首页 >出版文学> Ulysses(尤利西斯)>第2章
  Nestor
  YOU,COCHRANE,WHATCITYSENTFORHIM?——
  Tarentum,sir——
  Verygood。Well?——
  Therewasabattle,sir——
  Verygood。Where?
  Theboy’sblankfaceaskedtheblankwindow。
  Fabledbythedaughtersofmemory。Andyetitwasinsomewayifnotasmemoryfabledit。Aphrase,then,ofimpatience,thudofBlake’swingsofexcess。Iheartheruinofallspace,shatteredglassandtopplingmasonry,andtimeonelividfinalflame。What’sleftusthen?——
  Iforgottheplace,sir。279B。C——
  Asculum,Stephensaid,glancingatthenameanddateinthegorescarredbook——
  Yes,sir。Andhesaid:Anothervictorylikethatandwearedonefor。
  Thatphrasetheworldhadremembered。Adulleaseofthemind。Fromahillaboveacorpsestrewnplainageneralspeakingtohisofficers,leaneduponhisspear。Anygeneraltoanyofficers。Theylendear——
  You,Armstrong,Stephensaid。WhatwastheendofPyrrhus?——
  EndofPyrrhus,sir?——
  Iknow,sir。Askme,sir,Comynsaid——
  Wait。You,Armstrong。DoyouknowanythingaboutPyrrhus?
  AbagoffigrollslaysnuglyinArmstrong’ssatchel。Hecurledthembetweenhispalmsatwhilesandswallowedthemsoftly。Crumbsadheredtothetissuesofhislips。Asweetenedboy’sbreath。Welloffpeople,proudthattheireldestsonwasinthenavy。VicoRoad,Dalkey——
  Pyrrhus,sir?Pyrrhus,apier。
  Alllaughed。Mirthlesshighmaliciouslaughter。Armstronglookedroundathisclassmates,sillygleeinprofile。Inamomenttheywilllaughmoreloudly,awareofmylackofruleandofthefeestheirpapaspay——
  Tellmenow,Stephensaid,pokingtheboy’sshoulderwiththebook,whatisapier——
  Apier,sir,Armstrongsaid。Athingoutinthewaves。Akindofbridge。Kingstownpier,sir。
  Somelaughedagain:mirthlessbutwithmeaning。Twointhebackbenchwhispered。Yes。Theyknew:hadneverlearnednoreverbeeninnocent。All。Withenvyhewatchedtheirfaces。Edith,Ethel,Gerty,Lily。Theirlikes:theirbreaths,too,sweetenedwithteaandjam,theirbraceletstitteringinthestruggle——
  Kingstownpier,Stephensaid。Yes,adisappointedbridge。Thewordstroubledtheirgaze——
  How,sir?Comynasked。Abridgeisacrossariver。
  ForHaines’schapbook。No-oneheretohear。Tonightdeftlyamidwilddrinkandtalk,topiercethepolishedmailofhismind。Whatthen?Ajesteratthecourtofhismaster,indulgedanddisesteemed,winningaclementmaster’spraise。Whyhadtheychosenallthatpart?Notwhollyforthesmoothcaress。Forthemtoohistorywasatalelikeanyothertoooftenheard,theirlandapawnshop。
  HadPyrrhusnotfallenbyabeldam’shandinArgosorJuliusCaesarnotbeenknifedtodeath?Theyarenottobethoughtaway。Timehasbrandedthemandfetteredtheyarelodgedintheroomoftheinfinitepossibilitiestheyhaveousted。Butcanthosehavebeenpossibleseeingthattheyneverwere?Orwasthatonlypossiblewhichcametopass?Weave,weaverofthewind——
  Tellusastory,sir——
  Oh,do,sir,aghoststory——
  Wheredoyoubegininthis?Stephenasked,openinganotherbook——
  Weepnomore,Comynsaid——
  Goonthen,Talbot——
  Andthehistory,sir?——
  After,Stephensaid。Goon,Talbot。
  Aswarthyboyopenedabookandproppeditnimblyunderthebreastworkofhissatchel。Herecitedjerksofversewithoddglancesatthetext:——
  Weepnomore,wofulshepherd,weepnomore
  ForLycidas,yoursorrow,isnotdead,
  Sunkthoughhebebeneaththewateryfloor……
  Itmustbeamovementthen,anactualityofthepossibleaspossible。Aristotle’sphraseformeditselfwithinthegabbledversesandfloatedoutintothestudioussilenceofthelibraryofSaintGenevievewherehehadread,shelteredfromthesinofParis,nightbynight。ByhiselbowadelicateSiameseconnedahandbookofstrategy。Fedandfeedingbrainsaboutme:underglowlamps,impaled,withfaintlybeatingfeelers:andinmymind’sdarknessaslothoftheunderworld,reluctant,shyofbrightness,shiftingherdragonscalyfolds。Thoughtisthethoughtofthought。Tranquilbrightness。Thesoulisinamannerallthatis:thesoulistheformofforms。Tranquillitysudden,vast,candescent:formofforms。
  Talbotrepeated:——
  ThroughthedearmightofHimthatwalkedthewaves,
  Throughthedearmight——
  Turnover,Stephensaidquietly。Idon’tseeanything——
  What,sir?Talbotaskedsimply,bendingforward。
  Hishandturnedthepageover。Heleanedbackandwentonagainhavingjustremembered。Ofhimthatwalkedthewaves。Herealsooverthesecravenheartshisshadowliesandonthescoffer’sheartandlipsandonmine。Itliesupontheireagerfaceswhoofferedhimacoinofthetribute。ToCaesarwhatisCaesar’s,toGodwhatisGod’s。Alonglookfromdarkeyes,ariddlingsentencetobewovenonthechurch’slooms。Ay。
  Riddleme,riddleme,randyro。
  Myfathergavemeseedstosow。
  Talbotslidhisclosedbookintohissatchel——
  HaveIheardall?Stephenasked——
  Yes,sir。Hockeyatten,sir——
  Halfday,sir。Thursday——
  Whocananswerariddle?Stephenasked。
  Theybundledtheirbooksaway,pencilsclacking,pagesrustling。Crowdingtogethertheystrappedandbuckledtheirsatchels,allgabblinggaily:——
  Ariddle,sir?Askme,sir——
  O,askme,sir——
  Ahardone,sir——
  Thisistheriddle,Stephensaid。
  Thecockcrew
  Theskywasblue:
  Thebellsinheaven
  Werestrikingeleven。
  Tistimeforthispoorsoul
  Togotoheaven——
  Whatisthat?——
  What,sir?——
  Again,sir。Wedidn’thear。
  Theireyesgrewbiggerasthelineswererepeated。AfterasilenceCochranesaid:——
  Whatisit,sir?Wegiveitup。
  Stephen,histhroatitching,answered:——
  Thefoxburyinghisgrandmotherunderahollybush。
  Hestoodupandgaveashoutofnervouslaughtertowhichtheircriesechoeddismay。
  Astickstruckthedoorandavoiceinthecorridorcalled:——
  Hockey!
