures, incoherent words. Finally.) Why will you never let me sleep?

VLADIMIR:
I felt lonely.

ESTRAGON:
I was dreaming I was happy.

VLADIMIR:
That passed the time.

ESTRAGON:
I was dreaming that�

VLADIMIR:
(violently). Don't tell me! (Silence.) I wonder is he really blind.

ESTRAGON:
Blind? Who?

VLADIMIR:
Pozzo.

ESTRAGON:
Blind?