Spiekbriefjes zijn uit. Tattoos zijn in. Om niet te vergeten dat topsport een kwestie van vallen en opstaan is, heeft Stanislas Wawrinka – die man die dit weekend van Rafael Nadal won en winnaar werd van de Australian Open – voor altijd een toepasselijke tekst aan de binnenkant van zijn linkerarm laten tatoeëren: ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’
Die tekst is niet van zomaar iemand. Hij is geschreven door Samuel Beckett en komt uit Worstward Ho! (1934).
Worstwoard Ho! begint zo:
On. Say on. Be said on. Somehow on. Till nohow on. Said nohow on.
Say for be said. Missaid. From now say for missaid.
Say a body. Where none. No mind. Where none. That at least. A place. Where none. For the body. To bein. 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. No. First both. Now either. Now the other. Sick of the either try theother. Sick of it back sick of the either. So on. Somehow on. Till sick of both. Throw up and go. Whereneither. Till sick of there. Throw up and back. The body again. Where none. The place again. Wherenone. Try again. Fail again. Better again. Or better worse. Fail worse again. Still worse again. Till sick forgood. 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 bonesmay pain till no choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Or better worse remains. Say remains of mindwhere none to permit of pain. Pain of bones till no choice but up and stand. Somehow up. Somehowstand. 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
Maar gaat nog verder. Hier de hele tekst.
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