by Eliot · Cluster: Spiritual Emptiness · Waste Land (Sterility) · Greek Tragedy
Abstract
Section file containing Sweeney Agonistes: jazz-rhythm verse drama of birth/copulation/death, murder, dread; spiritual emptiness of the modern waste land.
Connections
Motifs: Death Themes & Concepts: Spiritual Emptiness, Waste Land (Sterility), Guilt, Terror and Horror Forms & Genres: Verse Drama, Fragment Historical References: Greek Tragedy
Testo integrale / Full text
UNFINISHED POEMS
Sweeney Agonistes Fragments of an Aristophanic Melodrama Orestes: You don’t see them, you don’t — but I see them: they are hunting me down, I must move on. Choephoroi. Hence the soul cannot be possessed of the divine union, until it has divested itself of the love of created beings.
St. John of the Cross. Fragment of a Prologue DUSTY. DORIS. DUSTY: How about Pereira?
DORIS: What about Pereira?
I don’t care. DUSTY: You don’t care!
Who pays the rent? DORIS: Yes he pays the rent
DUSTY: Well some men don’t and some men do
Some men don’t and you know who DORIS:You can have Pereira
DUSTY: What about Pereira?
DORIS: He’s no gentleman, Pereira:
You can’t trust him! DUSTY: Well that’s true.
He’s no gentleman if you can’t trust him And if you can’t trust him —
Then you never know what he’s going to do. DORIS: No it wouldn’t do to be too nice to Pereira.
DUSTY: Now Sam’s a gentleman through and through.
DORIS: I like Sam
DUSTY: I like Sam
Yes and Sam’s a nice boy too. He’s a funny fellow DORIS: He is a funny fellow
He’s like a fellow once I knew. He could make you laugh. DUSTY: Sam can make you laugh:
Sam’s all right DORIS: But Pereira won’t do.
We can’t have Pereira DUSTY: Well what you going to do?
TELEPHONE: Ting a ling ling
Ting a ling ling DUSTY: That’s Pereira
DORIS: Yes that’s Pereira
DUSTY: Well what you going to do?
TELEPHONE: Ting a ling ling
Ting a ling ling DUSTY: That’s Pereira
DORIS: Well can’t you stop that horrible noise?
Pick up the receiver DUSTY: What’ll I say?
DORIS: Say what you like: say I’m ill,
Say I broke my leg on the stairs Say we’ve had a fire DUSTY: Hello Hello are you there?
Yes this is Miss Dorrance’s flat —
Oh Mr. Pereira is that you? how do you do! Oh I’m so sorry. I am so sorry
But Doris came home with a terrible chill No, just a chill Oh I think it’s only a chill
Yes indeed I hope so too — Well I hope we shan’t have to call a doctor
Doris just hates having a doctor She says will you ring up on Monday She hopes to be all right on Monday I say do you mind if I ring off now She’s got her feet in mustard and water I said I’m giving her mustard and water All right, Monday you’ll phone through. Yes I’ll tell her. Good bye. Goooood bye. I’m sure, that’s very kind of you. Ah-h-h DORIS: Now I’m going to cut the cards for to-night.
Oh guess what the first is DUSTY: First is. What is?
DORIS: The King of Clubs
DUSTY: That’s Pereira
DORIS: It might be Sweeney
DUSTY: It’s Pereira
DORIS: It might just as well be Sweeney
DUSTY: Well anyway it’s very queer.
DORIS: Here’s the four of diamonds, what’s that mean?
DUSTY: (reading) ‘A small sum of money, or a present
Of wearing apparel, or a party’. That’s queer too. DORIS: Here’s the three. What’s that mean?
DUSTY: ‘News of an absent friend’. — Pereira!
DORIS: The Queen of Hearts! — Mrs. Porter!
DUSTY: Or it might be you
DORIS: Or it might be you
We’re all hearts. You can’t be sure. It just depends on what comes next. You’ve got to think when you read the cards,
It’s not a thing that anyone can do. DUSTY: Yes I know you’ve a touch with the cards
What comes next? DORIS: What comes next. It’s the six.
DUSTY: ‘A quarrel. An estrangement. Separation of friends’.
DORIS: Here’s the two of spades.
DUSTY: The two of spades!
THAT’S THE COFFIN!!
DORIS: THAT’S THE COFFIN?
Oh good heavens what’ll I do? Just before a party too! DUSTY: Well it needn’t be yours, it may mean a friend.
DORIS: No it’s mine. I’m sure it’s mine.
I dreamt of weddings all last night. Yes it’s mine. I know it’s mine. Oh good heavens what’ll I do. Well I’m not going to draw any more, You cut for luck. You cut for luck. It might break the spell. You cut for luck. DUSTY: The Knave of Spades.
