Ulysses(尤利西斯)

第8章

Hemurmuredthenwithblondedelightforall:

Betweentheacresoftherye

Theseprettycountryfolkwouldlie。

Paris:thewellpleasedpleaser。

Atallfigureinbeardedhomespunrosefromshadowandunveileditscooperativewatch——

IamafraidIamdueattheHomestead。

Whitheraway?Exploitableground——

Areyougoing,JohnEglinton’sactiveeyebrowsasked。ShallweseeyouatMoore’stonight?Piperiscoming——

Piper!MrBestpiped。IsPiperback?

PeterPiperpeckedapeckofpickofpeckofpickledpepper——

Idon’tknowifIcan。Thursday。Wehaveourmeeting。IfIcangetawayintime。

YogibogeyboxinDawsonchambers。IsisUnveiled。TheirPalibookwetriedtopawn。CrossleggedunderanumbrelumbershoothethronesanAzteclogos,functioningonastrallevels,theiroversoul,mahamahatma。Thefaithfulhermetistsawaitthelight,ripeforchelaship,ringroundabouthim。LouisH。Victory。T。CaulfieldIrwin。Lotusladiestendthemi’theeyes,theirpinealglandsaglow。Filledwithhisgodhethrones,Buddhunderplantain。Gulferofsouls,engulfer。Hesouls,shesouls,shoalsofsouls。Engulfedwithwailingcreecries,whirled,whirling,theybewail。

Inquintessentialtriviality

Foryearsinthisfleshcaseashesouldwelt——

Theysaywearetohavealiterarysurprise,thequakerlibrariansaid,friendlyandearnest。MrRussell,rumourhasit,isgatheringtogetherasheafofouryoungerpoets’verses。Wearealllookingforwardanxiously。

Anxiouslyheglancedintheconeoflamplightwherethreefaces,lighted,shone。

Seethis。Remember。

Stephenlookeddownonawideheadlesscaubeen,hungonhisashplanthandleoverhisknee。Mycasqueandsword。Touchlightlywithtwoindexfingers。Aristotle’sexperiment。Oneortwo?Necessityisthatinvirtueofwhichitisimpossiblethatonecanbeotherwise。Argai,onehatisonehat。

Listen。

YoungColumandStarkey。GeorgeRobertsisdoingthecommercialpart。LongworthwillgiveitagoodpuffintheExpress。O,willhe?IlikedColum’sDrover。Yes,Ithinkhehasthatqueerthing,genius。Doyouthinkhehasgeniusreally?Yeatsadmiredhisline:AsinwildearthaGrecianvase。Didhe?Ihopeyou’llbeabletocometonight。MalachiMulliganiscomingtoo。MooreaskedhimtobringHaines。DidyouhearMissMitchell’sjokeaboutMooreandMartyn?ThatMooreisMartyn’swildoats?Awfullyclever,isn’tit?TheyremindoneofdonQuixoteandSanchoPanza。Ournationalepichasyettobewritten,DrSigersonsays。Mooreisthemanforit。AknightoftheruefulcountenancehereinDublin。Withasaffronkilt?O’NeillRussell?O,yes,hemustspeakthegrandoldtongue。AndhisDulcinea?JamesStephensisdoingsomecleversketches。Wearebecomingimportant,itseems。

Cordelia。Cordoglio。Lir’sloneliestdaughter。

Nookshotten。NowyourbestFrenchpolish——

Thankyouverymuch,MrRussell,Stephensaid,rising。IfyouwillbesokindastogivethelettertoMrNorman——

O,yes。Ifheconsidersitimportantitwillgoin。Wehavesomuchcorrespondence——

Iunderstand,Stephensaid。Thanks。

Goodildyou。Thepigs’paper。Bullockbefriending——

SyngehaspromisedmeanarticleforDanatoo。Arewegoingtoberead?Ifeelweare。TheGaelicleaguewantssomethinginIrish。Ihopeyouwillcomeroundtonight。BringStarkey。

Stephensatdown。

Thequakerlibrariancamefromtheleavetakers。Blushinghismasksaid:——

MrDedalus,yourviewsaremostilluminating。

Hecreakedtoandfro,tiptoingupnearerheavenbythealtitudeofachopine,and,coveredbythenoiseofoutgoing,saidlow:——

Isityourview,then,thatshewasnotfaithfultothepoet?

