MANANAANMACLIRWithavoiceofwaves。Aum!Hek!Wal!Ak!Lub!Mor!Ma!WhiteyoghinoftheGods。OccultpimanderofHermesTrismegistos。Withavoiceofwhistlingseawind。Punarjanampatsypunjaub!Iwon’thavemylegpulled。Ithasbeensaidbyone:bewaretheleft,thecultofShakti。Withacryofstormbirds。Shakti,Shiva!DarkhiddenFather!Hesmiteswithhisbicyclepumpthecrayfishinhislefthand。Onitsco-operativedialglowthetwelvesignsofthezodiac。Hewailswiththevehemenceoftheocean。Aum!Baum!Pyjaum!Iamthelightofthehomestead,Iamthedreamerycreamerybutter。
Askeletonjudashandstranglesthelight。Thegreenlightwanestomauve。Thegasjetwailswhistling。
THEGASJETPooah!Pfuiiiiii!
Zoerunstothechandelierand,crookingherleg,adjuststhemantle。
ZOEWhohasafagasI’mhere?
LYNCHTossingacigaretteontothetable。Here。
ZOEHerheadperchedasideinmockpride。Isthatthewaytohandthepottoalady?Shestretchesuptolightthecigaretteovertheflame,twirlingitslowly,showingthebrowntuftsofherarmpits。Lynchwithhispokerliftsboldlyasideofherslip。Barefromhergartersupherfleshappearsunderthesapphireanixie’sgreen。Shepuffscalmlyathercigarette。Canyouseethebeautyspotofmybehind?
LYNCHI’mnotlooking。
ZOEMakessheep’seyes。No?Youwouldn’tdoalessthing。Wouldyousuckalemon?
SquintinginmockshamesheglanceswithsidelongmeaningatBloom,thentwistsroundtowardshim,pullingherslipfreeofthepoker。Bluefluidagainflowsoverherflesh。Bloomstands,smilingdesirously,twirlinghisthumbs。KittyRickettslickshermiddlefingerwithherspittleandgazinginthemirror,smoothsbotheyebrows。LipotiVirag,basilicogrammate,chutesrapidlydownthroughthechimneyflueandstrutstwostepstotheleftongawkypinkstilts。Heissausagedintoseveralovercoatsandwearsabrownmacintoshunderwhichheholdsarollofparchment。InhislefteyeflashesthemonocleofCashelBoyleO’ConnorFitzmauriceTisdallFarrell。OnhisheadisperchedanEgyptianpshent。Twoquillsprojectoverhisears。
VIRAGHeelstogetherbows。MynameisViragLipoti,ofSzombathely。Hecoughsthoughtfully,drily。Promiscuousnakednessismuchinevidencehereabouts,eh?Inadvertentlyherbackviewrevealedthefactthatsheisnotwearingthoseratherintimategarmentsofwhichyouareaparticulardevotee。TheinjectionmarkonthethighIhopeyouperceived?Good。
BLOOMGranpapachi。But……
VIRAGNumbertwoontheotherhand,sheofthecherryrougeandcoiffeusewhite,whosehairowesnotalittletoourtribalelixirofgopherwood,isinwalkingcostumeandtightlystaysedbyhersit,Ishouldopine。Backboneinfront,sotosay。CorrectmebutIalwaysunderstoodthattheactsoperformedbyskittishhumanswithglimpsesoflingerieappealedtoyouinvirtueofitsexhibitionististicicity。Inaword。Hippogriff。AmIright?
BLOOMSheisratherlean。
VIRAGNotunpleasantly。Absolutely!Wellobservedandthosepannierpocketsoftheskirtandslightlypegtopeffectaredevisedtosuggestbunchinessofhip。Anewpurchaseatsomemonstersaleforwhichagullhasbeenmulcted。Meretriciousfinerytodeceivetheeye。Observetheattentiontodetailsofdustspecks。Neverputonyoutomorrowwhatyoucanweartoday。Parallax!Withanervoustwitchofhishead。Didyouhearmybraingosnap?Pollysyllabax!
BLOOMAnelbowrestinginahand,aforefingeragainsthischeek。Sheseemssad。
VIRAGCynically,hisweaselteethbaredyellow,drawsdownhislefteyewithafingerandbarkshoarsely。Hoax!Bewareoftheflapperandbogusmournful。Lilyofthealley。Allpossessbachelor’sbuttondiscoveredbyRualdusColombus。Tumbleher。Columbleher。Chameleon。Moregenially。Wellthen,permitmetodrawyourattentiontoitemnumberthree。Thereisplentyofhervisibletothenakedeye。Observethemassofoxygenatedvegetablematteronherskull。Whatho,shebumps!Theuglyducklingoftheparty,longcastedanddeepinkeel。
BLOOMRegretfully。Whenyoucomeoutwithoutyourgun。
VIRAGWecandoyouallbrands,mild,mediumandstrong。Payyourmoney,takeyourchoice。Howhappycouldyoubewitheither……
BLOOMWith?……
VIRAGHistongueupcurling。Lyum!Look。Herbeamisbroad。Sheiscoatedwithquiteaconsiderablelayeroffat。Obviouslymammalinweightofbosomyouremarkthatshehasinfrontwelltotheforetwoprotuberancesofveryrespectabledimensions,inclinedtofallinthenoondaysoupplate,whileonherrerelowerdownaretwoadditionalprotuberances,suggestiveofpotentrectumandtumescentforpalpationwhichleavenothingtobedesiredsavecompactness。Suchfleshypartsaretheproductofcarefulnurture。Whencoopfattenedtheirliversreachanelephantinesize。Pelletsofnewbreadwithfennygreekandgumbenjaminswampeddownbypotionsofgreenteaendowthemduringtheirbriefexistencewithnaturalpincushionsofquitecolossalblubber。Thatsuitsyourbook,eh?FleshhotpotsofEgypttohankerafter。Wallowinit。Lycopodium。Histhroattwitches。Slapbang!Therehegoesagain。
BLOOMThestyeIdislike。
VIRAGArcheshiseyebrows。Contactwithagoldring,theysay。Argumentumadfeminam,aswesaidinoldRomeandancientGreeceintheconsulshipofDiplodocusandIchthyosaurus。FortherestEve’ssovereignremedy。Notforsale。Hireonly。Huguenot。Hetwitches。Itisafunnysound。
Hecoughsencouragingly。Butpossiblyitisonlyawart。IpresumeyoushallhaverememberedwhatIwillhavetaughtyouonthathead?Wheatenmealwithhoneyandnutmeg。
BLOOMReflecting。Wheatenmealwithlycopodiumandsyllabax。Thissearchingordeal。Ithasbeenanunusuallyfatiguingday,achapterofaccidents。Wait。Imean,wartsbloodspreadswarts,yousaid。
VIRAGSeverely,hisnosehardhumped,hissideeyewinking。Stoptwirlingyourthumbsandhaveagoodoldthunk。See,youhaveforgotten。Exerciseyourmnemotechnic。Lacausaèsanta。Tara。Tara。Aside。Hewillsurelyremember。
BLOOMRosemaryalsodidIunderstandyoutosayorwillpoweroverparasitictissues。ThennaynoIhaveaninkling。Thetouchofadeadhandcures。Mnemo?
VIRAGExcitedly。Isayso。Isayso。E’enso。Technic。Hetapshisparchmentrollenergetically。Thisbooktellsyouhowtoactwithalldescriptiveparticulars。Consultindexforagitatedfearofaconite,melancholyofmuriatic,priapicpulsatilla。Viragisgoingtotalkaboutamputation。Ouroldfriendcaustic。Theymustbestarved。Snipoffwithhorsehairunderthedennedneck。But,tochangethevenuetotheBulgarandtheBasque,haveyoumadeupyourmindwhetheryoulikeordislikewomeninmalehabiliments?Withadrysnigger。Youintendedtodevoteanentireyeartothestudyofthereligiousproblemandthesummermonthsof1882tosquarethecircleandwinthatmillion。Pomegranate!Fromthesublimetotheridiculousisbutastep。Pyjamas,letussay?Orstockingettegussetedknickers,closed?Or,putwethecase,thosecomplicatedcombinations,camiknickers?Hecrowsderisively。Keekeereekee!
Bloomsurveysuncertainlythethreewhores,thengazesattheveiledmauvelight,hearingtheeverflyingmoth。
BLOOMIwantedthentohavenowconcluded。Nightdresswasnever。Hencethis。Buttomorrowisanewdaywillbe。Pastwasistoday。Whatnowiswillthentomorrowasnowwasbepastyester。
VIRAGPromptsintohisearinapig’swhisper。Insectsofthedayspendtheirbriefexistenceinreiteratedcoition,luredbythesmelloftheinferiorlypulchritudinousfemalepossessingextendifiedpudendalverveindorsalregion。PrettyPoll!Hisyellowparrotbeakgabblesnasally。TheyhadaproverbintheCarpathiansinorabouttheyearfivethousandfivehundredandfiftyofourera。OnetablespoonfulofhoneywillattractfriendBruinmorethanhalfadozenbarrelsoffirstchoicemaltvinegar。Bear’sbuzzbothersbees。Butofthisapart。Atanothertimewemayresume。Wewereverypleased,weothers。Hecoughsand,bendinghisbrow,rubshisnosethoughtfullywithascoopinghand。Youshallfindthatthesenightinsectsfollowthelight。Anillusionforremembertheircomplexunadjustableeye。ForalltheseknottypointsseetheseventeenthbookofmyFundamentalsofSexologyortheLovePassionwhichDoctorL。B。saysisthebooksensationoftheyear。Some,toexample,thereareagainwhosemovementsareautomatic。Perceive。Thatishisappropriatesun。Nightbirdnightsunnighttown。Chaseme,Charley!Buzz!
BLOOMBeeorbluebottletoootherdaybuttingshadowonwalldazedselfthenmewandereddazeddownshirtgoodjobI……
VIRAGHisfaceimpassive,laughsinarichfemininekey。Splendid!Spanishflyinhisflyormustardplasteronhisdibble。Hegobblesgluttonouslywithturkeywattles。Bubblyjock!Bubblyjock!Wherearewe?OpenSesame!Comethforth!Heunrollshisparchmentrapidlyandreads,hisglowworm’snoserunningbackwardsovertheletterswhichheclaws。Stay,goodfriend。IbringtheethyanswerRedbankoysterswillshortlybeuponus。I’mthebesto’cook。ThosesucculentbivalvesmayhelpusandthetrufflesofPerigord,tubersdislodgedthroughmisteromnivorousporker,wereunsurpassedincasesofnervousdebilityorviragitis。Thoughtheystinkyettheysting。Hewagsheadwithcacklingraillery。Jocular。Withmyeyeglassinmyocular。
BLOOMAbsently。Ocularlywoman’sbivalvecaseisworse。Alwaysopensesame。Theclovensex。Whytheyfearvermin,creepingthings。YetEveandtheserpentcontradict。Notahistoricalfact。Obviousanalogytomyidea。Serpentstooaregluttonsforwoman’smilk。Windtheirwaythroughmilesofomnivorousforesttosucksucculentherbreastdry。LikethosebubblyjocularRomanmatronsonereadsofinElephantuliasis。
VIRAGHismouthprojectedinhardwrinkles,eyesstonilyforlornlyclosed,psalmsinoutlandishmonotone。Thatthecowswiththeirthosedistendeduddersthattheyhavebeentheknown……
BLOOMIamgoingtoscream。Ibegyourpardon。Ah?So。Herepeats。Spontaneouslytoseekoutthesaurian’slairinordertoentrusttheirteatstohisavidsuction。Antmilksaphis。Profoundly。Instinctrulestheworld。Inlife。Indeath。
VIRAGHeadaskew,archeshisbackandhunchedwing-shoulders,peersatthemothoutofblearbulgedeyes,pointsahomingclawandcries。Who’sGerGer?Who’sdearGerald?O,Imuchfearheshallbemostbadlyburned。Willsomepleashepershonnotnowimpedimentsocatastrophicsmitagitationoffirstclasstablenumpkin?Hemews。Lusspusspusspuss!Hesighs,drawsbackandstaressidewaysdownwithdroppingunderjaw。Well,well。Hedothrestanon。
I’matinytinything
Everflyinginthespring
Roundandroundaringaring。
LongagoIwasaking,
NowIdothiskindofthing
Onthewing,onthewing!
Bing!
Herushesagainstthemauveshadeflappingnoisily。Prettyprettyprettyprettyprettyprettypetticoats。
FromleftupperentrancewithtwoslidingstepsHenryFlowercomesforwardtoleftfrontcentre。Hewearsadarkmantleanddroopingplumedsombrero。HecarriesasilverstringedinlaiddulcimerandalongstemmedbambooJacobspipe,itsclaybowlfashionedasafemalehead。Hewearsdarkvelvethoseandsilverbuckledpumps。HehastheromanticSaviour’sfacewithflowinglocks,thinbeardandmoustache。HisspindlelegsandsparrowfeetarethoseofthetenorMario,princeofCandia。Hesettlesdownhisgofferedruffsandmoistenshislipswithapassageofhisamoroustongue。
HENRYInalowdulcetvoice,touchingthestringsofhisguitar。Thereisaflowerthatbloometh。
Viragtruculent,hisjowlset,staresatthelamp。GraveBloomregardsZoe’sneck。Henrygallantturnswithpendentdewlaptothepiano。
STEPHENTohimself。Playwithyoureyesshut。Imitatepa。Fillingmybellywithhusksofswine。Toomuchofthis。Iwillariseandgotomy。Expectthisisthe。Steve,thouartinaparlousway。MustvisitoldDeasyortelegraph。Ourinterviewofthismorninghasleftonmeadeepimpression。Thoughourages。Willwritefullytomorrow。I’mpartiallydrunk,bytheway。Hetouchesthekeysagain。Minorchordcomesnow。Yes。Notmuchhowever。
AlmidanoArtifoniholdsoutabatonrollofmusicwithvigorousmoustachework。
ARTIFONICirifletta。Leirovinatutto。
FLORRYSingussomething。Love’soldsweetsong。
STEPHENNovoice。Iamamostfinishedartist。Lynch,didIshowyoutheletteraboutthelute?
FLORRYSmirking。Thebirdthatcansingandwon’tsing。
TheSiamesetwins,PhilipDrunkandPhilipSobertwoOxforddonswithlawnmowers,appearinthewindowembrasure。BotharemaskedwithMatthewArnold’sface。
PHILIPSOBERTakeafool’sadvice。Allisnotwell。Workitoutwiththebuttendofapencil,likeagoodyoungidiot。Threepoundstwelveyougot,twonotes,onesovereign,twocrowns,ifyouthbutknew。Mooney’senville,Mooney’ssurmer,theMoira,Larchet’s,Hollesstreethospital,Burke’s。Eh?Iamwatchingyou。
PHILIPDRUNKImpatiently。Ah,bosh,man。Gotohell!Ipaidmyway。IfIcouldonlyfindoutaboutoctaves。Reduplicationofpersonality。Whowasittoldmehisname?
Hislawnmowerbeginstopurr。Aha,yes。Zoemousasagapo。HaveanotionIwasherebefore。WhenwasitnotAtkinsonhiscardIhavesomewhere?Macsomebody。UnmackIhaveit。Hetoldmeabout,holdon,Swinburne,wasit,no?
FLORRYAndthesong?
STEPHENSpiritiswillingbutthefleshisweak。
FLORRYAreyououtofMaynooth?You’relikesomeoneIknewonce。
STEPHENOutofitnow。Tohimself。Clever。
PHILIPDRUNKANDPHILIPSOBERTheirlawnmowerspurringwitharigadoonofgrasshalms。Cleverever。Outofit。Outofit。Bythebyhaveyouthebook,thething,theashplant?Yes,thereit,yes。Clevereveroutofitnow。Keepincondition。Dolikeus。
ZOETherewasapriestdownheretwonightsagotodohisbitofbusinesswithhiscoatbuttonedup。Youneedn’ttrytohide,Isaystohim。Iknowyou’veaRomancollar。
VIRAGPerfectlylogicalfromhisstandpoint。Fallofman。Harshly,hispupilswaxing。Tohellwiththepope!Nothingnewunderthesun。IamtheViragwhodisclosedthesexsecretsofmonksandmaidens。WhyIlefttheChurchofRome。ReadthePriest,theWomanandtheConfessional。Penrose。FlippertyJippert。Hewriggles。Woman,undoingwithsweetpudorherbeltofrushrope,offersherallmoistyonitoman’slingam。Shorttimeaftermanpresentswomanwithpiecesofjunglemeat。Womanshowsjoyandcoversherselfwithfeatherskins。Manlovesheryonifiercelywithbiglingam,thestiffone。Hecries。Coactusvolui。Thengiddywomanwillrunabout。Strongmangraspswoman’swrist。Womansqueals,bites,spucks。Man,nowfierceangry,strikeswoman’sfatyadgana。Hechaseshistail。Piffpaff!Popo!Hestops,sneezes。Pchp!Heworrieshisbutt。Prrrrrht!
LYNCHIhopeyougavethegoodfatherapenance。Ninegloriasforshootingabishop。
ZOESpoutswalrussmokethroughhernostrils。Hecouldn’tgetaconnection。Only,youknow,sensation。Adryrush。
BLOOMPoorman!
ZOELightly。Onlyforwhathappenedhim。
BLOOMHow?