DORIS: That’ll be Snow DUSTY: Or it might be Swarts
DORIS: Or it might be Snow
DUSTY: It’s a funny thing how I draw court cards —
DORIS: There’s a lot in the way you pick them up
DUSTY: There’s an awful lot in the way you feel
DORIS: Sometimes they’ll tell you nothing at all
DUSTY: You’ve got to know what you want to ask them
DORIS: You’ve got to know what you want to know
DUSTY: It’s no use asking them too much
DORIS: It’s no use asking more than once
DUSTY: Sometimes they’re no use at all.
DORIS: I’d like to know about that coffin.
DUSTY: Well I never! What did I tell you?
Wasn’t I saying I always draw court cards? The Knave of Hearts! (Whistle outside of the window.)
Well I never What a coincidence! Cards are queer!
(Whistle again.)
DORIS: Is that Sam?
DUSTY: Of course it’s Sam!
DORIS: Of course, the Knave of Hearts is Sam!
DUSTY (leaning out of the window): Hello Sam!
WAUCHOPE: Hello dear
How many’s up there? DUSTY: Nobody’s up here
How many’s down there? WAUCHOPE: Four of us here.
Wait till I put the car round the corner We’ll be right up DUSTY: All right, come up.
DUSTY (to DORIS): Cards are queer.
DORIS: I’d like to know about that coffin.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK DORIS. DUSTY. WAUCHOPE. HORSFALL. KLIPSTEIN. KRUMPACKER.
WAUCHOPE: Hello Doris! Hello Dusty! How do you do!
How come? how come? will you permit me — I think you girls both know Captain Horsfall — We want you to meet two friends of ours, American gentlemen here on business. Meet Mr. Klipstein. Meet Mr. Krumpacker. KLIPSTEIN: How do you do
KRUMPACKER: How do you do
KLIPSTEIN: I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance
KRUMPACKER: Extremely pleased to become acquainted
KLIPSTEIN: Sam — I should say Loot Sam Wauchope
KRUMPACKER: Of the Canadian Expeditionary Force —
KLIPSTEIN: The Loot has told us a lot about you.
KRUMPACKER: We were all in the war together
Klip and me and the Cap and Sam. KLIPSTEIN: Yes we did our bit, as you folks say,
I’ll tell the world we got the Hun on the run KRUMPACKER: What about that poker game? eh what Sam?
What about that poker game in Bordeaux? Yes Miss Dorrance you get Sam To tell about that poker game in Bordeaux. DUSTY: Do you know London well, Mr. Krumpacker?
KLIPSTEIN: No we never been here before
KRUMPACKER: We hit this town last night for the first time
KLIPSTEIN: And I certainly hope it won’t be the last time.
DORIS: You like London, Mr. Klipstein?
KRUMPACKER: Do we like London? do we like London!
Do we like London!! Eh what Klip? KLIPSTEIN: Say, Miss — er — uh — London’s swell.
We like London fine. KRUMPACKER: Perfectly slick.
DUSTY: Why don’t you come and live here then?
KLIPSTEIN: Well, no, Miss — er — you haven’t quite got it
(I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch your name — But I’m very pleased to meet you all the same) — London’s a little too gay for us Yes I’ll say a little too gay. KRUMPACKER: Yes London’s a little too gay for us Don’t think I mean anything coarse —
But I’m afraid we couldn’t stand the pace. What about it Klip? KLIPSTEIN: You said it, Krum.
London’s a slick place, London’s a swell place, London’s a fine place to come on a visit — KRUMPACKER: Specially when you got a real live Britisher
A guy like Sam to show you around. Sam of course is at home in London,
And he’s promised to show us around. Fragment of an Agon SWEENEY. WAUCHOPE. HORSFALL. KLIPSTEIN. KRUMPACKER. SWARTS. SNOW. DORIS. DUSTY. SWEENEY: I’ll carry you off
To a cannibal isle. DORIS: You’ll be the cannibal!
SWEENEY: You’ll be the missionary!
You’ll be my little seven stone missionary! I’ll gobble you up. I’ll be the cannibal. DORIS: You’ll carry me off? To a cannibal isle?
SWEENEY: I’ll be the cannibal.
DORIS: I’ll be the missionary.
I’ll convert you! SWEENEY: I’ll convert you!
Into a stew. A nice little, white little, missionary stew. DORIS: You wouldn’t eat me!
SWEENEY: Yes I’d eat you!