Alarmedfaceasksme。Whydidhecome?Courtesyoraninwardlight?——

Wherethereisareconciliation,Stephensaid,theremusthavebeenfirstasundering——

Yes。

Christfoxinleathertrews,hiding,arunawayinblightedtreeforksfromhueandcry。Knowingnovixen,walkinglonelyinthechase。Womenhewontohim,tenderpeople,awhoreofBabylon,ladiesofjustices,bullytapsters’wives。Foxandgeese。AndinNewPlaceaslackdishonouredbodythatoncewascomely,onceassweet,asfreshascinnamon,nowherleavesfalling,all,bare,frightedofthenarrowgraveandunforgiven——

Yes。Soyouthink。

Thedoorclosedbehindtheoutgoer。

Restsuddenlypossessedthediscreetvaultedcell,restofwarmandbroodingair。

Avestal’slamp。

Herehepondersthingsthatwerenot:whatCaesarwouldhavelivedtodohadhebelievedthesoothsayer:whatmighthavebeen:possibilitiesofthepossibleaspossible:thingsnotknown:whatnameAchillesborewhenhelivedamongwomen。

Coffinedthoughtsaroundme,inmummycases,embalmedinspiceofwords。Thoth,godoflibraries,abirdgod,moonycrowned。AndIheardthevoiceofthatEgyptianhighpriest。Inpaintedchambersloadedwithtilebooks。

Theyarestill。Oncequickinthebrainsofmen。Still:butanitchofdeathisinthem,totellmeinmyearamaudlintale,urgemetowreaktheirwill——

Certainly,JohnEglintonmused,ofallgreatmenheisthemostenigmatic。Weknownothingbutthathelivedandsuffered。Notevensomuch。Othersabideourquestion。Ashadowhangsoveralltherest——

ButHamletissopersonal,isn’tit?MrBestpleaded。Imean,akindofprivatepaper,don’tyouknow,ofhisprivatelife。ImeanIdon’tcareabutton,don’tyouknow,whoiskilledorwhoisguilty……

Herestedaninnocentbookontheedgeofthedesk,smilinghisdefiance。Hisprivatepapersintheoriginal。Taanbadarantir。Taimimoshagart。Putbeurlaonit,littlejohn。

QuothlittlejohnEglinton:——

IwaspreparedforparadoxesfromwhatMalachiMulligantoldusbutImayaswellwarnyouthatifyouwanttoshakemybeliefthatShakespeareisHamletyouhaveasterntaskbeforeyou。

Bearwithme。

Stephenwithstoodthebaneofmiscreanteyes,glintingsternunderwrinkledbrows。Abasilisk。Equandovedel’uomol’attosca。MesserBrunetto,Ithanktheefortheword——

Aswe,ormotherDana,weaveandunweaveourbodies,Stephensaid,fromdaytoday,theirmoleculesshuttledtoandfro,sodoestheartistweaveandunweavehisimage。AndasthemoleonmyrightbreastiswhereitwaswhenIwasborn,thoughallmybodyhasbeenwovenofnewstufftimeaftertime,sothroughtheghostoftheunquietfathertheimageoftheunlivingsonlooksforth。Intheintenseinstantofimagination,whenthemind,Shelleysays,isafadingcoal,thatwhichIwasisthatwhichIamandthatwhichinpossibilityImaycometobe。Sointhefuture,thesisterofthepast,ImayseemyselfasIsitherenowbutbyreflectionfromthatwhichthenIshallbe。

DrummondofHawthorndenhelpedyouatthatstile——

Yes,MrBestsaidyoungly,IfeelHamletquiteyoung。ThebitternessmightbefromthefatherbutthepassageswithOpheliaaresurelyfromtheson。

Hasthewrongsowbythelug。Heisinmyfather。Iaminhisson——

Thatmoleisthelasttogo,Stephensaid,laughing。

JohnEglintonmadeanothingpleasingmow——

Ifthatwerethebirthmarkofgenius,hesaid,geniuswouldbeadruginthemarket。TheplaysofShakespeare’slateryearswhichRenanadmiredsomuchbreatheanotherspirit——

Thespiritofreconciliation,thequakerlibrarianbreathed——

Therecanbenoreconciliation,Stephensaid,iftherehasnotbeenasundering。

Saidthat——

IfyouwanttoknowwhataretheeventswhichcasttheirshadowoverthehelloftimeofKingLear,Othello,Hamlet,TroilusandCressida,looktoseewhenandhowtheshadowlifts。Whatsoftenstheheartofaman,Shipwreckedinstormsdire,Tried,likeanotherUlysses,Pericles,princeofTyre?

