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? They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more.
In this excerpt from Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot," the speaker expresses a deep frustration with the passage of time and its inherent suffering. They highlight a series of impactful moments, each marked by loss or silence, such as losing the ability to speak or see. The speaker questions the relentless nature of existence and the unfairness of life’s temporality, suggesting that these experiences of torment might never cease.
The quote poignantly illustrates the cyclical nature of life, where the beginnings and endings coexist in a fleeting dance. Birth occurs while life is already shadowed by death, emphasizing the ephemeral quality of joy and the certainty of grief. This reflection serves as a powerful reminder of the inevitability of despair amid fleeting instances of light in human experience.