  Theybrokeasunder,sidlingoutoftheirbenches,leapingthem。Quicklytheyweregoneandfromthelumberroomcametherattleofsticksandclamouroftheirbootsandtongues。
  Sargentwhoalonehadlingeredcameforwardslowly,showinganopencopybook。Histangledhairandscraggyneckgavewitnessofunreadinessandthroughhismistyglassesweakeyeslookeduppleading。Onhischeek,dullandbloodless,asoftstainofinklay,dateshaped,recentanddampasasnail’sbed。
  Heheldouthiscopybook。ThewordSumswaswrittenontheheadline。Beneathwereslopingfiguresandatthefootacrookedsignaturewithblindloopsandablot。CyrilSargent:hisnameandseal——
  MrDeasytoldmetowritethemoutallagain,hesaid,andshowthemtoyou,sir。
  Stephentouchedtheedgesofthebook。Futility——
  Doyouunderstandhowtodothemnow?heasked——
  Numberseleventofifteen,Sargentanswered。MrDeasysaidIwastocopythemofftheboard,sir——
  Canyoudothemyourself?Stephenasked——
  No,sir。
  Uglyandfutile:leanneckandtangledhairandastainofink,asnail’sbed。Yetsomeonehadlovedhim,bornehiminherarmsandinherheart。Butforhertheraceoftheworldwouldhavetrampledhimunderfoot,asquashedbonelesssnail。Shehadlovedhisweakwateryblooddrainedfromherown。Wasthatthenreal?Theonlytruethinginlife?Hismother’sprostratebodythefieryColumbanusinholyzealbestrode。Shewasnomore:thetremblingskeletonofatwigburntinthefire,anodourofrosewoodandwettedashes。Shehadsavedhimfrombeingtrampledunderfootandhadgone,scarcelyhavingbeen。Apoorsoulgonetoheaven:andonaheathbeneathwinkingstarsafox,redreekofrapineinhisfur,withmercilessbrighteyesscrapedintheearth,listened,scrapeduptheearth,listened,scrapedandscraped。
  SittingathissideStephensolvedouttheproblem。HeprovesbyalgebrathatShakespeare’sghostisHamlet’sgrandfather。Sargentpeeredaskancethroughhisslantedglasses。Hockeysticksrattledinthelumberroom:thehollowknockofaballandcallsfromthefield。
  Acrossthepagethesymbolsmovedingravemorrice,inthemummeryoftheirletters,wearingquaintcapsofsquaresandcubes。Givehands,traverse,bowtopartner:so:impsoffancyoftheMoors。Gonetoofromtheworld,AverroesandMosesMaimonides,darkmeninmienandmovement,flashingintheirmockingmirrorstheobscuresouloftheworld,adarknessshininginbrightnesswhichbrightnesscouldnotcomprehend——
  Doyouunderstandnow?Canyouworkthesecondforyourself?——
  Yes,sir。
  InlongshadystrokesSargentcopiedthedata。Waitingalwaysforawordofhelphishandmovedfaithfullytheunsteadysymbols,afainthueofshameflickeringbehindhisdullskin。Amormatris:subjectiveandobjectivegenitive。Withherweakbloodandwheysourmilkshehadfedhimandhidfromsightofothershisswaddlingbands。
  LikehimwasI,theseslopingshoulders,thisgracelessness。Mychildhoodbendsbesideme。Toofarformetolayahandthereonceorlightly。Mineisfarandhissecretasoureyes。Secrets,silent,stonysitinthedarkpalacesofbothourhearts:secretswearyoftheirtyranny:tyrantswillingtobedethroned。
  Thesumwasdone——
  Itisverysimple,Stephensaidashestoodup——
  Yes,sir。Thanks,Sargentanswered。
  Hedriedthepagewithasheetofthinblottingpaperandcarriedhiscopybookbacktohisdesk——
  Youhadbettergetyourstickandgoouttotheothers,Stephensaidashefollowedtowardsthedoortheboy’sgracelessform——
  Yes,sir。
  Inthecorridorhisnamewasheard,calledfromtheplayfield——
  Sargent!——
  Runon,Stephensaid。MrDeasyiscallingyou。
  Hestoodintheporchandwatchedthelaggardhurrytowardsthescrappyfieldwheresharpvoiceswereinstrife。TheyweresortedinteamsandMrDeasycamesteppingoverwispsofgrasswithgaiteredfeet。Whenhehadreachedtheschoolhousevoicesagaincontendingcalledtohim。Heturnedhisangrywhitemoustache——
  Whatisitnow?hecriedcontinuallywithoutlistening——
  CochraneandHallidayareonthesameside,sir,Stephencried——
  Willyouwaitinmystudyforamoment,MrDeasysaid,tillIrestoreorderhere。
  Andashesteppedfussilybackacrossthefieldhisoldman’svoicecriedsternly:——
  Whatisthematter?Whatisitnow?
  Theirsharpvoicescriedabouthimonallsides:theirmanyformsclosedroundhim,thegarishsunshinebleachingthehoneyofhisilldyedhead。
  Stalesmokyairhunginthestudywiththesmellofdrababradedleatherofitschairs。Asonthefirstdayhebargainedwithmehere。Asitwasinthebeginning,isnow。OnthesideboardthetrayofStuartcoins,basetreasureofabog:andevershallbe。Andsnugintheirspooncaseofpurpleplush,faded,thetwelveapostleshavingpreachedtoallthegentiles:worldwithoutend。
  Ahastystepoverthestoneporchandinthecorridor。BlowingouthisraremoustacheMrDeasyhaltedatthetable——
  First,ourlittlefinancialsettlement,hesaid。
  Hebroughtoutofhiscoatapocketbookboundbyaleatherthong。Itslappedopenandhetookfromittwonotes,oneofjoinedhalves,andlaidthemcarefullyonthetable——
  Two,hesaid,strappingandstowinghispocketbookaway。
  Andnowhisstrongroomforthegold。Stephen’sembarrassedhandmovedovertheshellsheapedinthecoldstonemortar:whelksandmoney,cowriesandleopardshells:andthis,whorledasanemir’sturban,andthis,thescallopofSaintJames。Anoldpilgrim’shoard,deadtreasure,hollowshells。
  Asovereignfell,brightandnew,onthesoftpileofthetablecloth——
  Three,MrDeasysaid,turninghislittlesavingsboxaboutinhishand。Thesearehandythingstohave。See。Thisisforsovereigns。Thisisforshillings,sixpences,halfcrowns。Andherecrowns。See。
  Heshotfromittwocrownsandtwoshillings——
  Threetwelve,hesaid。Ithinkyou’llfindthat’sright——
  Thankyou,sir,Stephensaid,gatheringthemoneytogetherwithshyhasteandputtingitallinapocketofhistrousers——
  Nothanksatall,MrDeasysaid。Youhaveearnedit。
  Stephen’shand,freeagain,wentbacktothehollowshells。Symbolstooofbeautyandofpower。Alumpinmypocket。Symbolssoiledbygreedandmisery——
  Don’tcarryitlikethat,MrDeasysaid。You’llpullitoutsomewhereandloseit。Youjustbuyoneofthesemachines。You’llfindthemveryhandy。
  Answersomething——
  Minewouldbeoftenempty,Stephensaid。
  Thesameroomandhour,thesamewisdom:andIthesame。Threetimesnow。Threenoosesroundmehere。Well。IcanbreaktheminthisinstantifIwill——
  Becauseyoudon’tsave,MrDeasysaid,pointinghisfinger。Youdon’tknowyetwhatmoneyis。Moneyispower,whenyouhavelivedaslongasIhave。Iknow,Iknow。Ifyouthbutknew。ButwhatdoesShakespearesay?Putbutmoneyinthypurse——
  Iago,Stephenmurmured。
  Heliftedhisgazefromtheidleshellstotheoldman’sstare——
  Heknewwhatmoneywas,MrDeasysaid。Hemademoney。ApoetbutanEnglishmantoo。DoyouknowwhatistheprideoftheEnglish?DoyouknowwhatistheproudestwordyouwilleverhearfromanEnglishman’smouth?
  Theseas’ruler。Hisseacoldeyeslookedontheemptybay:historyistoblame:onmeandonmywords,unhating——
  Thatonhisempire,Stephensaid,thesunneversets——
  Ba!MrDeasycried。That’snotEnglish。AFrenchCeltsaidthat。Hetappedhissavingsboxagainsthisthumbnail——
  Iwilltellyou,hesaidsolemnly,whatishisproudestboast。Ipaidmyway。
  Goodman,goodman——
  Ipaidmyway。Ineverborrowedashillinginmylife。Canyoufeelthat?Iowenothing。Canyou?
  Mulligan,ninepounds,threepairsofsocks,onepairbrogues,ties。Curran,tenguineas。McCann,oneguinea。FredRyan,twoshillings。Temple,twolunches。Russell,oneguinea,Cousins,tenshillings,BobReynolds,halfaguinea,Kohler,threeguineas,MrsMcKernan,fiveweeks’board。ThelumpIhaveisuseless——
  Forthemoment,no,Stephenanswered。
  MrDeasylaughedwithrichdelight,puttingbackhissavingsbox——
  Iknewyoucouldn’t,hesaidjoyously。Butonedayyoumustfeelit。Weareagenerouspeoplebutwemustalsobejust——
  Ifearthosebigwords,Stephensaid,whichmakeussounhappy。
  MrDeasystaredsternlyforsomemomentsoverthemantelpieceattheshapelybulkofamanintartanfillibegs:AlbertEdward,PrinceofWales——
  Youthinkmeanoldfogeyandanoldtory,histhoughtfulvoicesaid。IsawthreegenerationssinceO’Connell’stime。Irememberthefamine。DoyouknowthattheorangelodgesagitatedforrepealoftheuniontwentyyearsbeforeO’Connelldidorbeforetheprelatesofyourcommuniondenouncedhimasademagogue?Youfeniansforgetsomethings。
  Glorious,piousandimmortalmemory。ThelodgeofDiamondinArmaghthesplendidbehungwithcorpsesofpapishes。Hoarse,maskedandarmed,theplanters’covenant。Theblacknorthandtruebluebible。Croppiesliedown。
  Stephensketchedabriefgesture——
  Ihaverebelbloodinmetoo,MrDeasysaid。Onthespindleside。ButIamdescendedfromsirJohnBlackwoodwhovotedfortheunion。WeareallIrish,allkings’sons——
  Alas,Stephensaid——
  Perviasrectas,MrDeasysaidfirmly,washismotto。HevotedforitandputonhistopbootstoridetoDublinfromtheArdsofDowntodoso。
  Laltheralthera
  TherockyroadtoDublin。
  Agruffsquireonhorsebackwithshinytopboots。Softday,sirJohn。Softday,yourhonour……Day……Day……TwotopbootsjogdanglingontoDublin。Laltheralthera,laltheraltheraddy——
  Thatremindsme,MrDeasysaid。Youcandomeafavour,MrDedalus,withsomeofyourliteraryfriends:Ihavealetterhereforthepress。Sitdownamoment。Ihavejusttocopytheend。
  Hewenttothedesknearthewindow,pulledinhischairtwiceandreadoffsomewordsfromthesheetonthedrumofhistypewriter——
  Sitdown。Excuseme,hesaidoverhisshoulder,thedictatesofcommonsense。Justamoment。
  Hepeeredfromunderhisshaggybrowsatthemanuscriptbyhiselbowand,muttering,begantoprodthestiffbuttonsofthekeyboardslowly,sometimesblowingashescrewedupthedrumtoeraseanerror。
  Stephenseatedhimselfnoiselesslybeforetheprincelypresence。Framedaroundthewallsimagesofvanishedhorsesstoodinhomage,theirmeekheadspoisedinair:lordHastings’Repulse,thedukeofWestminster’sShotover,thedukeofBeaufort’sCeylon,prixdeParis,1866。Elfinriderssatthem,watchfulofasign。Hesawtheirspeeds,backingKing’scolours,andshoutedwiththeshoutsofvanishedcrowds——
  Fullstop,MrDeasybadehiskeys。Butpromptventilationofthisimportantquestion……
  WhereCranlyledmetogetrichquick,huntinghiswinnersamongthemudsplashedbrakes,amidthebawlsofbookiesontheirpitchesandreekofthecanteen,overthemotleyslush。EvenmoneyFairRebel:tentoonethefield。Dicersandthimbleriggerswehurriedbyafterthehoofs,thevyingcapsandjacketsandpastthemeatfacedwoman,abutcher’sdame,nuzzlingthirstilyhercloveoforange。
  Shoutsrangshrillfromtheboys’playfieldandawhirringwhistle。
  Again:agoal。Iamamongthem,amongtheirbattlingbodiesinamedley,thejoustoflife。Youmeanthatknockkneedmother’sdarlingwhoseemstobeslightlycrawsick?Jousts。Timeshockedrebounds,shockbyshock。Jousts,slushanduproarofbattles,thefrozendeathspewoftheslain,ashoutofspearspikesbaitedwithmen’sbloodiedguts——
  Nowthen,MrDeasysaid,rising。
  Hecametothetable,pinningtogetherhissheets。Stephenstoodup——
  Ihaveputthematterintoanutshell,MrDeasysaid。It’saboutthefootandmouthdisease。Justlookthroughit。Therecanbenotwoopinionsonthematter。
  MayItrespassonyourvaluablespace。Thatdoctrineoflaissezfairewhichsoofteninourhistory。Ourcattletrade。Thewayofallouroldindustries。LiverpoolringwhichjockeyedtheGalwayharbourscheme。Europeanconflagration。Grainsuppliesthroughthenarrowwatersofthechannel。Thepluterperfectimperturbabilityofthedepartmentofagriculture。Pardonedaclassicalallusion。Cassandra。Byawomanwhowasnobetterthansheshouldbe。Tocometothepointatissue——
  Idon’tmincewords,doI?MrDeasyaskedasStephenreadon。
  Footandmouthdisease。KnownasKoch’spreparation。Serumandvirus。Percentageofsaltedhorses。Rinderpest。Emperor’shorsesatMürzsteg,lowerAustria。Veterinarysurgeons。MrHenryBlackwoodPrice。Courteousofferafairtrial,Dictatesofcommonsense。Allimportantquestion。Ineverysenseofthewordtakethebullbythehorns。Thankingyouforthehospitalityofyourcolumns——
  Iwantthattobeprintedandread,MrDeasysaid。YouwillseeatthenextoutbreaktheywillputanembargoonIrishcattle。Anditcanbecured。Itiscured。Mycousin,BlackwoodPrice,writestomeitisregularlytreatedandcuredinAustriabycattledoctorsthere。Theyoffertocomeoverhere。Iamtryingtoworkupinfluencewiththedepartment。NowI’mgoingtotrypublicity。Iamsurroundedbydifficulties,by……intrigues,by……backstairsinfluence,by……
  Heraisedhisforefingerandbeattheairoldlybeforehisvoicespoke——
  Markmywords,MrDedalus,hesaid。Englandisinthehandsofthejews。Inallthehighestplaces:herfinance,herpress。Andtheyarethesignsofanation’sdecay。Wherevertheygathertheyeatupthenation’svitalstrength。IhaveseenitComingtheseyears。Assureaswearestandingherethejewmerchantsarealreadyattheirworkofdestruction。OldEnglandisdying。
  Hesteppedswiftlyoff,hiseyescomingtobluelifeastheypassedabroadsunbeam。Hefacedaboutandbackagain——
  Dying,hesaid,ifnotdeadbynow。
  Theharlot’scryfromstreettostreet
  ShallweaveoldEngland’swindingsheet。
  Hiseyesopenwideinvisionstaredsternlyacrossthesunbeaminwhichhehalted——
  Amerchant,Stephensaid,isonewhobuyscheapandsellsdear,jeworgentile,ishenot?——
  Theysinnedagainstthelight,MrDeasysaidgravely。Andyoucanseethedarknessintheireyes。Andthatiswhytheyarewanderersontheearthtothisday。
  OnthestepsoftheParisStockExchangethegoldskinnedmenquotingpricesontheirgemmedfingers。Gabblesofgeese。Theyswarmedloud,uncouthaboutthetemple,theirheadsthickplottingundermaladroitsilkhats。Nottheirs:theseclothes,thisspeech,thesegestures。Theirfullsloweyesbeliedthewords,thegestureseagerandunoffending,butknewtherancoursmassedaboutthemandknewtheirzealwasvain。Vainpatiencetoheapandhoard。Timesurelywouldscatterall。Ahoardheapedbytheroadside:plunderedandpassingon。Theireyesknewtheyearsofwanderingand,patient,knewthedishonoursoftheirflesh——
  Whohasnot?Stephensaid——
  Whatdoyoumean?MrDeasyasked。
  Hecameforwardapaceandstoodbythetable。Hisunderjawfellsidewaysopenuncertainly。Isthisoldwisdom?Hewaitstohearfromme——
  History,Stephensaid,isanightmarefromwhichIamtryingtoawake。
  Fromtheplayfieldtheboysraisedashout。Awhirringwhistle:goal。Whatifthatnightmaregaveyouabackkick?——
  ThewaysoftheCreatorarenotourways,MrDeasysaid。Allhistorymovestowardsonegreatgoal,themanifestationofGod。
  Stephenjerkedhisthumbtowardsthewindow,saying:——
  ThatisGod。
  Hooray!Ay!Whrrwhee!——
  What?MrDeasyasked——
  Ashoutinthestreet,Stephenanswered,shrugginghisshoulders。
  MrDeasylookeddownandheldforawhilethewingsofhisnosetweakedbetweenhisfingers。Lookingupagainhesetthemfree——
  Iamhappierthanyouare,hesaid。Wehavecommittedmanyerrorsandmanysins。Awomanbroughtsinintotheworld。Forawomanwhowasnobetterthansheshouldbe,Helen,therunawaywifeofMenelaus,tenyearstheGreeksmadewaronTroy。Afaithlesswifefirstbroughtthestrangerstoourshorehere,MacMurrough’swifeandherlemanO’Rourke,princeofBreffni。AwomantoobroughtParnelllow。Manyerrors,manyfailuresbutnottheonesin。Iamastrugglernowattheendofmydays。ButIwillfightfortherighttilltheend。
  ForUlsterwillfight
  AndUlsterwillberight。
  Stephenraisedthesheetsinhishand——
  Well,sir,hebegan——
  Iforesee,MrDeasysaid,thatyouwillnotremainhereverylongatthiswork。Youwerenotborntobeateacher,Ithink。PerhapsIamwrong——
  Alearnerrather,Stephensaid。
  Andherewhatwillyoulearnmore?
  MrDeasyshookhishead——
  Whoknows?hesaid。Tolearnonemustbehumble。Butlifeisthegreatteacher。
  Stephenrustledthesheetsagain——
  Asregardsthese,hebegan——
  Yes,MrDeasysaid。Youhavetwocopiesthere。Ifyoucanhavethempublishedatonce。
  Telegraph。IrishHomestead——
  Iwilltry,Stephensaid,andletyouknowtomorrow。Iknowtwoeditorsslightly。
  Thatwilldo,MrDeasysaidbriskly。IwrotelastnighttoMrField,M。P。Thereisameetingofthecattletraders’associationtodayattheCityArmsHotel。Iaskedhimtolaymyletterbeforethemeeting。Youseeifyoucangetitintoyourtwopapers。Whatarethey?——
  TheEveningTelegraph——
  Thatwilldo,MrDeasysaid。Thereisnotimetolose。NowIhavetoanswerthatletterfrommycousin——
  Goodmorning,sir,Stephensaid,puttingthesheetsinhispocket。Thankyou——
  Notatall,MrDeasysaidashesearchedthepapersonhisdesk。Iliketobreakalancewithyou,oldasIam——
  Goodmorning,sir,Stephensaidagain,bowingtohisbentback。
  Hewentoutbytheopenporchanddownthegravelpathunderthetrees,hearingthecriesofvoicesandcrackofsticksfromtheplayfield。Thelionscouchantonthepillarsashepassedoutthroughthegate;toothlessterrors。StillIwillhelphiminhisfight。Mulliganwilldubmeanewname:thebullockbefriendingbard——
  MrDedalus!
  Runningafterme。Nomoreletters,Ihope——
  Justonemoment——
  Yes,sir,Stephensaid,turningbackatthegate。
  MrDeasyhalted,breathinghardandswallowinghisbreath——
  Ijustwantedtosay,hesaid。Ireland,theysay,hasthehonourofbeingtheonlycountrywhichneverpersecutedthejews。Doyouknowthat?No。Anddoyouknowwhy?
  Hefrownedsternlyonthebrightair——
  Why,sir?Stephenasked,beginningtosmile——
  Becausesheneverletthemin,MrDeasysaidsolemnly。
  Acoughballoflaughterleapedfromhisthroatdraggingafteritarattlingchainofphlegm。Heturnedbackquickly,coughing,laughing,hisliftedarmswavingtotheair——
  Sheneverletthemin,hecriedagainthroughhislaughterashestampedongaiteredfeetoverthegravelofthepath。That’swhy。
  Onhiswiseshouldersthroughthecheckerworkofleavesthesunflungspangles,dancingcoins。
  Proteus
  INELUCTABLEMODALITYOFTHEVISIBLE:ATLEASTTHATIFNOMORE,thoughtthroughmyeyes。SignaturesofallthingsIamheretoread,seaspawnandseawrack,thenearingtide,thatrustyboot。Snotgreen,bluesilver,rust:colouredsigns。Limitsofthediaphane。Butheadds:inbodies。Thenhewasawareofthembodiesbeforeofthemcoloured。How?Byknockinghissconceagainstthem,sure。Goeasy。Baldhewasandamillionaire,maestrodicolorchesanno。Limitofthediaphanein。Whyin?Diaphane,adiaphane。Ifyoucanputyourfivefingersthroughit,itisagate,ifnotadoor。Shutyoureyesandsee。
  Stephenclosedhiseyestohearhisbootscrushcracklingwrackandshells。Youarewalkingthroughithowsomever。Iam,astrideatatime。Averyshortspaceoftimethroughveryshorttimesofspace。Five,six:thenacheinander。Exactly:andthatistheineluctablemodalityoftheaudible。Openyoureyes。No。Jesus!IfIfelloveracliffthatbeetleso’erhisbase,fellthroughthenebeneinanderineluctably。Iamgettingonnicelyinthedark。Myashswordhangsatmyside。Tapwithit:theydo。Mytwofeetinhisbootsareattheendofhislegs,nebeneinander。Soundssolid:madebythemalletofLosDemiurgos。AmIwalkingintoeternityalongSandymountstrand?Crush,crack,crick,crick。Wildseamoney。DominieDeasykensthema’。
  Won’tyoucometoSandymount,
  Madelinethemare?
  Rhythmbegins,yousee。Ihear。Acatalectictetrameterofiambsmarching。No,agallop:delinethemare。
  Openyoureyesnow。Iwill。Onemoment。Hasallvanishedsince?IfIopenandamforeverintheblackadiaphane。Basta!IwillseeifIcansee。
  Seenow。Thereallthetimewithoutyou:andevershallbe,worldwithoutend。
  TheycamedownthestepsfromLeahy’sterraceprudently,Frauenzimmer:anddowntheshelvingshoreflabbilytheirsplayedfeetsinkinginthesiltedsand。Likeme,likeAlgy,comingdowntoourmightymother。Numberoneswunglourdilyhermidwife’sbag,theother’sgamppokedinthebeach。Fromtheliberties,outfortheday。MrsFlorenceMacCabe,relictofthelatePatkMacCabe,deeplylamented,ofBrideStreet。Oneofhersisterhoodluggedmesquealingintolife。Creationfromnothing。Whathassheinthebag?Amisbirthwithatrailingnavelcord,hushedinruddywool。Thecordsofalllinkback,strandentwiningcableofallflesh。Thatiswhymysticmonks。Willyoubeasgods?Gazeinyouromphalos。Hello。Kinchhere。PutmeontoEdenville。Aleph,alpha:nought,nought,one。
  SpouseandhelpmateofAdamKadmon:Heva,nakedEve。Shehadnonavel。Gaze。Bellywithoutblemish,bulgingbig,abuckleroftautvellum,no,whiteheapedcorn,orientandimmortal,standingfromeverlastingtoeverlasting。Wombofsin。
  WombedinsindarknessIwastoo,madenotbegotten。Bythem,themanwithmyvoiceandmyeyesandaghostwomanwithashesonherbreath。Theyclaspedandsundered,didthecoupler’swill。FrombeforetheagesHewilledmeandnowmaynotwillmeawayoreverAlexeternastaysabouthim。IsthatthenthedivinesubstancewhereinFatherandSonareconsubstantial?WhereispoordearAriustotryconclusions?Warringhislifelongonthecontransmagnificandjewbangtantiality。Illstarredheresiarch。InaGreekwaterclosethebreathedhislast:euthanasia。Withbeadedmitreandwithcrozier,stalleduponhisthrone,widowerofawidowedsee,withupstiffedomophorion,withclottedhinderparts。
  Airsrompedaroundhim,nippingandeagerairs。Theyarecoming,waves。Thewhitemanedseahorses,champing,brightwindbridled,thesteedsofMananaan。
  Imustn’tforgethisletterforthepress。Andafter?TheShip,halftwelve。Bythewaygoeasywiththatmoneylikeagoodyoungimbecile。Yes,Imust。
  Hispaceslackened。Here。AmIgoingtoAuntSara’sornot?Myconsubstantialfather’svoice。DidyouseeanythingofyourartistbrotherStephenlately?No?Surehe’snotdowninStrasburgterracewithhisauntSally?Couldn’theflyabithigherthanthat,eh?AndandandandtellusStephen,howisuncleSi?OweepingGod,thethingsImarriedinto。Deboysupindehayloft。Thedrunkenlittlecostdrawerandhisbrother,thecornetplayer。Highlyrespectablegondoliers。AndskeweyedWaltersirringhisfather,noless。Sir。Yes,sir。No,sir。Jesuswept:andnowonder,byChrist。
  Ipullthewheezybelloftheirshutteredcottage:andwait。Theytakemeforadun,peeroutfromacoignofvantage——
  It’sStephen,sir——
  Lethimin。LetStephenin。
  AboltdrawnbackandWalterwelcomesme——
  Wethoughtyouweresomeoneelse。
  InhisbroadbednuncleRichie,pillowedandblanketed,extendsoverthehillockofhiskneesasturdyforearm。Cleanchested。Hehaswashedtheuppermoiety——
  Morrow,nephew。
  HelaysasidethelapboardwhereonhedraftshisbillsofcostsfortheeyesofMasterGoffandMasterShaplandTandy,filingconsentsandcommonsearchesandawritofDucesTecum。Abogoakframeoverhisbaldhead:Wilde’sRequiescat。ThedroneofhismisleadingwhistlebringsWalterback——
  Yes,sir?——
  MaltforRichieandStephen,tellmother。Whereisshe?——
  BathingCrissie,sir。
  Papa’slittlebedpal。Lumpoflove——
  No,uncleRichie——
  CallmeRichie。Damnyourlithiawater。Itlowers。Whusky!——
  UncleRichie,really——
  SitdownorbythelawHarryI’llknockyoudown。
  Waltersquintsvainlyforachair——
  Hehasnothingtositdownon,sir——
  Hehasnowheretoputit,youmug。BringinourChippendalechair。Wouldyoulikeabiteofsomething?Noneofyourdamnedlawdeedawairhere;therichofarasherfriedwithaherring?Sure?Somuchthebetter。Wehavenothinginthehousebutbackachepills。
  All’erta!
  HedronesbarsofFerrando’sariadesortita。Thegrandestnumber,Stephen,inthewholeopera。Listen。
  Histunefulwhistlesoundsagain,finelyshaded,withrushesoftheair,hisfistsbigdrummingonhispaddedknees。
  Thiswindissweeter。
  Housesofdecay,mine,hisandall。YoutoldtheClongowesgentryyouhadanuncleajudgeandanuncleageneralinthearmy。Comeoutofthem,Stephen。Beautyisnotthere。NorinthestagnantbayofMarsh’slibrarywhereyoureadthefadingpropheciesofJoachimAbbas。Forwhom?Thehundredheadedrabbleofthecathedralclose。Ahaterofhiskindranfromthemtothewoodofmadness,hismanefoaminginthemoon,hiseyeballsstars。Houyhnhnm,horsenostrilled。Theovalequinefaces。Temple,BuckMulligan,FoxyCampbell。Lanternjaws。Abbasfather,furiousdean,whatoffencelaidfiretotheirbrains?Paff!Descende,calve,utnenimiumdecalveris。Agarlandofgreyhaironhiscomminatedheadseehimmeclamberingdowntothefootpacedescende,clutchingamonstrance,basiliskeyed。Getdown,baldpoll!Achoirgivesbackmenaceandecho,assistingaboutthealtar’shorns,thesnortedLatinofjackpriestsmovingburlyintheiralbs,tonsuredandoiledandgelded,fatwiththefatofkidneysofwheat。
  Andatthesameinstantperhapsapriestroundthecorneriselevatingit。Dringdring!Andtwostreetsoffanotherlockingitintoapyx。Dringadring!Andinaladychapelanothertakinghouselalltohisowncheek。DringdringlDown,up,forward,back。DanOccamthoughtofthat,invincibledoctor。AmistyEnglishmorningtheimphypostasistickledhisbrain。Bringinghishostdownandkneelingheheardtwinewithhissecondbellthefirstbellinthetranseptheisliftinghisand,rising,heardnowIamliftingtheirtwobellsheiskneelingtwangindiphthong。
  CousinStephen,youwillneverbeasaint。Isleofsaints。Youwereawfullyholy,weren’tyou?YouprayedtotheBlessedVirginthatyoumightnothavearednose。YouprayedtothedevilinSerpentineavenuethatthefubsywidowinfrontmightliftherclothesstillmorefromthewetstreet。Osi,certo!Sellyoursoulforthat,do,dyedragspinnedroundasquaw。Moretellme,morestill!OnthetopoftheHowthtramalonecryingtotherain:nakedwomen!Whataboutthat,eh?
  Whataboutwhat?Whatelseweretheyinventedfor?
  Readingtwopagesapieceofsevenbookseverynight,eh?Iwasyoung。Youbowedtoyourselfinthemirror,steppingforwardtoapplauseearnestly,strikingface。HurrayfortheGoddamnedidiot!Hray!No-onesaw:tellno-one。Booksyouweregoingtowritewithlettersfortitles。HaveyoureadhisF?Oyes,butIpreferQ。Yes,butWiswonderful。Oyes,W。Rememberyourepiphaniesongreenovalleaves,deeplydeep,copiestobesentifyoudiedtoallthegreatlibrariesoftheworld,includingAlexandria?Someonewastoreadthemthereafterafewthousandyear,amahamanvantara。PicodellaMirandolalike。Ay,verylikeawhale。Whenonereadsthesestrangepagesofonelonggoneonefeelsthatoneisatonewithonewhoonce……
  Thegrainysandhadgonefromunderhisfeet。Hisbootstrodagainadampcracklingmast,razorshells,squeakingpebbles,thatontheunnumberedpebblesbeats,woodsievedbytheshipworm,lostArmada。Unwholesomesandflatswaitedtosuckhistreadingsoles,breathingupwardsewagebreath。Hecoastedthem,walkingwarily。Aporter-bottlestoodup,stoggedtoitswaist,inthecakeysanddough。Asentinel:isleofdreadfulthirst。Brokenhoopsontheshore;atthelandamazeofdarkcunningnets;fartherawaychalkscrawledbackdoorsandonthehigherbeachadryinglinewithtwocrucifiedshirts。Ringsend:wigwamsofbrownsteersmenandmastermariners。Humanshells。
  Hehalted。IhavepassedthewaytoauntSara’s。AmInotgoingthere?Seemsnot。No-oneabout。HeturnednortheastandcrossedthefirmersandtowardsthePigeonhouse——
  Quivousamisdanscettefichueposition?——
  C’estlepigeon,Joseph。
  Patrice,homeonfurlough,lappedwarmmilkwithmeinthebarMacMahon。Sonofthewildgoose,KevinEganofParis。Myfather’sabird,helappedthesweetlaitchaudwithpinkyoungtongue,plumpbunny’sface。Lap,lapin。Hehopestowininthegroslots。AboutthenatureofwomenhereadinMichelet。ButhemustsendmeLaViedeJésusbyM。LeoTaxil。Lentittohisfriend——
  C’esttordant,vowssavez。Moijesuissocialiste。Jenecroispasenl’existencedeDieu。Fautpasledireàmonpère——
  Ilcroit?——
  Monpère,oui。
  Schluss。Helaps。
  MyLatinquarterhat。God,wesimplymustdressthecharacter。Iwantpucegloves。Youwereastudent,weren’tyou?Ofwhatintheotherdevil’sname?Paysayenn。P。C。N。,youknow:physiques,chimiquesetnaturelles。Aha。Eatingyourgroatsworthofmouencivet,fleshpotsofEgypt,elbowedbybelchingcabmen。Justsayinthemostnaturaltone:whenIwasinParis,boul’Mich’,Iusedto。Yes,usedtocarrypunchedticketstoproveanalibiiftheyarrestedyouformurdersomewhere。Justice。OnthenightoftheseventeenthofFebruary1904theprisonerwasseenbytwowitnesses。Otherfellowdidit:otherme。Hat,tie,overcoat,nose。Lui,c’estmoi。Youseemtohaveenjoyedyourself。
  Proudlywalking。Whomwereyoutryingtowalklike?Forget:adispossessed。Withmother’smoneyorder,eightshillings,thebangingdoorofthepostofficeslammedinyourfacebytheusher。Hungertoothache。Encoredeuxminutes。Lookclock。Mustget。Fermé。Hireddog!Shoothimtobloodybitswithabangshotgun,bitsmanspatteredwallsallbrassbuttons。Bitsallkhrrrrklakinplaceclackback。Nothurt?O,that’sallright。Shakehands。SeewhatImeant,see?O,that’sallright。Shakeashake。O,that’sallonlyallright。
  Youweregoingtodowonders,what?MissionarytoEuropeafterfieryColumbanus。FiacreandScotusontheircreepystoolsinheavenspiltfromtheirpintpots,loudlatinlaughing:Euge!Euge!PretendingtospeakbrokenEnglishasyoudraggedyourvalise,porterthreepence,acrosstheslimypieratNewhaven。Comment?Richbootyyoubroughtback;LeTutu,fivetatterednumbersofPantalonBlancetCulotteRouge,ablueFrenchtelegram,curiositytoshow:——
  Motherdyingcomehomefather。
  Theauntthinksyoukilledyourmother。That’swhyshewon’t。
  Thenhere’sahealthtoMulligan’saunt
  AndI’lltellyouthereasonwhy。
  Shealwayskeptthingsdecentin
  TheHanniganfamileye。
  Hisfeetmarchedinsuddenproudrhythmoverthesandfurrows,alongbythebouldersofthesouthwall。Hestaredatthemproudly,piledstonemammothskulls。Goldlightonsea,onsand,onboulders。Thesunisthere,theslendertrees,thelemonhouses。
  Parisrawlywaking,crudesunlightonherlemonstreets。Moistpithoffarlsofbread,thefroggreenwormwood,hermatinincense,courttheair。Belluomorisesfromthebedofhiswife’slover’swife,thekerchiefedhousewifeisastir,asaucerofaceticacidinherhands。InRodot’sYvonneandMadeleinenewmaketheirtumbledbeauties,shatteringwithgoldteethchaussonsofpastry,theirmouthsyellowedwiththepusofflanbreton。FacesofParismengoby,theirwellpleasedpleasers,curledconquistadores。
  Noonslumbers。KevinEganrollsgunpowdercigarettesthroughfingerssmearedwithprinter’sink,sippinghisgreenfairyasPatricehiswhite。Aboutusgobblersforkspicedbeansdowntheirgullets。Undemisetier!Ajetofcoffeesteamfromtheburnishedcaldron。Sheservesmeathisbeck。Ilestirlandais。Hollandais?Nonfromage。Deuxirlandais,nous,Irlande,voussavez?Ahoui!Shethoughtyouwantedacheesehollandais。Yourpostprandial,doyouknowthatword?Postprandial。TherewasafellowIknewonceinBarcelona,queerfellow,usedtocallithispostprandial。Well:slainte!Aroundtheslabbedtablesthetangleofwinedbreathsandgrumblinggorges。Hisbreathhangsoveroursaucestainedplates,thegreenfairy’sfangthrustingbetweenhislips。OfIreland,theDalcassians,ofhopes,conspiracies,ofArthurGriffithnow。Toyokemeashisyokefellow,ourcrimesourcommoncause。You’reyourfather’sson。Iknowthevoice。Hisfustianshirt,sanguineflowered,tremblesitsSpanishtasselsathissecrets。M。Drumont,famousjournalist,Drumont,knowwhathecalledqueenVictoria?Oldhagwiththeyellowteeth。Vieilleogressewiththedentsjaunes。MaudGonne,beautifulwoman,LaPatrie,M。Millevoye,FélixFaure,knowhowhedied?Licentiousmen。Thefroeken,bonneàtoutfaire,whorubsmalenakednessinthebathatUpsala。Moifaire,shesaid。Touslesmessieurs。NotthisMonsieur,Isaid。Mostlicentiouscustom。Bathamostprivatething。Iwouldn’tletmybrother,notevenmyownbrother,mostlasciviousthing。Greeneyes,Iseeyou。Fang,Ifeel。Lasciviouspeople。
  Thebluefuseburnsdeadlybetweenhandsandburnsclear。Loosetobaccoshredscatchfire:aflameandacridsmokelightourcorner。Rawfacebonesunderhispeepofdayboy’shat。Howtheheadcentregotaway,authenticversion。Gotupasayoungbride,man,veilorangeblossoms,droveouttheroadtoMalahide。Did,faith。Oflostleaders,thebetrayed,wildescapes。Disguises,clutchedat,gone,nothere。
  Spurnedlover。Iwasastrappingyounggossoonatthattime,Itellyou,I’llshowyoumylikenessoneday。Iwas,faith。Lover,forherloveheprowledwithcolonelRichardBurke,tanistofhissept,underthewallsofClerkenwelland,crouching,sawaflameofvengeancehurlthemupwardinthefog。Shatteredglassandtopplingmasonry。IngayPareehehides,EganofParis,unsoughtbyanysavebyme。Makinghisday’sstations,thedingyprintingcase,histhreetaverns,theMontmartrelairhesleepsshortnightin,ruedelaGoutte-d’Or,damascenedwithflyblownfacesofthegone。Loveless,landless,wifeless。Sheisquiteniceycomfywithoutheroutcastman,madame,inrueG?t-le-Coeur,canaryandtwobucklodgers。Peachycheeks,azebraskirt,friskyasayoungthing’s。Spurnedandundespairing。TellPatyousawme,won’tyou?IwantedtogetpoorPatajobonetime。Monfils,soldierofFrance。Itaughthimtosing。TheboysofKilkennyarestoutroaringblades。Knowthatoldlay?ItaughtPatricethat。OldKilkenny:saintCanice,Strongbow’scastleontheNore。Goeslikethis。O,O。Hetakesme,NapperTandy,bythehand。
  O,Otheboysof
  Kilkenny……
  Weakwastinghandonmine。TheyhaveforgottenKevinEgan,nothethem。Rememberingthee,OSion。
  Hehadcomenearertheedgeoftheseaandwetsandslappedhisboots。Thenewairgreetedhim,harpinginwildnerves,windofwildairofseedsofbrightness。Here,IamnotwalkingouttotheKishlightship,amI?Hestoodsuddenly,hisfeetbeginningtosinkslowlyinthequakingsoil。Turnback。
  Turning,hescannedtheshoresouth,hisfeetsinkingagainslowlyinnewsockets。Thecolddomedroomofthetowerwaits。Throughthebarbicanstheshaftsoflightaremovingever,slowlyeverasmyfeetaresinking,creepingduskwardoverthedialfloor。Bluedusk,nightfall,deepbluenight。Inthedarknessofthedometheywait,theirpushedbackchairs,myobeliskvalise,aroundaboardofabandonedplatters。Whotoclearit?Hehasthekey。Iwillnotsleeptherewhenthisnightcomes。Ashutdoorofasilenttowerentombingtheirblindbodies,thepanthersahibandhispointer。Call:noanswer。Heliftedhisfeetupfromthesuckandturnedbackbythemoleofboulders。Takeall,keepall。Mysoulwalkswithme,formofforms。Sointhemoon’smidwatchesIpacethepathabovetherocks,insablesilvered,hearingElsinore’stemptingflood。
  Thefloodisfollowingme。Icanwatchitflowpastfromhere。GetbackthenbythePoolbegroadtothestrandthere。Heclimbedoverthesedgeandeelyoarweedsandsatonastoolofrock,restinghisashplantinagrike。
  Abloatedcarcassofadoglaylolledonbladderwrack。Beforehimthegunwaleofaboat,sunkinsand。Uncocheensablé,LouisVeuillotcalledGautier’sprose。Theseheavysandsarelanguagetideandwindhavesiltedhere。Andthere,thestoneheapsofdeadbuilders,awarrenofweaselrats。Hidegoldthere。Tryit。Youhavesome。Sandsandstones。Heavyofthepast。SirLout’stoys。Mindyoudon’tgetonebangontheear。I’mthebloodywellgigantrollsallthembloodywellboulders,bonesformysteppingstones。Feefawfum。IzmellzdebloodsodzanIridzman。
  Apoint,livedog,grewintosightrunningacrossthesweepofsand。Lord,ishegoingtoattackme?Respecthisliberty。Youwillnotbemasterofothersortheirslave。Ihavemystick。Sittight。Fromfartheraway,walkingshorewardacrossfromthecrestedtide,figures,two。Thetwomaries。Theyhavetuckeditsafeamongthebulrushes。Peekaboo。Iseeyou。No,thedog。Heisrunningbacktothem。Who?
  GalleysoftheLochlannsranheretobeach,inquestofprey,theirbloodbeakedprowsridinglowonamoltenpewtersun。Danevikings,torcsoftomahawksaglitterontheirbreastswhenMalachiworethecollarofgold。Aschoolofturlehidewhalesstrandedinhotnoon,spouting,hobblingintheshallows。Thenfromthestarvingcageworkcityahordeofjerkineddwarfs,mypeople,withflayers’knives,running,scaling,hackingingreenblubberywhalemeat。Famine,plagueandslaughters。Theirbloodisinme,theirlustsmywaves。ImovedamongthemonthefrozenLiffey,thatI,achangeling,amongthesplutteringresinfires。Ispoketono-one:nonetome。
  Thedog’sbarkrantowardshim,stopped,ranback。Dogofmyenemy。Ijustsimplystoodpale,silent,bayedabout。Terribiliameditans。Aprimrosedoublet,fortune’sknave,smiledonmyfear。Forthatareyoupining,thebarkoftheirapplause?Pretenders:livetheirlives。TheBruce’sbrother,ThomasFitzgerald,silkenknight,PerkinWarbeck,York’sfalsescion,inbreechesofsilkofwhiteroseivory,wonderofaday,andLambertSimnel,withatailofnansandsutlers,ascullioncrowned。Allkings’sons。Paradiseofpretendersthenandnow。Hesavedmenfromdrowningandyoushakeatacur’syelping。ButthecourtierswhomockedGuidoinOrsanMichelewereintheirownhouse。Houseof……Wedon’twantanyofyourmedievalabstrusiosities。Wouldyoudowhathedid?Aboatwouldbenear,alifebuoy。Natürlich,putthereforyou。Wouldyouorwouldyounot?ThemanthatwasdrownedninedaysagooffMaiden’srock。Theyarewaitingforhimnow。Thetruth,spititout。Iwouldwantto。Iwouldtry。Iamnotastrongswimmer。Watercoldsoft。WhenIputmyfaceintoitinthebasinatClongowes。Can’tsee!Who’sbehindme?Outquickly,quickly!Doyouseethetideflowingquicklyinonallsides,sheetingthelowsofsandsquickly,shellcocoacoloured?IfIhadlandundermyfeetIwanthislifestilltobehis,minetobemine。Adrowningman。Hishumaneyesscreamtomeoutofhorrorofhisdeath。I……Withhimtogetherdown……Icouldnotsaveher。Waters:bitterdeath:lost。
  Awomanandaman。Iseeherskirties。Pinnedup,Ibet。
  Theirdogambledaboutabankofdwindlingsand,trotting,sniffingonallsides。Lookingforsomethinglostinapastlife。Suddenlyhemadeofflikeaboundinghare,earsflungback,chasingtheshadowofalowskimminggull。Theman’sshriekedwhistlestruckhislimpears。Heturned,boundedback,camenearer,trottedontwinklingshanks。Onafieldtenneyabuck,trippant,proper,unattired。Atthelacefringeofthetidehehaltedwithstiffforehoofs,seawardpointedears。Hissnoutliftedbarkedatthewavenoise,herdsofseamorse。Theyserpentedtowardshisfeet,curling,unfurlingmanycrests,everyninth,breaking,plashing,fromfar,fromfartherout,wavesandwaves。
  Cocklepickers。Theywadedalittlewayinthewaterand,stooping,sousedtheirbags,and,liftingthemagain,wadedout。Thedogyelpedrunningtothem,rearedupandpawedthem,droppingonallfours,againrearedupatthemwithmutebearishfawning。Unheededhekeptbythemastheycametowardsthedriersand,aragofwolf’stongueredpantingfromhisjaws。Hisspeckledbodyambledaheadofthemandthenlopedoffatacalf’sgallop。Thecarcasslayonhispath。Hestopped,sniffed,stalkedroundit,brother,nosingcloser,wentroundit,sniffingrapidlylikeadogalloverthedeaddog’sbedraggledfell。Dogskull,dogsniff,eyesontheground,movestoonegreatgoal。Ah,poordogsbody。Hereliespoordogsbody’sbody——
  Tatters!Outofthat,youmongrel。
  Thecrybroughthimskulkingbacktohismasterandabluntbootlesskicksenthimunscathedacrossaspitofsand,crouchedinflight。Heslunkbackinacurve。Doesn’tseeme。Alongbytheedgeofthemolehelolloped,dawdled,smeltarockandfromunderacockedhindlegpissedagainstit。Hetrottedforwardand,liftinghishindleg,pissedquickshortatanunsmeltrock。Thesimplepleasuresofthepoor。Hishindpawsthenscatteredsand:thenhisforepawsdabbledanddelved。Somethingheburiedthere,hisgrandmother。Herootedinthesand,dabblingdelvingandstoppedtolistentotheair,scrapedupthesandagainwithafuryofhisclaws,soonceasing,apard,apanther,gotinspouse-breach,vulturingthedead。
  Afterhewokemeuplastnightsamedreamorwasit?Wait。Openhallway。Streetofharlots。Remember。HarounalRaschid。Iamalmostingit。Thatmanledme,spoke。Iwasnotafraid。Themelonhehadheheldagainstmyface。Smiled:creamfruitsmell。Thatwastherule,said。In。Come。Redcarpetspread。Youwillseewho。
  Shoulderingtheirbagstheytrudged,theredEgyptians。Hisbluedfeetoutofturneduptrousersslappedtheclammysand,adullbrickmufflerstranglinghisunshavenneck。Withwomanstepsshefollowed:theruffianandhisstrollingmort。Spoilsslungatherback。Loosesandandshellgritcrustedherbarefeet。Aboutherwindrawfaceherhairtrailed。Behindherlordhishelpmate,bingawast,toRomeville。Whennighthidesherbody’sflawscallingunderherbrownshawlfromanarchwaywheredogshavemired。HerfancymanistreatingtwoRoyalDublinsinO’Loughlin’sofBlackpitts。Bussher,wapinrogue’srumlingo,for,O,mydimberwappingdell。Ashefiend’swhitenessunderherrancidrags。Fumbally’slanethatnight:thetanyardsmells。
  Whitethyfambles,redthygan
  Andthyquarronsdaintyis。
  Couchahogsheadwithmethen。
  Inthedarkmansclipandkiss。
  MorosedelectationAquinastunbellycallsthis,frateporcospino。UnfallenAdamrodeandnotrutted。Callawaylethim:thyquarronsdaintyis。Languagenowhitworsethanhis。Monkwords,marybeadsjabberontheirgirdles:roguewords,toughnuggetspatterintheirpockets。
  Passingnow。
  Aside-eyeatmyHamlethat。IfIweresuddenlynakedhereasIsitIamnot。Acrossthesandsofalltheworld,followedbythesun’sflamingsword,tothewest,trekkingtoeveninglands。Shetrudges,schlepps,trains,drags,trascinesherload。Atidewestering,moondrawn,inherwake。Tides,myriadislanded,withinher,bloodnotmine,oinopaponton,awinedarksea。Beholdthehandmaidofthemoon。Insleepthewetsigncallsherhour,bidsherrise。Bridebed,childbed,bedofdeath,ghostcandled。Omniscaroadteveniet。Hecomes,palevampire,throughstormhiseyes,hisbatsailsbloodyingthesea,mouthtohermouth’skiss。
  Here。Putapininthatchap,willyou?Mytablets。Mouthtoherkiss。No。Mustbetwoofem。Glue’emwell。Mouthtohermouth’skiss。
  Hislipslippedandmouthedfleshlesslipsofair:mouthtoherwomb。Oomb,allwombingtomb。Hismouthmouldedissuingbreath,unspeeched:ooeeehah:roarofcataracticplanets,globed,blazing,roaringwayawayawayawayawayaway。Paper。Thebanknotes,blastthem。OldDeasy’sletter。Here。Thankingyouforhospitalityteartheblankendoff。Turninghisbacktothesunhebentoverfartoatableofrockandscribbledwords。That’stwiceIforgottotakeslipsfromthelibrarycounter。
  Hisshadowlayovertherocksashebent,ending。Whynotendlesstillthefartheststar?Darklytheyaretherebehindthislight,darknessshininginthebrightness,deltaofCassiopeia,worlds。Mesitstherewithhisaugur’srodofash,inborrowedsandals,bydaybesidealividsea,unbeheld,invioletnightwalkingbeneathareignofuncouthstars。Ithrowthisendedshadowfromme,manshapeineluctable,callitback。Endless,woulditbemine,formofmyform?Whowatchesmehere?Whoeveranywherewillreadthesewrittenwords?Signsonawhitefield。Somewheretosomeoneinyourflutiestvoice。ThegoodbishopofCloynetooktheveilofthetempleoutofhisshovelhat:veilofspacewithcolouredemblemshatchedonitsfield。Holdhard。Colouredonaflat:yes,that’sright。FlatIsee,thenthinkdistance,near,far,flatIsee,east,back。Ah,seenow。Fallsbacksuddenly,frozeninstereoscope。Clickdoesthetrick。Youfindmywordsdark。Darknessisinoursouls,doyounotthink?Flutier。Oursouls,shame-woundedbyoursins,clingtousyetmore,awomantoherloverclinging,themorethemore。
  Shetrustsme,herhandgentle,thelonglashedeyes。NowwherethebluehellamIbringingherbeyondtheveil?Intotheineluctablemodalityoftheineluctablevisuality。She,she,she。Whatshe?ThevirginatHodgesFiggis’windowonMondaylookinginforoneofthealphabetbooksyouweregoingtowrite。Keenglanceyougaveher。Wristthroughthebraidedjessofhersunshade。ShelivesinLeesonpark,withagriefandkickshaws,aladyofletters。Talkthattosomeoneelse,Stevie:apickmeup。BetshewearsthosecurseofGodstayssuspendersandyellowstockings,darnedwithlumpywool。Talkaboutappledumplings,piuttosto。Whereareyourwits?
  Touchme。Softeyes。Softsoftsofthand。Iamlonelyhere。O,touchmesoon,now。Whatisthatwordknowntoallmen?Iamquietherealone。Sadtoo。Touch,touchme。
  Helaybackatfullstretchoverthesharprocks,crammingthescribblednoteandpencilintoapocket,hishattilteddownonhiseyes。ThatisKevinEgan’smovementImadenoddingforhisnap,sabbathsleep。EtviditDeus。Eterantvaldebona。Alo!Bonjour,welcomeastheflowersinMay。Underitsleafhewatchedthroughpeacocktwitteringlashesthesouthingsun。Iamcaughtinthisburningscene。Pan’shour,thefaunalnoon。Amonggumheavyserpentplants,milkoozingfruits,whereonthetawnywatersleavesliewide。Painisfar。
  Andnomoreturnasideandbrood。
  Hisgazebroodedonhisbroadtoedboots,abuck’scastoffsnebeneinander:Hecountedthecreasesofruckedleatherwhereinanother’sfoothadnestedwarm。Thefootthatbeatthegroundintripudium,footIdislove。ButyouweredelightedwhenEstherOsvalt’sshoewentonyou:girlIknewinParis。Tiens,quelpetitpied!Staunchfriend,abrothersoul:Wilde’slovethatdarenotspeakitsname。Henowwillleaveme。Andtheblame?AsIam。AsIam。Allornotatall。
  InlonglassoesfromtheCocklakethewaterflowedfull,coveringgreengoldenlylagoonsofsand,rising,flowing。Myashplantwillfloataway。Ishallwait。No,theywillpasson,passingchafingagainstthelowrocks,swirling,passing。Bettergetthisjoboverquick。Listen:afourwordedwavespeech:seesoo,hrss,rsseeiss,ooos。Vehementbreathofwatersamidseasnakes,rearinghorses,rocks。Incupsofrocksitslops:flop,slop,slap:boundedinbarrels。And,spent,itsspeechceases。Itflowspurling,widelyflowing,floatingfoampool,flowerunfurling。
  Undertheupswellingtidehesawthewrithingweedsliftlanguidlyandswayreluctantarms,hisinguptheirpetticoats,inwhisperingwaterswayingandupturningcoysilverfronds。Daybyday:nightbynight:lifted,floodedandletfall。Lord,theyareweary:and,whisperedto,theysigh。SaintAmbroseheardit,sighofleavesandwaves,waiting,awaitingthefullnessoftheirtimes,diebusacnoctibusiniuriaspatiensingemiscit。Tonoendgathered:vainlythenreleased,forthflowing,wendingback:loomofthemoon。Wearytooinsightoflovers,lasciviousmen,anakedwomanshininginhercourts,shedrawsatoilofwaters。
  Fivefathomsoutthere。Fullfathomfivethyfatherlies。Atonehesaid。Founddrowned。HighwateratDublinbar。Drivingbeforeitaloosedriftofrubble,fanshoalsoffishes,sillyshells。Acorpserisingsaltwhitefromtheundertow,bobbinglandward,apaceapaceaporpoise。Thereheis。Hookitquick。Sunkthoughhebebeneaththewateryfloor。Wehavehim。Easynow。
  Bagofcorpsegassoppinginfoulbrine。Aquiverofminnows,fatofaspongytitbit,flashthroughtheslitsofhisbuttonedtrouserfly。Godbecomesmanbecomesfishbecomesbarnaclegoosebecomesfeatherbedmountain。DeadbreathsIlivingbreathe,treaddeaddust,devouraurinousoffalfromalldead。Hauledstarkoverthegunwalehebreathesupwardthestenchofhisgreengrave,hisleprousnoseholesnoringtothesun。
  Aseachangethis,browneyessaltblue。Seadeath,mildestofalldeathsknowntoman。OldFatherOcean。PrixdeParis:bewareofimitations。Justyougiveitafairtrial。Weenjoyedourselvesimmensely。
  Come。Ithirst。Cloudingover。Noblackcloudsanywhere,arethere?Thunderstorm。Allbrighthefalls,proudlightningoftheintellect,Lucifer,dico,quinescitoccasum。No。Mycocklehatandstaffandhismysandalshoon。Where?Toeveninglands。Eveningwillfinditself。
  Hetookthehiltofhisashplant,lungingwithitsoftly,dallyingstill。Yes,eveningwillfinditselfinme,withoutme。Alldaysmaketheirend。Bythewaynextwhenisit?Tuesdaywillbethelongestday。Ofallthegladnewyear,mother,therumtumtiddledytum。LawnTennyson,gentlemanpoet。Già。Fortheoldhagwiththeyellowteeth。AndMonsieurDrumont,gentlemanjournalist。Già。Myteethareverybad。Why,Iwonder?Feel。Thatoneisgoingtoo。Shells。OughtIgotoadentist,Iwonder,withthatmoney?Thatone。ToothlessKinch,thesuperman。Whyisthat,Iwonder,ordoesitmeansomethingperhaps?
  Myhandkerchief。Hethrewit。Iremember。DidInottakeitup?
  Hishandgropedvainlyinhispockets。No,Ididn’t。Betterbuyone。
  Helaidthedrysnotpickedfromhisnostrilonaledgeofrock,carefully。Fortherestletlookwhowill。
  Behind。Perhapsthereissomeone。
  Heturnedhisfaceoverashoulder,rereregardant。Movingthroughtheairhighsparsofathreemaster,hersailsbraileduponthecrosstrees,homing,upstream,silentlymoving,asilentship。