Head,redconecapped,buffeted,brineblinded——

Achild,agirlplacedinhisarms,Marina——

Theleaningofsophiststowardsthebypathsofapocryphaisaconstantquantity,JohnEglintondetected。Thehighroadsaredrearybuttheyleadtothetown。

GoodBacon:gonemusty。ShakespeareBacon’swildoats。Cypherjugglersgoingthehighroads。Seekersonthegreatquest。Whattowngoodmasters?Mummedinnames:A。E。,eon:Magee,JohnEglinton。Eastofthesun,westofthemoon:Tirnan-og。Bootedthetwainandstaved。

HowmanymilestoDublin?

Threescoreandten,sir。

Willwebetherebycandlelight?——

MrBrandesacceptsit,Stephensaid,asthefirstplayoftheclosingperiod——

Doeshe?WhatdoesMrSidneyLee,orMrSimonLazarus,assomeaverhisnameis,sayofit?——

Marina,Stephensaid,achildofstorm,Miranda,awonder,Perdita,thatwhichwaslost。Whatwaslostisgivenbacktohim:hisdaughter’schild。Mydearestwife,Periclessays,waslikethismaid。Willanymanlovethedaughterithehasnotlovedthemother?——

Theartofbeingagrandfather,MrBestganmurmur。L’artd’êtregrand——

Hisownimagetoamanwiththatqueerthinggeniusisthestandardofallexperience,materialandmoral。Suchanappealwilltouchhim。Theimagesofothermalesofhisbloodwillrepelhim。Hewillseeinthemgrotesqueattemptsofnaturetoforetellorrepeathimself。

Thebenignforeheadofthequakerlibrarianenkindledrosilywithhope——

IhopeMrDedaluswillworkouthistheoryfortheenlightenmentofthepublic。AndweoughttomentionanotherIrishcommentator,MrGeorgeBernardShaw。NorshouldweforgetMrFrankHarris。HisarticlesonShakespeareintheSaturdayReviewweresurelybrilliant。Oddlyenoughhetoodrawsforusanunhappyrelationwiththedarkladyofthesonnets。ThefavouredrivalisWilliamHerbert,earlofPembroke。Iownthatifthepoetmustberejected,sucharejectionwouldseemmoreinharmonywith-whatshallIsay?-ournotionsofwhatoughtnottohavebeen。

Felicitouslyheceasedandheldameekheadamongthem,auk’segg,prizeoftheirfray。

Hethousandtheesherwithgravehusbandwords。Dostlove,Miriam?Dostlovethyman?——

Thatmaybetoo,Stephensaid。ThereisasayingofGoethe’swhichMrMageelikestoquote。Bewareofwhatyouwishforinyouthbecauseyouwillgetitinmiddlelife。Whydoeshesendtoonewhoisabuonaroba,abaywhereallmenride,amaidofhonourwithascandalousgirlhood,alordlingtowooforhim?HewashimselfalordoflanguageandhadmadehimselfacoistrelgentlemanandhadwrittenRomeoandJuliet。Why?Beliefinhimselfhasbeenuntimelykilled。Hewasoverborneinacornfieldfirst(ryefield,Ishouldsay)andhewillneverbeavictorinhisowneyesafternorplayvictoriouslythegameoflaughandliedown。Assumeddongiovannismwillnotsavehim。Nolaterundoingwillundothefirstundoing。Thetuskoftheboarhaswoundedhimthere-whereloveliesableeding。Iftheshrewisworstedyetthereremainstoherwoman’sinvisibleweapon。Thereis,Ifeelinthewords,somegoadofthefleshdrivinghimintoanewpassion,adarkershadowofthefirst,darkeningevenhisownunderstandingofhimself。Alifefateawaitshimandthetworagescommingleinawhirlpool。

Theylist。AndintheporchesoftheirearsIpour——

Thesoulhasbeenbeforestrickenmortally,apoisonpouredintheporchofasleepingear。ButthosewhoaredonetodeathinsleepcannotknowthemanneroftheirquellunlesstheirCreatorendowtheirsoulswiththatknowledgeinthelifetocome。ThepoisoningandthebeastwithtwobacksthaturgeditkingHamlet’sghostcouldnotknowofwerehenotendowedwithknowledgebyhiscreator。Thatiswhythespeech(hisleanunlovelyEnglish)isalwaysturnedelsewhere,backward。Ravisherandravished,whathewouldbutwouldnot,gowithhimfromLucrece’sbluecircledivoryglobestoImogen’sbreast,bare,withitsmolecinquespotted。Hegoesback,wearyofthecreationhehaspileduptohidehimfromhimself,anolddoglickinganoldsore。But,becauselossishisgain,hepassesontowardseternityinundiminishedpersonality,untaughtbythewisdomhehaswrittenorbythelawshehasrevealed。Hisbeaverisup。Heisaghost,ashadownow,thewindbyElsinore’srocksorwhatyouwill,thesea’svoice,avoiceheardonlyintheheartofhimwhoisthesubstanceofhisshadow,thesonconsubstantialwiththefather——

Amen!respondedfromthedoorway。

Hastthoufoundme,Omineenemy?

Entr’acte。

Aribaldface,sullenasadean’s,BuckMulligancameforwardsthenblitheinmotley,towardsthegreetingoftheirsmiles。Mytelegram——

Youwerespeakingofthegaseousvertebrate,ifImistakenot?heaskedofStephen。

PrimrosevestedhegreetedgailywithhisdoffedPanamaaswithabauble。

Theymakehimwelcome。WasDinverlachstwirstDunochdienen。

Broddofmockers:Photius,pseudomalachi,JohannMost。

HeWhoHimselfbegot,middlertheHolyGhost,andHimselfsenthimself,Agenbuyer,betweenHimselfandothers,Who,putuponbyHisfiends,strippedandwhipped,wasnailedlikebattobarndoor,starvedoncrosstree,WholetHimbury,stoodup,harrowedhell,faredintoheavenandtherethesenineteenhundredyearssittethontherighthandofHisOwnSelfbutyetshallcomeinthelatterdaytodoomthequickanddeadwhenallthequickshallbedeadalready。

Heliftshands。Veilsfall。O,flowers!Bellswithbellswithbellsaquiring——

Yes,indeed,thequakerlibrariansaid。Amostinstructivediscussion,MrMulligan,I’llbebound,hashistheorytoooftheplayandofShakespeare。Allsidesoflifeshouldberepresented。

Hesmiledonallsidesequally。

BuckMulliganthought,puzzled:——

Shakespeare?hesaid。Iseemtoknowthename。

Aflyingsunnysmilerayedinhisloosefeatures——

Tobesure,hesaid,rememberingbrightly。ThechapthatwriteslikeSynge。

MrBestturnedtohim:——

Hainesmissedyou,hesaid。Didyoumeethim?He’llseeyouafterattheD。B。C。He’sgonetoGill’stobuyHyde’sLovesongsofConnacht——

Icamethroughthemuseum,BuckMulligansaid。Washehere?——

Thebard’sfellowcountrymen,JohnEglintonanswered,arerathertiredperhapsofourbrillianciesoftheorising。IhearthatanactressplayedHamletforthefourhundredandeighthtimelastnightinDublin。Viningheldthattheprincewasawoman。Hasno-onemadehimouttobeanIrishman?JudgeBarton,Ibelieve,issearchingforsomeclues。Heswears(HisHighnessnotHisLordship)bysaintPatrick——

ThemostbrilliantofallisthatstoryofWilde’s,MrBestsaid,liftinghisbrilliantnotebook。ThatPortraitofMrW。H。whereheprovesthatthesonnetswerewrittenbyaWillieHughes,amanallhues——

ForWillieHughes,isitnot?thequakerlibrarianasked。

OrHughieWills。MrWilliamHimself。W。H。:whoamI?——

Imean,forWillieHughes,MrBestsaid,amendinghisglosseasily。Ofcourseit’sallparadox,don’tyouknow,Hughesandhewsandhuesthecolour,butit’ssotypicalthewayheworksitout。It’stheveryessenceofWilde,don’tyouknow。Thelighttouch。

Hisglancetouchedtheirfaceslightlyashesmiled,ablondephebe。TameessenceofWilde。

You’redarnedwitty。ThreedramsofusquebaughyoudrankwithDanDeasy’sducats。

HowmuchdidIspend?O,afewshillings。

Foraplumpofpressmen。Humourwetanddry。

Wit。Youwouldgiveyourfivewitsforyouth’sproudliveryhepranksin。Lineamentsofgratifieddesire。

Therebemanymo。Takeherforme。Inpairingtime。Jove,acoolruttimesendthem。Yea,turtledoveher。

Eve。Nakedwheatbelliedsin。Asnakecoilsher,fangin’skiss——

Doyouthinkitisonlyaparadox,thequakerlibrarianwasasking。Themockerisnevertakenseriouslywhenheismostserious。

Theytalkedseriouslyofmocker’sseriousness。

BuckMulligan’sagainheavyfaceeyedStephenawhile。Then,hisheadwagging,hecamenear,drewafoldedtelegramfromhispocket。Hismobilelipsread,smilingwithnewdelight——

Telegram!hesaid。Wonderfulinspiration!Telegram!Apapalbull!

Hesatonacorneroftheunlitdesk,readingaloudjoyfully:——

Thesentimentalistishewhowouldenjoywithoutincurringtheimmensedebtorshipforathingdone。Signed:Dedalus。Wheredidyoulaunchitfrom?Thekips?No。CollegeGreen。Haveyoudrunkthefourquid?Theauntisgoingtocallonyourunsubstantialfather。Telegram!MalachiMulligan,theShip,lowerAbbeystreet。O,youpeerlessmummer!O,youpriestifiedkinchite!

Joyfullyhethrustthemessageandenvelopeintoapocketbutkeenedinquerulousbrogue:——

It’swhatI’mtellingyou,misterhoney,it’squeerandsickwewere,Hainesandmyself,thetimehimselfbroughtitin。’Twasmurmurwedidforagalluspotionwouldrouseafriar,I’mthinking,andhelimpwithleching。AndweonehourandtwohoursandthreehoursinConnery’ssittingcivilwaitingforpintsapiece。

Hewailed!——

Andwetobethere,mavrone,andyoutobeunbeknownstsendingusyourconglomerationsthewaywetohaveourtonguesoutayardlonglikethedrouthyclericsdobefaintingforapussful。

Stephenlaughed。Quickly,warningfullyBuckMulliganbentdown:——

ThetramperSyngeislookingforyou,hesaid,tomurderyou。HeheardyoupissedonhishalldoorinGlasthule。He’soutinpampootiestomurderyou——

Me!Stephenexclaimed。Thatwasyourcontributiontoliterature。

BuckMulligangleefullybentback,laughingtothedarkeavesdroppingceiling——

Murderyou!helaughed。

HarshgargoylefacethatwarredagainstmeoverourmessofhashoflightsinrueSaint-André-des-Arts。Inwordsofwordsforwords,palabras。OisinwithPatrick。FaunmanhemetinClamartwoods,brandishingawinebottle,C’estvendredisaint!MurtheringIrish。Hisimage,wandering,hemet。Imine。Imetafooli’theforest——

MrLyster,anattendantsaidfromthedoorajar……inwhicheveryonecanfindhisown。SoMrJusticeMaddeninhisDiaryofMasterWilliamSilencehasfoundthehuntingterms……Yes?Whatisit?——

There’sagentlemanhere,sir,theattendantsaid,comingforwardandofferingacard。FromtheFreeman。HewantstoseethefilesoftheKilkennyPeopleforlastyear——

Certainly,certainly,certainly。Isthegentleman?……

Hetooktheeagercard,glanced,notsaw,laiddown,unglanced,looked,asked,creaked,asked:——

Ishe?……Othere!