In a nice little, white little, soft little, tender little, Juicy little, right little, missionary stew. You see this egg You see this egg Well that’s life on a crocodile isle. There’s no telephones There’s no gramophones There’s no motor cars No two-seaters, no six-seaters, No Citroën, no Rolls-Royce. Nothing to eat but the fruit as it grows. Nothing to see but the palmtrees one way And the sea the other way, Nothing to hear but the sound of the surf. Nothing at all but three things DORIS: What things?
SWEENEY: Birth, and copulation and death.
That’s all, that’s all, that’s all, that’s all, Birth, and copulation, and death. DORIS: I’d be bored.
SWEENEY: You’d be bored.
Birth, and copulation, and death. DORIS: I’d be bored.
SWEENEY: You’d be bored.
Birth, and copulation, and death. That’s all the facts when you come to brass tacks: Birth, and copulation, and death. I’ve been born, and once is enough. You don’t remember, but I remember, Once is enough. SONG BY WAUCHOPE AND HORSFALL SWARTS AS TAMBO. SNOW AS BONES Under the bamboo Bamboo bamboo Under the bamboo tree Two live as one One live as two Two live as three Under the bam Under the boo Under the bamboo tree. Where the breadfruit fall And the penguin call And the sound is the sound of the sea Under the bam Under the boo Under the bamboo tree Where the Gauguin maids In the banyan shades Wear palmleaf drapery Under the bam Under the boo Under the bamboo tree.
Tell me in what part of the wood Do you want to flirt with me? Under the breadfruit, banyan, palmleaf Or under the bamboo tree? Any old tree will do for me Any old wood is just as good Any old isle is just my style Any fresh egg Any fresh egg And the sound of the coral sea.
DORIS: I don’t like eggs; I never liked eggs;
And I don’t like life on your crocodile isle. DORIS: That’s not life, that’s no life
Why I’d just as soon be dead. SWEENEY: That’s what life is. Just is
DORIS: What is?
What’s that life is? SWEENEY: Life is death.
I knew a man once did a girl in — DORIS: Oh Mr. Sweeney, please don’t talk,
I cut the cards before you came And I drew the coffin SWARTS: You drew the coffin?
DORIS: I drew the COFFIN very last card.
I don’t care for such conversation A woman runs a terrible risk. SNOW: Let Mr. Sweeney continue his story.
I assure you, Sir, we are very interested. SWEENEY: I knew a man once did a girl in.
Any man might do a girl in Any man has to, needs to, wants to Once in a lifetime, do a girl in Well he kept her there in a bath With a gallon of lysol in a bath SWARTS: These fellows always get pinched in the end.
SNOW: Excuse me, they don’t all get pinched in the end.
What about them bones on Epsom Heath? I seen that in the papers You seen it in the papers They don’t all get pinched in the end.
DORIS: A woman runs a terrible risk.
SNOW: Let Mr. Sweeney continue his story.
SWEENEY: This one didn’t get pinched in the end
But that’s another story too. This went on for a couple of months Nobody came And nobody went But he took in the milk and he paid the rent. SWARTS: What did he do?
All that time, what did he do? SWEENEY: What did he do! what did he do?
That don’t apply. Talk to live men about what they do. He used to come and see me sometimes I’d give him a drink and cheer him up. DORIS: Cheer him up?
DUSTY: Cheer him up? SWEENEY: Well here again that don’t apply
But I’ve gotta use words when I talk to you. But here’s what I was going to say. He didn’t know if he was alive and the girl was dead He didn’t know if the girl was alive and he was dead He didn’t know if they were both alive or both were dead If he was alive then the milkman wasn’t and the rent-collector wasn’t And if they were alive then he was dead. There wasn’t any joint There wasn’t any joint For when you’re alone When you’re alone like he was alone You’re either or neither I tell you again it don’t apply Death or life or life or death Death is life and life is death I gotta use words when I talk to you But if you understand or if you don’t That’s nothing to me and nothing to you We all gotta do what we gotta do We’re gona sit here and drink this booze We’re gona sit here and have a tune We’re gona stay and we’re gona go And somebody’s gotta pay the rent DORIS: I know who
SWEENEY: But that’s nothing to me and nothing to you.
FULL CHORUS: WAUCHOPE, HORSFALL, KLIPSTEIN, KRUMPACKER When you’re alone in the middle of the night and you wake in a sweat and a hell of a fright When you’re alone in the middle of the bed and you wake like someone hit you in the head You’ve had a cream of a nightmare dream and you’ve got the hoo-ha’s coming to you. Hoo hoo hoo You dreamt you waked up at seven o’clock and it’s foggy and it’s damp and it’s dawn and it’s dark And you wait for a knock and the turning of a lock for you know the hangman’s waiting for you. And perhaps you’re alive And perhaps you’re dead Hoo ha ha Hoo ha ha Hoo Hoo Hoo KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK