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II. A GAME OF CHESS

The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,
-1
Glowed on the marble, where the glass 0
Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines 1
From which a golden Cupidon peeped out 2
(Another hid his eyes behind his wing) 3
Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra 4
Reflecting light upon the table as 5
The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it, 6
From satin cases poured in rich profusion; 7
In vials of ivory and coloured glass 8
Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes, 9
Unguent, powdered, or liquid - troubled, confused 10
And drowned the sense in odours; stirred by the air 11
That freshened from the window, these ascended 12
In fattening the prolonged candle-flames, 13
Flung their smoke into the laquearia, 14
Stirring the pattern on the coffered ceiling. 15
Huge sea-wood fed with copper 16
Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured stone, 17
In which sad light a carved dolphin swam. 18
Above the antique mantel was displayed 19
As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene 20
The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king 21
So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale 22
Filled all the desert with inviolable voice 23
And still she cried, and still the world pursues, 24
"Jug Jug" to dirty ears. 25
And other withered stumps of time 26
Were told upon the walls; staring forms 27
Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed. 28
Footsteps shuffled on the stair. 29
Under the firelight, under the brush, her hair 30
Spread out in fiery points 31
Glowed into words, then would be savagely still.
32
"My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.
33
"Speak to me. Why do you never speak. Speak. 34
"What are you thinking of? What thinking? What? 35
"I never know what you are thinking. Think."
36
I think we are in rats' alley
37
Where the dead men lost their bones.
38
"What is that noise?"
39
                             The wind under the door. 40
"What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?" 41
                             Nothing again nothing. 42
                                                                  "Do 43
"You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember 44
"Nothing?"
45
   I remember
46
Those are pearls that were his eyes. 47
"Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?" 48
                                                                    But 49
O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag - 50
It's so elegant 51
So intelligent 52
"What shall I do now? What shall I do?" 53
I shall rush out as I am, and walk the street 54
"With my hair down, so. What shall we do to-morrow? 55
"What shall we ever do?" 56
                                     The hot water at ten. 57
And if it rains, a closed car at four. 58
And we shall play a game of chess, 59
Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.
60
When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said -
61
I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself, 62
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME 63
Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart. 64
He'll want to know what you done with that money he gave you 65
To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there. 66
You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set, 67
He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you. 68
And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert, 69
He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time, 70
And if you don't give it him, there's others will, I said. 71
Oh is there, she said. Something o' that, I said. 72
Then I'll know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight 73
    look. 74
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME 75
If you don't like it you can get on with it, I said. 76
Others can pick and choose if you can't. 77
But if Albert makes off, it won't be for lack of telling. 78
You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique. 79
(And her only thirty-one.) 80
I can't help it, she said, pulling a long face, 81
It's them pills I took, to bring it off, she said. 82
(She's had five already, and nearly died of young George.) 83
The chemist said it would be alright, but I've never been the 84
     same. 85
You are a proper fool, I said. 86
Well, if Albert won't leave you alone, there it is, I said, 87
What you get married for if you don't want children? 88
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME 89
Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon, 90
And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot - 91
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME 92
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME 93
Goonight Bill. Goonight Lou. Goonight May. Goonight. 94
Ta ta. Goonight. Goonight. 95
Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good 96
     night.
97

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This version of the text was edited by Dennis G. Jerz, 2000.

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ORR Home > Texts > The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot


II. A GAME OF CHESS
The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,	-1
Glowed on the marble, where the glass	0
Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines	1
From which a golden Cupidon peeped out	2
(Another hid his eyes behind his wing)	3
Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra	4
Reflecting light upon the table as	5
The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it,	6
From satin cases poured in rich profusion;	7
In vials of ivory and coloured glass	8
Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes,	9
Unguent, powdered, or liquid - troubled, confused	10
And drowned the sense in odours; stirred by the air	11
That freshened from the window, these ascended	12
In fattening the prolonged candle-flames,	13
Flung their smoke into the laquearia,	14
Stirring the pattern on the coffered ceiling.	15
Huge sea-wood fed with copper	16
Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured stone,	17
In which sad light a carved dolphin swam.	18
Above the antique mantel was displayed	19
As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene	20
The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king	21
So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale	22
Filled all the desert with inviolable voice	23
And still she cried, and still the world pursues,	24
"Jug Jug" to dirty ears.	25
And other withered stumps of time	26
Were told upon the walls; staring forms	27
Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed.	28
Footsteps shuffled on the stair.	29
Under the firelight, under the brush, her hair	30
Spread out in fiery points	31
Glowed into words, then would be savagely still.	32
"My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.	33
"Speak to me. Why do you never speak. Speak.	34
"What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?	35
"I never know what you are thinking. Think."	36
I think we are in rats' alley	37
Where the dead men lost their bones.	38
"What is that noise?"	39
The wind under the door.	40
"What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?"	41
Nothing again nothing.	42
"Do	43
"You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember	44
"Nothing?"	45
I remember	46
Those are pearls that were his eyes.	47
"Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?"	48
But	49
O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag -	50
It's so elegant	51
So intelligent	52
"What shall I do now? What shall I do?"	53
I shall rush out as I am, and walk the street	54
"With my hair down, so. What shall we do to-morrow?	55
"What shall we ever do?"	56
The hot water at ten.	57
And if it rains, a closed car at four.	58
And we shall play a game of chess,	59
Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.	60
When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said -	61
I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself,	62
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME	63
Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart.	64
He'll want to know what you done with that money he gave you	65
To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there.	66
You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set,	67
He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you.	68
And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert,	69
He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time,	70
And if you don't give it him, there's others will, I said.	71
Oh is there, she said. Something o' that, I said.	72
Then I'll know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight	73
look.	74
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME	75
If you don't like it you can get on with it, I said.	76
Others can pick and choose if you can't.	77
But if Albert makes off, it won't be for lack of telling.	78
You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique.	79
(And her only thirty-one.)	80
I can't help it, she said, pulling a long face,	81
It's them pills I took, to bring it off, she said.	82
(She's had five already, and nearly died of young George.)	83
The chemist said it would be alright, but I've never been the	84
same.	85
You are a proper fool, I said.	86
Well, if Albert won't leave you alone, there it is, I said,	87
What you get married for if you don't want children?	88
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME	89
Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon,	90
And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot -	91
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME	92
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME	93
Goonight Bill. Goonight Lou. Goonight May. Goonight.	94
Ta ta. Goonight. Goonight.	95
Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good	96
night.	97