VIRAGAdiabolicrictusofblackluminositycontractinghisvisage,craneshisscraggyneckforward。Heliftsamooncalfnozzleandhowls。VerfluchteGoim!Hehadafather,fortyfathers。Heneverexisted。PigGod!Hehadtwoleftfeet。HewasJudasIacchias,aLibyaneunuch,thepope’sbastard。Heleansoutontorturedforepaws,elbowsbentrigid,hiseyeagonisinginhisflatskullneckandyelpsoverthemuteworld。Asonofawhore。Apocalypse。
KITTYAndMaryShortallthatwasinthelockwiththepoxshegotfromJimmyPidgeoninthebluecapshadachildoffhimthatcouldn’tswallowandwassmotheredwiththeconvulsionsinthemattressandweallsubscribedforthefuneral。
PHILIPDRUNKGravely。Quivousamisdanscettefichueposition,Philippe?
PHILIPSOBERGaily。C’étaitlesacrépigeon,Philippe。
Kittyunpinsherhatandsetsitdowncalmly,pattingherhennahair。Andaprettier,adaintierheadofwinsomecurlswasneverseenonawhoresshoulders。Lynchputsonherhat。Shewhipsitoff。
LYNCHLaughs。AndtosuchdelightshasMetchnikoffinoculatedanthropoidapes。
FLORRYNods。Locomotorataxy。
ZOEGaily。O,mydictionary。
LYNCHThreewisevirgins。
VIRAGAgueshaken,profuseyellowspawnfoamingoverhisbonyepilepticlips。Shesoldlovephiltres,whitewax,orangeflower。Panther,theRomancenturion,pollutedherwithhisgenitories。Hesticksoutaflickeringphosphorescentscorpiontongue,hishandonhisfork。Messiah!Hebursthertympanum。Withgibberingbaboon’scrieshejerkshishipsinthecynicalspasm。Hik!Hek!Hak!Hok!Huk!Kok!Kuk!
BenJumboDollard,rubicund,musclebound,hairynostrilled,hugebearded,cabbageeared,shaggychested,shockmaned,fatpapped,standsforth,hisloinsandgenitalstightenedintoapairofblackbathingbagslops。
BENPOLLARDNakkeringcastanetbonesinhishugepaddedpaws,yodelsjoviallyinbasebarreltone。Whenloveabsorbsmyardentsoul。
Thevirgins,NurseCallanandNurseQuigley,burstthroughtheringkeepersandtheropesandmobhimwithopenarms。
THEVIRGINSGushingly。BigBen!BenMacChree!
AVOICEHoldthatfellowwiththebadbreeches。
BENDOLLARDSmiteshisthighinabundantlaughter。Holdhimnow。
HENRYCaressingonhisbreastaseveredfemalehead,murmurs。Thineheart,minelove。Hepluckshislutestrings。WhenfirstIsaw。
VIRAGSloughinghisskins,hismultitudinousplumagemoulting。Rats!Heyawns;showingacoalblackthroatandcloseshisjawsbyanupwardpushofhisparchmentroll。AfterhavingsaidwhichItookmydeparture。Farewell。Faretheewell。Dreck!
HenryFlowercombshismoustacheandbeardrapidlywithapocketcombandgivesacowslicktohishair。Steeredbyhisrapier,heglidestothedoorhiswildhadslungbehindhim。Viragreachesthedoorintwoungainlystilthops,histailcocked,anddeftlyclapssidewaysonthewallapusyellowflybill,buttingitwithhishead。
THEFLYBILLK。11。postnobills。Strictlyconfidential。DrHyFranks。
HENRYAllislostnow。
Viragunscrewshisheadinatriceandholdsitunderhisarm。
VIRAG’SHEADQuack!
Exeuntseverally。
STEPHENOverhisshouldertoZoe。Youwouldhavepreferredthefightingparsonwhofoundedtheprotestanterror。ButbewareAntisthenes,thedogsage,andthelastendofAnusHeresiarchus。Theagonyinthecloset。
LYNCHAlloneandthesameGodtoher。
STEPHENDevoutly。AndSovereignLordofallthings。
FLORRYToStephen。I’msureyouareaspoiledpriest。Oramonk。
LYNCHHeis。ACardinal’sson。
STEPHENCardinalsin。Monksofthescrew。
HisEminence,SimonStephenCardinalDedalus,PrimateofallIreland,appearsinthedoorway,dressedinredsoutane,sandalsandsocks。Sevendwarfsimianacolytes,alsoinred,cardinalsins,upholdhistrain,peepingunderit。Hewearsabatteredsilkhatsidewaysonhishead。Histhumbsarestuckinhisarmpitsandhispalmsoutspread。Roundhisneckhangsarosaryofcorksendingonhisbreastinacorkscrewcross。Releasinghisthumbs,heinvokesgracefromonhighwithlacewavegesturesandproclaimswithbloatedpomp。
THECARDINAL
Conservioliescaptured。
Heliesinthelowestdungeon
Withmanaclesandchainsaroundhislimbs
Weighingupwardsofthreetons。
Helooksatallforamoment,hisrighteyeclosedtight,hisleftcheekpuffedout。Then,unabletorepresshismerriment,herockstoandfro,adsakimbo,andsingswithbroadrollickinghumour。O,thepoorlittlefellowHi-hi-hi-hi-hislegstheywereyellowHewasplump,fatandheavyandbriskasasnakeButsomebloodysavageTograizehiswhitecabbageHemurderedNellFlaherty’sducklovingdrake。
Amultitudeofmidgesswarmsoverhisrobe。Hescratcheshimselfwithcrossedarmsathisribs,grimacing,andexclaims。I’msufferingtheagonyofthedamned。Bythehokyfiddle,thanksbetoJesusthosefunnylittlechapsarenotunanimous。Iftheywerethey’dwalkmeoffthefaceofthebloodyglobe。
Hisheadaslant,heblessescurtlywithforeandmiddlefingers,impartstheEasterkissanddoubleshufflesoffcomically,swayinghishatfromsidetoside,shrinkingquicklytothesizeofhistrainbearers。Thedwarfacolytes,giggling,peeping,nudging,ogling,Easterkissing,zigzagbehindhim。Hisvoiceisheardmellowfromafar,merciful,male,melodious。Shallcarrymyhearttothee,Shallcarrymyhearttothee,AndthebreathofthebalmynightShallcarrymyhearttothee。
Thetrickdoorhandleturns。
THEDOORHANDLETheeee。
ZOEThedevilisinthatdoor。
Amaleformpassesdownthecreakingstaircaseandisheardtakingthewaterproofandhatfromtherack。Bloomstartsforwardinvoluntarilyand,halfclosingthedoorashepasses,takesthechocolatefromhispocketandoffersitnervouslytoZoe。
ZOESniffshishairbriskly。Hum。Thankyourmotherfortherabbits。I’mveryfondofwhatIlike。
BLOOMHearingamalevoiceintalkwiththewhoresonthedoorstep,prickshisears。Ifitwerehe?After?Orbecausenot?Orthedoubleevent?
ZOETearsopenthesilverfoil。Fingerswasmadebeforeforks。Shebreaksoffandnibblesapiece,givesapiecetoKittyRickettsandthenturnskittenishlytoLynch。NoobjectiontoFrenchlozenges?Henods。Shetauntshim。Haveitnoworwaittillyougetit?Heopenshismouth,hisheadcocked。Shewhirlstheprizeinleftcircle。Hisheadfollows。Shewhirlsitbackinrightcircle。Heeyesher。Catch。
Shetossesapiece。Withanadroitsnaphecatchesitandbitesitthroughwithacrack。
KITTYChewing。TheengineerIwaswithatthebazaardoeshavelovelyones。Fullofthebestliqueurs。Andtheviceroywastherewithhislady。ThegaswehadontheToft’shobbyhorses。I’mgiddystill。
BLOOMInSvengali’sfurovercoat,withfoldedarmsandNapoleonicforelock,frownsinventriloquialexorcismwithpiercingeagleglancetowardsthedoor。Then,rigid,withleftfootadvanced,hemakesaswiftpasswithimpellingfingersandgivesthesignofpastmaster,drawinghisrightarmdownwardsfromhisleftshoulder。Go,go,go,Iconjureyou,whoeveryouare。
Amalecoughandtreadareheardpassingthroughthemistoutside。Bloomsfeaturesrelax。Heplacesahandinhiswaistcoat,posingcalmly。Zoeoffershimchocolate。
BLOOMSolemnly。Thanks。
ZOEDoasyou’rebid。Here。
Afirmheelclackingisheardonthestairs。
BLOOMTakesthechocolate。Aphrodisiac?ButIthoughtit。Vanillacalmsor?Mnemo。Confusedlightconfusesmemory。Redinfluenceslupus。Coloursaffectwomen’scharacters,anytheyhave。Thisblackmakesmesad。Eatandbemerryfortomorrow。Heeats。Influencetastetoo,mauve。ButitissolongsinceI。Seemsnew。Aphro。Thatpriest。Mustcome。Betterlatethannever。TrytrufflesatAndrews。
Thedooropens。BellaCohen,amassivewhoremistressenters。Sheisdressedinathreequarterivorygown,fringedroundthehemwithtasselledselvedge,andcoolsherselfflirtingablackhornfanlikeMinnieHauckinCarmen。Onherlefthandareweddingandkeeperrings。Hereyesaredeeplycarboned。Shehasasproutingmoustache。Herolivefaceisheavy,slightlysweatedandfullnosed,withorangetaintednostrils。Shehaslacependantberyleardrops。
BELLAMyword!I’mallofamucksweat。
Sheglancesaroundheratthecouples。ThenhereyesrestonBloomwithhardinsistence。Herlacefanwinnowswindtowardsherheatedface,neckandembonpoint。Herfalconeyesglitter。
THEFANFlirtingquickly,thenslowly。Married,Isee。
BLOOMYes……Partly,Ihavemislaid。
THEFANHalfopening,thenclosing。Andthemissusismaster。Petticoatgovernment。
BLOOMLooksdownwithasheepishgrin。Thatisso。
THEFANFoldingtogether,restsagainsthereardrop。Haveyouforgottenme?
BLOOMYes。No。
THEFANFoldedakimboagainstherwaist。Ismeherwasyoudreamedbefore?Wasthenshehimyouussinceknew?Amallthemandthesamenowwe?Bellaapproaches,gentlytappingwiththefan。
BLOOMWincing。Powerfulbeing。Inmyeyesreadthatslumberwhichwomenlove。
THEFANTapping。Wehavemet。Youaremine。Itisfate。
BLOOMCowed。Exuberantfemale。EnormouslyIdesiderateyourdomination。Iamexhausted,abandoned,nomoreyoung。Istand,sotospeak,withanunpostedletterbearingtheextraregulationfeebeforethetoolateboxofthegeneralpostofficeofhumanlife。Thedoorandwindowopenatarightanglecauseadraughtofthirtytwofeetpersecondaccordingtothelawoffallingbodies。Ihavefeltthisinstantatwingeofsciaticainmyleftglutearmuscle。Itrunsinourfamily。Poordearpapa,awidower,wasaregularbarometerfromit。Hebelievedinanimalheat。Askinoftabbylinedhiswinterwaistcoat。Neartheend,rememberingkingDavidandtheSunamite,hesharedhisbedwithAthos,faithfulafterdeath。Adog’sspittle,asyouprobably……Hewinces。Ah!
RICHIEGOULDINGBagweighted,passesthedoor。Mockingiscatch。BestvalueinDub。Fitforaprince’sliverandkidney。
THEFANTapping。Allthingsend。Bemine。Now。
BLOOMUndecided。Allnow?Ishouldnothavepartedwithmytalisman。Rain,exposureatdewfallonthesearocks,apeccadilloatmytimeoflife。Everyphenomenonhasanaturalcause。
THEFANPointsdownwardsslowly。Youmay。
BLOOMLooksdownwardsandperceivesherunfastenedbootlace。Weareobserved。
THEFANPointsdownwardsquickly。Youmust。
BLOOMWithdesire,withreluctance。Icanmakeatrueblackknot。LearnedwhenIservedmytimeandworkedthemailorderlineforKellet’s。Experiencedhand。Everyknotsaysalot。Letme。Incourtesy。Ikneltoncebeforetoday。Ah!
Bellaraiseshergownslightlyand,steadyingherpose,liftstotheedgeofachairaplumpbuskinedhoofandafullpastern,silksocked。Bloom,stiffleggedageing,bendsoverherhoofandwithgentlefingersdrawsoutandinherlaces。
BLOOMMurmurslovingly。TobeashoefitterinMansfield’swasmylove’syoungdream,thedarlingjoysofsweetbuttonhooking,tolaceupcrisscrossedtokneelengththedressykidfootwearsatinlined,soincrediblysmall,ofClydeRoadladies。EventheirwaxmodelRaymondeIvisiteddailytoadmirehercobwebhoseandstickofrhubarbtoe,asworninParis。
THEHOOFSmellmyhotgoathide。Feelmyroyalweight。
BLOOMCrosslacing。Tootight?
THEHOOFIfyoubungle,HandyAndy,I’llkickyourfootballforyou。
BLOOMNottolacethewrongeyeletasIdidthenightofthebazaardance。Badluck。Nookinwrongtacheofher……personyoumentioned。Thatnightshemet……Now!
Heknotsthelace。Bellaplacesherfootonthefloor。Bloomraiseshishead。Herheavyface,hereyesstrikehiminmid-brow。Hiseyesgrowdull,darkerandpouched,hisnosethickens。
BLOOMMumbles。Awaitingyourfurtherorders,weremain,gentlemen。
BELLOWithahardbasiliskstare,inabaritonevoice。Houndofdishonour!
BLOOMInfatuated。Empress!
BELLOHisheavycheekchopssagging。Adoreroftheadulterousrump!
BLOOMPlaintively。Hugeness!
BELLODungdevourer!
BLOOMWithsinewssemiflexed。Magnificence。
BELLODown!Hetapsherontheshoulderwithhisfan。Inclinefeetforward!Slideleftfootonepaceback。Youwillfall。Youarefalling。Onthehandsdown!
BLOOMHereyesupturnedinthesignofadmiration,closing。Truffles!
Withapiercingepilepticcryshesinksonallfours,grunting,snuffling,rootingathisfeet,thenlies,shammingdeadwitheyesshuttight,tremblingeyelids,boweduponthegroundintheattitudeofmostexcellentmaster。
BELLOWithbobbedhairpurplegills,fatmoustacheringsroundhisshavenmouth,inmountaineer’sputtees,greensilverbuttonedcoat,sportskirtandalpinehatwithmoorcock’sfeather,hishandsstuckdeepinhisbreechespockets,placeshisheelonherneckandgrindsitin。Feelmyentireweight。Bow,bondslave,beforethethroneofyourdespot’sgloriousheels,soglisteningintheirprouderectness。
BLOOMEnthralled,bleats。Ipromisenevertodisobey。
BELLOLaughsloudly。Holysmoke!Youlittleknowwhat’sinstoreforyou。I’mthetartartosettleyourlittlelotandbreakyouin!I’llbetKentuckycocktailsallroundIshameitoutofyou,oldson。Cheekme,Idareyou。Ifyoudotrembleinanticipationofheeldisciplinetobeinflictedingymcostume。
Bloomcreepsunderthesofaandpeersoutthroughthefringe。
ZOEWideninghersliptoscreenher。She’snothere。
BLOOMClosinghereyes。She’snothere。
FLORRYHidingherwithhergown。Shedidn’tmeanit,MrBello。She’llbegood,sir。
KITTYDon’tbetoohardonher,MrBello。Sureyouwon’t,ma’amsir。
BELLOCoaxingly。Come,duckydear。Iwantawordwithyou,darling,justtoadministercorrection。Justalittlehearttohearttalk,sweety。Bloomputsouthertimidhead。There’sagoodgirlynow。Bellograbsherhairviolentlyanddragsherforward。Ionlywanttocorrectyouforyourowngoodonasoftsafespot。How’sthattenderbehind?O,eversogently,pet。Begintogetready。
BLOOMFainting。Don’ttearmy。
BELLOSavagely。Thenosering,thepliers,thebastinado,thehanginghook,theknoutI’llmakeyoukisswhiletheflutesplayliketheNubianslaveofold。You’reinforitthistime。I’llmakeyouremembermeforthebalanceofyournaturallife。Hisforeheadveinsswollen,hisfacecongested。IshallsitonyourottomansaddlebackeverymorningaftermythumpinggoodbreakfastofMatterson’sfathamrashersandabottleofGuinness’sporter。Hebelches。AndsuckmythumpinggoodStockExchangecigarwhileIreadtheLicensedVictualler’sGazette。VerypossiblyIshallhaveyouslaughteredandskeweredinmystablesandenjoyasliceOfyouwithcrispcracklingfromthebakingtinbastedandbakedlikesuckingpigwithriceandlemonorcurrantsauce。Itwillhurtyou。
Hetwistsherarm。Bloomsqueaks,turningturtle。
BLOOMDon’tbecruel,nurse!Don’t!
BELLOTwisting。Another!
BLOOMScreams。O,it’shellitself!Everynerveinmybodyacheslikemad!
BELLOShouts。Good,bytherumpingjumpinggeneral!That’sthebestbitofnewsIheardthesesixweeks。Here,don’tkeepmewaiting,damnyou。Heslapsherface。
BLOOMWhimpers。You’reafterhittingme。I’lltell……
BELLOHoldhimdown,girls,tillIsquatonhim。
ZOEYes。Walkonhim!Iwill。
FLORRYIwill。Don’tbegreedy。
KITTYNo,me。Lendhimtome。
Thebrothelcook,MrsKeogh,wrinkled,greybearded,inagreasybib,men’sgreyandgreensocksandbrogues,flour-smeared,arollingpinstuckwithrawpastryinherbareredarmandhand,appearsatthedoor。
MRSKEOCHFerociously。CanIhelp?TheyholdandpinionBloom。
BELLOSquats,withagrunt,onBloom’supturnedface,puffingcigar-smoke,nursingafatleg。IseeKeatingClayiselectedchairmanoftheRichmondAsylumandbythebyGuinness’spreferencesharesareatsixteenthreequarters。CursemeforafoolthatIdidn’tbuythatlotCraigandGardnertoldmeabout。Justmyinfernalluck,curseit。AndthatGoddamnedoutsiderThrowawayattwentytoone。HequencheshiscigarangrilyonBloom’sear。Where’sthatGoddamnedcursedashtray?
BLOOMGoaded,buttocksmothered。O!O!Monsters!Cruelone!
BELLOAskforthateverytenminutes。Beg,prayforitasyouneverprayedbefore。Hethrustsoutafiggedfistandfoulcigar。Here,kissthat。Both。Kiss。Hethrowsalegastrideand,pressingwithhorseman’sknees,callsinahardvoice。Geeup!AcockhorsetoBanburycross。I’llridehimfortheEclipsestakes。Hebendssidewaysandsqueezeshismount’stesticlesroughly,shouting。Ho!offwepop!I’llnurseyouinproperfashion。Hehorseridescockhorse,leapinginthesaddle。Theladygoesapaceapaceandthecoachmangoesatrotatrotandthegentlemangoesagallopagallopagallopagallop。
FLORRYPullsatBello。Letmeonhimnow。Youhadenough。Iaskedbeforeyou。
ZOEPullingatFlorry。Me。Me。Areyounotfinishedwithhimyet,suckeress?
BLOOMStifling。Can’t。
BELLOWell,I’mnot。Wait。Heholdsinhisbreath。Curseit。Here。Thisbung’saboutburst。Heuncorkshimselfbehind:then,contortinghisfeatures,fartsloudly。Takethat!HerecorkshimselfYes,byJingo,sixteenthreequarters。
BLOOMAsweatbreakingoutoverhim。Notman。Hesniffs。Woman。
BELLOStandsup。Nomoreblowhotandcold。Whatyoulongedforhascometopass。Henceforthyouareunmannedandmineinearnest,athingundertheyoke。Nowforyourpunishmentfrock。Youwillshedyourmalegarments,youunderstand,RubyCohen?anddontheshotsilkluxuriouslyrustlingoverheadandshouldersandquicklytoo。
BLOOMShrinks。Silk,mistresssaid!Ocrinkly!scrapy!MustItip-touchitwithmynails?
BELLOPointstohiswhores。Astheyarenow,sowillyoube,wigged,singed,perfumesprayed,ricepowdered,withsmoothshavenarmpits。Tapemeasurementswillbetakennextyourskin。Youwillbelacedwithcruelforceintovicelikecorsetsofsoftdovecoutille,withwhalebonebusk,tothediamondtrimmedpelvis,theabsoluteoutsideedge,whileyourfigure,plumperthanwhenatlarge,willberestrainedinnettightfrocks,prettytwoouncepetticoatsandfringesandthingsstamped,ofcourse,withmyhouseflag,creationsoflovelylingerieforAliceandnicescentforAlice。Alicewillfeelthepullpull。MarthaandMarywillbealittlechillyatfirstinsuchdelicatethighcasingbutthefrillyflimsinessoflaceroundyourbarekneeswillremindyou……
BLOOMAchafingsoubrettewithdaubycheeks,mustardhairandlacemalehandsandnose,leeringmouth。Itriedherthingsononlyonce,asmallprank,inHollesstreet。WhenwewerehardupIwashedthemtosavethelaundrybill。MyownshirtsIturned。Itwasthepurestthrift。
BELLOJeers。Littlejobsthatmakemotherpleased,eh!andshowedoffcoquettishlyinyourdominoatthemirrorbehindclose-drawnblindsyourunskirtedthighsandhegoat’sudders,invariousposesofsurrender,eh?Ho!Ho!Ihavetolaugh!ThatsecondhandblackoperatopshiftandshorttrunklegnaughtiesallsplitupthestitchesatherlastrapethatMrsMiriamDandradesoldyoufromtheShelbourneHotel,eh?
BLOOMMiriam,Black。Demimondaine。
BELLOGuffaws。ChristAlmighty,it’stootickling,this!YouwereanicelookingMiriamwhenyouclippedoffyourbackgatehairsandlayswooninginthethingacrossthebedasMrsDandrade,abouttobeviolatedbyLieutenantSmytheSmythe,MrPhilipAugustusBlockwell,M。P。,SignorLaciDaremo,therobusttenor,blueeyedBert,theliftboy,HenryFleuryofGordonBennettfame,Sheridan,thequadroonCr&Aelig;sus,thevarsitywetbobeightfromoldTrinity,Ponto,hersplendidNewfoundlandandBobs,dowagerduchessofManorhamilton。Heguffawsagain。Christ,wouldn’titmakeaSiamesecatlaugh?
BLOOMHerhandsandfeaturesworking。ItwasGeraldconvertedmetobeatruecorsetloverwhenIwasfemaleimpersonatorintheHighSchoolplayViceVersa。ItwasdearGerald。Hegotthatkink,fascinatedbysister’sstays。NowdearestGeraldusespinkygreasepaintandgildshiseyelids。Cultofthebeautiful。
BELLOWithwickedglee。Beautiful!Giveusabreather!Whenyoutookyourseatwithwomanishcare,liftingyourbillowyflounces,onthesmoothwornthrone。
BLOOMScience。Tocomparethevariousjoysweeachenjoy。Earnestly。Andreallyit’sbettertheposition……becauseoftenIusedtowet。
BELLOSternly。Noinsubordination。Thesawdustisthereinthecornerforyou。Igaveyoustrictinstructions,didn’tI?Doitstanding,sir!I’llteachyoutobehavelikeajinkleman!IfIcatchatraceonyourswaddles。Aha!BytheassoftheDoransyou’llfindI’mamartinet。Thesinsofyourpastarerisingagainstyou。Many。Hundreds。
THESINSOFTHEPASTInamedleyofvoices。HewentthroughaformofclandestinemarriagewithatleastonewomanintheshadowoftheBlackChurch。UnspeakablemessageshetelephonedmentallytoMissDunnatanaddressind’OlierStreetwhilehepresentedhimselfindecentlytotheinstrumentinthecallbox。Bywordanddeedheencouragedanocturnalstrumpettodepositfecalandothermatterinanunsanitaryouthouseattachedtoemptypremises。Infivepublicconvenienceshewrotepencilledmessagesofferinghisnuptialpartnertoallstrongmemberedmales。Andbytheoffensivelysmellingvitriolworksdidhenotpassnightafternightbylovingcourtingcouplestoseeifandwhatandhowmuchhecouldsee?Didhenotlieinbed,thegrossboar,gloatingoveranauseousfragmentofwellusedtoiletpaperpresentedtohimbyanastyharlot,stimulatedbygingerbreadandapostalorder?
BELLOWhistlesloudly。Say!Whatwasthemostrevoltingpieceofobscenityinallyourcareerofcrime?Gothewholehog。Pukeitout。Becandidforonce。
Muteinhumanfacesthrongforward,leering,vanishing,gibbering,Eooloohoom。PoldyHock,Bootlacesapenny,cassidy’shag,blindstripling,LarryRhinoceros,thegirl,thewoman,thewhore,theotherthe……
BLOOMDon’taskme。Ourmutualfaith。Pleasantsstreet。Ionlythoughtthehalfofthe……Iswearonmysacredoath……
BELLOPeremptorily。Answer。Repugnantwretch!Iinsistonknowing。Tellmesomethingtoamuseme,smutorabloodygood-ghoststoryoralineofpoetry,quick,quick,quick!Where?How?Whattime?Withhowmany?Igiveyoujustthreeseconds。One!Two!Thr……!
BLOOMDocile,gurgles。Irererepugnosedinrerererepugnant……
BELLOImperiously。Ogetout,youskunk!Holdyourtongue!Speakwhenyou’respokento。
BLOOMBows。Master!Mistress!Mantamer!
Heliftshisarms。Hisbanglebraceletsfall。
BELLOSatirically。Bydayyouwillsouseandbatoursmellingunderclothes,alsowhenweladiesareunwell,andswaboutourlatrineswithdresspinnedupandadishclouttiedtoyourtail。Won’tthatbenice?Heplacesarubyringonherfinger。Andtherenow!WiththisringItheeown。Say,thankyou,mistress。
BLOOMThankyou,mistress。
BELLOYouwillmakethebeds,getmytubready,emptythepisspotsinthedifferentrooms,includingoldMrsKeogh’sthecook’s,asandyone。Ay,andrinsethesevenofthemwell,mind,orlapituplikechampagne。Drinkmepipinghot。Hop!youwilldanceattendanceorI’lllectureyouonyourmisdeeds,MissRuby,andspankyourbarebotrightwell,miss,withthehairbrush。You’llbetaughttheerrorofyourways。Atnightyourwellcreamedbraceletedhandswillwearfortythreebuttonglovesnewpowderedwithtalcandhavingdelicatelyscentedfingertips。Forsuchfavoursknightsofoldlaiddowntheirlives。Hechuckles。Myboyswillbenoendcharmedtoseeyousoladylike,thecolonel,aboveall。Whentheycomeherethenightbeforetheweddingtofondlemynewattractioningildedheels。First,I’llhaveagoatyoumyself。AmanIknowontheturfnamedCharlesAlbertaMarshIwasinbedwithhimjustnowandanothergentlemanoutoftheHanaperandPettyBagofficeisonthelookoutforamaidofallworkatashortknock。Swellthebust。Smile。Droopshoulders。Whatoffers?Hepoints。Forthatlottrainedbyownertofetchandcarry,basketinmouth。HebareshisarmandplungesitelbowdeepinBloom’svulva。There’sfinedepthforyou!What,boys?Thatgiveyouahardon?Heshoveshisarminabidder’sface。Here,wetthedeckandwipeitround!
ABIDDERAflorin!
Dillon’slacqueyringshishandbell。
AVOICEOneandeightpencetoomuch。
THELACQUEYBarang!
CHARLESALBERTAMARSHMustbevirgin。Goodbreath。Clean。
BELLOGivesarapwithhisgavel。Twobar。Rockbottomfigureandcheapattheprice。Fourteenhandshigh。Touchandexaminehispoints。Handlehim。Thisdownyskin,thesesoftmuscles,thistenderflesh。IfIhadonlymygoldpiercerhere!Andquiteeasytomilk。Threenewlaidgallonsaday。Apurestockgetter,duetolaywithinthehour。Hissire’smilkrecordwasathousandgallonsofwholemilkinfortyweeks。Whoa,myjewel!Begup!Whoa!HebrandshisinitialConBloom’scroup。So!WarrantedCohen!Whatadvanceontwobob,gentlemen?
ADARKVISAGEDMANIndisguisedaccent。Hoondertpuntsterlink。
VOICESSubdued。FortheCaliphHarounAlRaschid。
BELLOGaily。Right。Letthemallcome。Thescanty,daringlyshortskirt,ridingupatthekneetoshowapeepofwhitepantalette,isapotentweaponandtransparentstockings,emeraldgartered,withthelongstraightseamtrailingupbeyondtheknee,appealtothebetterinstinctsoftheblasémanabouttown。LearnthesmoothmincingwalkonfourinchLouisXVheels,theGrecianbendwithprovokingcroup,thethighsfluescent,kneesmodestlykissing。Bringallyourpoweroffascinationtobearonthem。PandertotheirGomorrahanvices。
BLOOMBendshisblushingfaceintohisarmpitandsimperswithforefingerinmouth。O,Iknowwhatyou’rehintingatnow。
BELLOWhatelseareyougoodfor,animpotentthinglikeyou?Hestoopsand,peering,pokeswithhisfanrudelyunderthefatsuetfoldsofBloom’shaunches。Up!Up!Manxcat!Whathavewehere?Where’syourcurlyteapotgonetoorwhodockeditonyou,cockyolly?Sing,birdy,sing。It’saslimpasaboyofsix’sdoinghispoolybehindacart。Buyabucketorsellyourpump。Loudly。Canyoudoaman’sjob?
BLOOMEcclesStreet。
BELLOSarcastically。Iwouldn’thurtyourfeelingsfortheworldbutthere’samanofbrawninpossessionthere。Thetablesareturned,mygayyoungfellow!Heissomethinglikeafullgrownoutdoorman。Wellforyou,youmuff,ifyouhadthatweaponwithknobsandlumpsandwartsalloverit。Heshothisbolt,Icantellyou!Foottofoot,kneetoknee,bellytobelly,bubstobreast!He’snoeunuch。Ashockofredhairhehasstickingoutofhimbehindlikeafurzebush!Waitforninemonths,mylad!Holyginger,it’skickingandcoughingupanddowninhergutsalready!Thatmakesyouwild,don’tit?Touchesthespot?Hespitsincontempt。Spittoon!
BLOOMIwasindecentlytreated,I……informthepolice。Hundredpounds。Unmentionable。I。
BELLOWouldifyoucould,lameduck。Adownpourwewant,notyourdrizzle。
BLOOMTodrivememad!Moll!Iforgot!Forgive!Moll!……We……Still……
BELLORuthlessly。No,LeopoldBloom,allischangedbywoman’swillsinceyouslepthorizontalinSleepyHollowyournightoftwentyyears。Returnandsee。
OldSleepyHollowcallsoverthewold。
SLEEPYHOLLOWRipVanWinkle!RipVanWinkle!
BLOOMIntatteredmoccasinswitharustyfowlingpiece,tiptoeing,fingertipping,hishaggardbonybeardedfacepeeringthroughthediamondpanes,criesout。Iseeher!It’sshe!ThefirstnightatMatDillon’s!Butthatdress,thegreen!Andherhairisdyedgoldandhe。
BELLOLaughsmockingly。That’syourdaughter,youowl,withaMullingarstudent。
MillyBloom,fairhaired,greenvested,slimsandalled,herbluescabintheseawindsimplyswirling,breaksfromthearmsofherloverandcalls,heryoungeyeswonderwide。
MILLYMy!It’sPapli!But。OPapli,howoldyou’vegrown!
BELLOChanged,eh?Ourwhatnot,ourwritingtablewhereweneverwrote,AuntHegarty’sarmchair,ourclassicreprintsofoldmasters。Amanandhismenfriendsarelivingthereinclover。TheCuckoos’Rest!Whynot?Howmanywomenhadyou,say?Followingthemupdarkstreets,flatfoot,excitingthembyyoursmotheredgrunts。What,youmaleprostitute?Blamelessdameswithparcelsofgroceries。Turnabout。Sauceforthegoose,mygander,O。
BLOOMThey……I
BELLOCuttingly。TheirheelmarkswillstamptheBrusselettecarpetyouboughtatWren’sauction。IntheirhorseplaywithMolltheromptofindthebuckfleainherbreechestheywilldefacethelittlestatueyoucarriedhomeintherainforartforart’ssake。Theywillviolatethesecretsofyourbottomdrawer。Pageswillbetornfromyourhandbookofastronomytomakethempipespills。AndtheywillspitinyourtenshillingbrassfenderfromHamptonLeedom’s。
BLOOMTenandsix。Theactoflowscoundrels。Letmego。Iwillreturn。Iwillprove……
AVOICESwear!
Bloomclencheshisfistsandcrawlsforward,abowieknifebetweenhisteeth。
BELLOAsapayingguestorakeptman?Toolate。Youhavemadeyoursecondbestbedandothersmustlieinit。Yourepitaphiswritten。Youaredownandoutanddon’tyouforgetit,oldbean。
BLOOMJustice!AllIrelandversusone!Hasnobody……?
Hebiteshisthumb。
BELLODieandbedamnedtoyouifyouhaveanysenseofdecencyorgraceaboutyou。Icangiveyouarareoldwinethat’llsendyouskippingtohellandback。Signawillandleaveusanycoinyouhave。Ifyouhavenoneseeyoudamnwellgetit,stealit,robit!We’llburyyouinourshrubberyjakeswhereyou’llbedeadanddirtywitholdCuckCohen,mystepnephewImarried,thebloodyoldgoutyprocuratorandsodomitewithacrickinhisneck,andmyothertenorelevenhusbands,whateverthebuggers’nameswere,suffocatedintheonecesspool。Heexplodesinaloudphlegmylaugh。We’llmanureyou,MrFlower!Hepipesscoffingly。Byby,Poldy!Byby,Papli!
BLOOMClaspshishead。Mywillpower!Memory!Ihavesinned!Ihavesuff……Heweepstearlessly。
BELLOSneers。Crybabby!Crocodiletears!
Bloom,broken,closelyveiledforthesacrifice,sobs,hisfacetotheearth。Thepassingbellisheard。Darkshawledfiguresofthecircumcised,insackclothandashes,standbythewailingwall。M。Shulomowitz,JosephGoldwaterMosesHerzog,HarrisRosenberg,M。Moisel,J。Citron,MinnieWatchman,0。Mastiansky,theReverendLeopoldAbramovitz,Chazen。WithswayingarmstheywailinpneumaovertherecreantBloom。
THECIRCUMCISEDInadarkgutturalchantastheycastdeadseafruituponhim,noflowers。ShemaIsraelAdonaiElohenuAdonaiEchad。
VOICESSighing。Sohe’sgone。Ah,yes。Yes,indeed。Bloom?Neverheardofhim。No?Queerkindofchap。There’sthewidow。Thatso?Ah,yes。
Fromthesutteepyretheflameofgumcamphireascends。Thepallofincensesmokescreensanddisperses。Outofheroakframeanymphwithhairunbound,lightlycladinteabrownartcolours,descendsfromhergrottoandpassingunderinterlacingyews,standsoverBloom。
THEYEWSTheirleaveswhispering。Sister。Oursister。Ssh。
THENYMPHSoftly。Mortal!Kindly。Nay,dostnotweepest!
BLOOMCrawlsjellilyforwardundertheboughs,streakedbysunlight,withdignity。Thisposition。Ifeltitwasexpectedofme。Forceofhabit。
THENYMPHMortal!Youfoundmeinevilcompany,highkickers,costerpicnicmakers,pugilists,populargenerals,immoralpantoboysinfleshtightsandtheniftyshimmydancers,LaAuroraandKarini,musicalact,thehitofthecentury。Iwashiddenincheappinkpaperthatsmeltofrockoil。Iwassurroundedbythestalesmutofclubmen,storiestodisturbcallowyouth,adsfortransparencies,truedupdiceandbustpads,proprietaryarticlesandwhywearatrusswithtestimonialfromrupturedgentleman。Usefulhintstothemarried。
BLOOMLiftsaturtleheadtowardsherlap。Wehavemetbefore。Onanotherstar。
THENYMPHSadly。Rubbergoods。Neverrip。Brandassuppliedtothearistocracy。Corsetsformen。Icurefitsormoneyrefunded。UnsolicitedtestimonialsforProfessorWaldmann’swonderfulchestexuber。Mybustdevelopedfourinchesinthreeweeks,reportsMrsGusRublinwithphoto。
BLOOMYoumeanPhotoBits?
THENYMPHIdo。Youboremeaway,framedmeinoakandtinsel,setmeaboveyourmarriagecouch。Unseen,onesummereve,youkissedmeinfourplaces。Andwithlovingpencilyoushadedmyeyes,mybosomandmyshame。
BLOOMHumblykissesherlonghair。Yourclassiccurves,beautifulimmortal。Iwasgladtolookonyou,topraiseyou,athingofbeauty,almosttopray。
THENYMPHDuringdarknightsIheardyourpraise。
BLOOMQuickly。Yes,yes。YoumeanthatI……Sleeprevealstheworstsideofeveryone,childrenperhapsexcepted。IknowIfelloutofmybedorratherwaspushed。Steelwineissaidtocuresnoring。FortherestthereisthatEnglishinvention,pamphletofwhichIreceivedsomedaysago,incorrectlyaddressed。Itclaimstoaffordanoiselessinoffensivevent。Hesighs。’Twaseverthus。Frailty,thynameismarriage。
THENYMPHHerfingersinherears。Andwords。Theyarenotinmydictionary。
BLOOMYouunderstoodthem?
THEYEWSSsh。
THENYMPHCoversherfacewithherhand。WhathaveInotseeninthatchamber?Whatmustmyeyeslookdownon?
BLOOMApologetically。Iknow。Soiledpersonallinen,wrongsideupwithcare。Thequoitsareloose。FromGibraltarbylongsea,longago。
THENYMPHBendsherhead。Worse!Worse!
BLOOMReflectsprecautiously。Thatantiquatedcommode。Itwasn’therweight。Shescaledjustelevenstonenine。Sheputonninepoundsafterweaning。Itwasacrackandwantofglue。Eh?Andthatabsurdorangekeyedutensilwhichhasonlyonehandle。
Thesoundofawaterfallisheardinbrightcascade。
THEWATERFALL
PoulaphoucaPoulaphouca
PoulaphoucaPoulaphouca。
THEYEWSMinglingtheirboughs。Listen。Whisper。Sheisright,oursister。WegrewbyPoulaphoucawaterfall。Wegaveshadeonlanguoroussummerdays。
JOHNWYSENOLANInthebackground,inIrishNationalForester’suniform,doffshisplumedhat。Prosper!Giveshadeonlanguorousdays,treesofIreland!
THEYEWSMurmuring。WhocametoPoulaphoucawiththehighschoolexcursion?Wholefthisnutquestingclassmatestoseekourshade?
BLOOMPigeonbreasted,bottleshouldered,padded,innondescriptjuvenilegreyandblackstripedsuit,toosmallforhim,whitetennisshoes,borderedstockingswithturnovertops,andaredschoolcapwithbadge。Iwasinmyteens,agrowingboy。Alittlethensufficed,ajoltingcar,theminglingodoursoftheladies’cloakroomandlavatory,thethrongpennedtightontheoldRoyalstairs,fortheylovecrushes,instinctsoftheherd,andthedarksexsmellingtheatreunbridlesvice。Evenapricelistoftheirhosiery。Andthentheheat。Thereweresunspotsthatsummer。Endofschool。Andtipsycake。Halcyondays。
HalcyonDays,highschoolboysinblueandwhitefootballjerseysandshorts,MasterDonaldTurnbull,MasterAbrahamChatterton,MasterOwenGoldberg,MasterJackMeredith,MasterPercyApjohn,standinaclearingofthetreesandshouttoMasterLeopoldBloom。
THEHALCYONDAYSMackerel!Liveusagain。Hurray!
Theycheer。
BLOOMHobbledehoy,warmgloved,mammamufflered,stunnedwithspentsnowballs,strugglestorise。Again!Ifeelsixteen!Whatalark!Let’sringallthebellsinMontagueStreet。Hecheersfeebly。HurrayfortheHighSchool!
THEECHOFool!
THEYEWSRustling。Sheisright,oursister。Whisper。Whisperedkissesareheardinallthewood。Facesofhamadryadspeepoutfromthebolesandamongtheleavesandbreakblossomingintobloom。Whoprofanedoursilentshade?
THENYMPHCoylythroughpartingfingers。There!Intheopenair?
THEYEWSSweepingdownward。Sister,yes。Andonourvirginsward。
THEWATERFALL
PoulaphoucaPoulaphouca
PhoucaphoucaPhoucaphouca。
THENYMPHWithwidefingers。O!Infamy!
BLOOMIwasprecocious。Youth。Thefauns。Isacrificedtothegodoftheforest。Theflowersthatbloominthespring。Itwaspairingtime。Capillaryattractionisanaturalphenomenon。LottyClarke,flaxenhaired,Isawathernighttoilettethroughill-closedcurtains,withpoorpapa’soperaglasses。Thewantonategrasswildly。SherolleddownhillatRialtoBridgetotemptmewithherflowofanimalspirits。SheclimbedtheircrookedtreeandI……Asaintcouldn’tresistit。Thedemonpossessedme。Besides,whosaw?
StaggeringBob,awhitepolledcalfthrustsaruminatingheadwithhumidnostrilsthroughthefoliage。
STAGGERINGBOBMe。Mesee。
BLOOMSimplysatisfyinganeed。Withpathos。NogirlwouldwhenIwentgirling。Toougly。Theywouldn’tplay。
HighonBenHowththroughrhododendronsanannygoatpasses,plumpuddered,buttytailed,droppingcurvants。
THENANNYGOATBleats。Megegaggegg!Nannannanny!
BLOOMHatless,flushed,coveredwithburnofthistledownandgotrepine。Regularlyengaged。Circumstancesaltercases。Hegazesintentlydownwardsonthewater。Thirtytwoheadoverheelspersecond。Pressnightmare。GiddyElijah。Fallfromcliff。Sadendofgovernmentprinter’sclerk。ThroughsilversilentsummerairthedummyofBloom,rolledinamummy,rollsrotatinglyfromtheLion’sHeadcliffintothepurpleWaitingwaters。
THEDUMMYMUMMYBbbbblllllbbblblodschbg?
FaroutinthebaybetweenBaileyandKishlightstheErin’sKingsails,sendingabroadeningplumeofcoalsmokefromherfunneltowardstheland。
COUNCILLORNANNETIAloneondeck,indarkalpaca,yellowkitefaced,hishandinhiswaistcoatopening,declaims。Whenmycountrytakesherplaceamongthenationsoftheearth,then,andnottillthenletmyepitaphbewritten。Ihave……
BLOOMDone。Prff。
THENYMPHLoftily。Weimmortals,asyousawtoday,havenotsuchaplaceandnohairthereeither。Wearestonecoldandpure。Weeatelectriclight。Shearchesherbodyinlasciviouscrispation,placingherforefingerinhermouth。Spoketome。Heardfrombehind。Howthencouldyou……?
BLOOMPacingtheheatherabjectly。O,Ihavebeenaperfectpig。EnemastooIhaveadministered。Onethirdofapintofquassia,towhichaddatablespoonfulofrocksalt。Upthefundament。WithHamiltonLong’ssyringe,theladies’friend。
THENYMPHInmypresence。Thepowderpuff。Sheblushesandmakesaknee。Andtherest。
BLOOMDejected。Yes。Peccavi!Ihavepaidhomageonthatlivingaltarwherethebackchangesname。Withsuddenfervour。Forwhyshouldthedaintyscentedjewelledhand,thehandthatrules……?
Figureswindserpentinginslowwoodlandpatternaroundthetreestems,cooeeing。
THEVOICEOFKITTYInthethicket。Showusoneofthemcushions。
THEVOICEOFFLORRYHere。
Agrousewingsclumsilythroughtheunderwood。
THEVOICEOFLYNCHInthethicket。Whew!Pipinghot!
THEVOICEOFZOEFromthethicket。Camefromahotplace。
THEVOICEOFVIRAGAbirdchiefbluestreakedandfeatheredinwarpanoplywithhisassegai,stridingthroughacracklingcanebrakeoverbeechmastandacorns。Hot!Hot!WareSittingBull!
BLOOMItoverpowersme。Thewarmimpressofherwarmform。Eventositwhereawomanhassat,especiallywithdivaricatedthighs,asthoughtograntthelastfavours,mostespeciallywithpreviouslywellupliftedwhitesateencoatpans。Sowomanlyfull。Itfillsmefull。
THEWATERFALL
PhillaphullaPoulaphouca
PoulaphoucaPoulaphouca。
THEYEWSSsh!Sister,speak!
THENYMPHEyeless,innun’swhitehabit,coifandhugewingedwimple,softly,withremoteeyes。Tranquiliaconvent。SisterAgatha。MountCarmel,theapparitionsofKnockandLourdes。Nomoredesire。Shereclinesherhead,sighing。Onlytheethereal。Wheredreamycreamygullwaveso’erthewatersdull。
Bloomhalfrises。Hisbacktrousersbuttonsnaps。
THEBUTTONBip!
TwoslutsoftheCoombedancerainilyby,shawled,yellingflatly。
THESLUTS
OLeopoldlostthepinofhisdrawers
Hedidn’tknowwhattodo,
Tokeepitup,
Tokeepitup。
BLOOMColdly。Youhavebrokenthespell。Thelaststraw。Iftherewereonlyetherealwherewouldyouallbe,postulantsandnovices?Shybutwilling,likeanasspissing。
THEYEWSTheirsilverfoilofleavesprecipitating,theirskinnyarmsageingandswaying。Deciduously!
THENYMPHSacrilege!Toattemptmyvirtue!Alargemoiststainappearsonherrobe。Sullymyinnocence!Youarenotfittotouchthegarmentofapurewoman。Sheclutchesinherrobe。Wait,Satan。You’llsingnomorelovesongs。Amen。Amen。Amen。Amen。Shedrawsaponiardand,cladinthesheathmailofanelectedknightofnine,strikesathisloins。Nekum!
BLOOMStartsup,seizesherhand。Hoy!Nebrakada!Catofninelives!Fairplay,madam。Nopruningknife。Thefoxandthegrapes,isit?Whatdowelackwithyourbarbedwire?Crucifixnotthickenough?Heclutchesherveil。AholyabbotyouwantorBrophy,thelamegardener,orthespoutlessstatueofthewatercarrierorgoodMotherAlphonsus,ehReynard?
THENYMPHWithacry,fleesfromhimunveiled,herplastercastcracking,acloudofstenchescapingfromthecracks。Poli……!
BLOOMCallsafterher。Asifyoudidn’tgetitonthedoubleyourselves。Nojerksandmultiplemucositiesalloveryou。Itriedit。Yourstrengthourweakness。What’sourstudfee?Whatwillyoupayonthenail?YoufeemendancersontheRiviera,Iread。Thefleeingnymphraisesakeen。Eh!Ihavesixteenyearsofblackslavelabourbehindme。Andwouldajurygivemefiveshillingsalimonytomorrow,eh?Foolsomeoneelse,notme。Hesniffs。But。Onions。Stale。Sulphur。Grease。
ThefigureofBellaCohenstandsbeforehim。
BELLAYou’llknowmethenexttime。
BLOOMComposed,regardsher。Passée。Muttondressedaslamb。Loneinthetoothandsuperfluoushairs。Arawonionthelastthingatnightwouldbenefityourcomplexion。Andtakesomedoublechindrill。Youreyesareasvapidastheglasseyesofyourstuffedfox。Theyhavethedimensionsofyourotherfeatures,that’sall。I’mnotatriplescrewpropeller。
BELLAContemptuously。You’renotgame,infact。Hersowcuntbarks。Fohracht!
BLOOMContemptuously。Cleanyournaillessmiddlefingerfirst,thecoldspunkofyourbullyisdrippingfromyourcockscomb。Takeahandfulofhayandwipeyourself。
BELLAIknowyou,canvasser!Deadcod!
BLOOMIsawhim,kipkeeper!Poxandgleetvendor!
BELLATurnstothepiano。WhichofyouwasplayingthedeadmarchfromSaul?
ZOEMe。Mindyourcornflowers。Shedartstothepianoandbangschordsonitwithcrossedarms。Thecat’sramblethroughtheslag。Sheglancesback。Eh?Who’smakinglovetomysweeties?Shedartsbacktothetable。What’syoursismineandwhat’smineismyown。
Kittydisconcertedcoatsherteethwiththesilverpaper。BloomapproachesZoe。
BLOOMGently。Givemebackthatpotato,willyou?ZoeForfeits,afinethingandasuperfinething。
BLOOMWithfeeling。Itisnothing,butstillarelicofpoormamma。
ZOE
Giveathingandtakeitback
God’llaskyouwhereisthat
You’llsayyoudon’tknow
God’llsendyoudownbelow。
BLOOMThereisamemoryattachedtoit。Ishouldliketohaveit。
STEPHENTohaveornottohave,thatisthequestion。
ZOEHere。Shehaulsupareefofherslip,revealingherbarethighandunrollsthepotatofromthetopofherstocking。Thosethathidesknowswheretofind。
BELLAFrowns。Here。Thisisn’tamusicalpeepshow。Anddon’tyousmashthatpiano。Who’spayinghere?
Shegoestothepianola。Stephenfumblesinhispocketand,takingoutabanknotebyitscorner,handsittoher。
STEPHENWithexaggeratedpoliteness。ThissilkenpurseImadeoutofthesow’searofthepublic。Madam,excuseme。Ifyouallowme。HeindicatesvaguelyLynchandBloom。Weareallinthesamesweepstake,KinchandLynch。Danscebordeloùtenonsnostreétat。
LYNCHCallsfromthehearth。Dedalus!Giveheryourblessingforme。
STEPHENHandsBellaacoin。Gold。Shehasit。
BELLALooksatthemoney,thenatZoe,FlorryandKitty。Doyouwantthreegirls?It’stenshillingshere。
STEPHENDelightedly。Ahundredthousandapologies。Hefumblesagainandtakesoutandhandshertwocrowns。Permit,brevimanu,mysightissomewhattroubled。
BellagoestothetabletocountthemoneywhileStephentalkstohimselfinmonosyllables。Zoeboundsovertothetable。KittyleansoverZoe’sneck。Lynchgetsup,rightshiscapand,claspingKitty’swaist,addshisheadtothegroup。
FLORRYStrivesheavilytorise。Ow!Myfoot’sasleep。Shelimpsovertothetable。Bloomapproaches。
BELLA,ZOE。KITTY,LYNCH,BLOOMChatteringandsquabbling。Thegentleman……tenshillings……payingforthethreeallowmeamoment……thisgentlemanpaysseparatewho’stouchingit?……ow……mindwhoyou’repinching……areyoustayingthenightorashorttime?whodid?……you’realiar,excuseme……thegentlemanpaiddownlikeagentleman……drink……it’slongaftereleven。
STEPHENAtthepianola,makingagestureofabhorrence。Nobottles!What,eleven?Ariddle。
ZOELiftingupherpettigownandfoldingahalfsovereignintothetopofherstocking。Hardearnedontheflatofmyback。
LYNCHLiftingKittyfromthetable。Come!
KITTYWait。Sheclutchesthetwocrowns。
FLORRYAndme?
LYNCHHoopla!Heliftshercarriesherandbumpsherdownonthesofa。
STEPHENThefoxcrew,thecocksflew,ThebellsinheavenWerestrikingeleven。’TistimeforherpoorsoulTogetoutofheaven。
第21章