Briskinagalliardhewasoffandout。Inthedaylitcorridorhetalkedwithvolublepainsofzeal,indutybound,mostfair,mostkind,mosthonestbroadbrim——

Thisgentleman?Freeman’sJournal?KilkennyPeople?Tobesure。Goodday,sir。Kilkenny……Wehavecertainly……

Apatientsilhouettewaited,listening——

Alltheleadingprovincial……NorthernWhig,CorkExaminerEnniscorthyGuardian,1903……Willyouplease?……Evans,conductthisgentleman……Ifyoujustfollowtheatten……Orpleaseallowme……Thisway……Please,sir……

Voluble,dutiful,heledthewaytoalltheprovincialpapers,abowingdarkfigurefollowinghishastyheels。

Thedoorclosed——

Thesheeny!BuckMulligancried。

Hejumpedupandsnatchedthecard——

What’shisname?IkeyMoses?Bloom。

Herattledon——

Jehovah,collectorofprepuces,isnomore。IfoundhimoverinthemuseumwhenIwenttohailthefoambornAphrodite。TheGreekmouththathasneverbeentwistedinprayer。Everydaywemustdohomagetoher。Lifeoflife,thylipsenkindle。

SuddenlyheturnedtoStephen:——

Heknowsyou。Heknowsyouroldfellow。O,Ifearme,heisGreekerthantheGreeks。HispaleGalileaneyeswereuponhermesialgroove。VenusKallipyge。O,thethunderofthoseloins!Thegodpursuingthemaidenhid。

Wewanttohearmore,JohnEglintondecidedwithMrBest’sapproval。WebegintobeinterestedinMrsS。Tillnowwehadthoughtofher,ifatall,asapatientGriselda,aPenelopestayathome——

Antisthenes,pupilofGorgias,Stephensaid,tookthepalmofbeautyfromKyriosMenelaus’brooddam,ArgiveHelen,thewoodenmareofTroyinwhomascoreofheroesslept,andhandedittopoorPenelope。TwentyyearshelivedinLondonand,duringpartofthattime,hedrewasalaryequaltothatofthelordchancellorofIreland。Hislifewasrich。Hisart,morethantheartoffeudalism,asWaltWhitmancalledit,istheartofsurfeit。Hotherringpies,greenmugsofsack,honeysauces,sugarofroses,marchpane,gooseberriedpigeons,ringocandies。SirWalterRaleigh,whentheyarrestedhim,hadhalfamillionfrancsonhisbackincludingapairoffancystays。ThegombeenwomanElizaTudorhadunderlinenenoughtoviewithherofSheba。Twentyyearshedalliedtherebetweenconjugalloveanditschastedelightsandscortatoryloveanditsfoulpleasures。YouknowManningham’sstoryoftheburgher’swifewhobadeDickBurbagetoherbedaftershehadseenhiminRichardIIIandhowShakespeare,overhearing,withoutmoreadoaboutnothing,tookthecowbythehornsand,whenBurbagecameknockingatthegate,answeredfromthecapon’sblankets:WilliamtheconquerorcamebeforeRichardIII。Andthegaylakin,MistressFitten,mountandcryO,andhisdaintybirdsnies,LadyPenelopeRich,acleanqualitywomanissuitedforaplayer,andthepunksofthebankside,apennyatime。

Cours-la-Reine。Encorevingtsous。Nousferonsdepetitescochonneries。Minette?Tuveux?——

Theheightoffinesociety。AndsirWilliamDavenantofOxford’smotherwithhercupofcanaryforeverycockcanary。

BuckMulligan,hispiouseyesupturned,prayed:——

BlessedMargaretMaryAnycock!——

AndHarryofsixwives’daughterandotherladyfriendsfromneighbourseats,asLawnTennyson,gentlemanpoet,sings。ButallthosetwentyyearswhatdoyousupposepoorPenelopeinStratfordwasdoingbehindthediamondpanes?

Doanddo。Thingdone。InaroseryofFetterLaneofGerard,herbalist,hewalks,greyedauburn。Anazuredharebelllikeherveins。LidsofJuno’seyes,violets。Hewalks。Onelifeisall。Onebody。Do。Butdo。Afar,inareekoflustandsqualor,handsarelaidonwhiteness。

BuckMulliganrappedJohnEglinton’sdesksharply——

Whomdoyoususpect?hechallenged——

Saythatheisthespurnedloverinthesonnets。Oncespurnedtwicespurned。Butthecourtwantonspurnedhimforalord,hisdearmylove。

Lovethatdarenotspeakitsname——

AsanEnglishman,youmean,JohnsturdyEglintonputin,helovedalord。

Oldwallwheresuddenlizardsflash。AtCharentonIwatchedthem——

Itseemsso,Stephensaid,whenhewantstodoforhim,andforallotherandsingularunearedwombs,theholyofficeanostlerdoesforthestallion。Maybe,likeSocrates,hehadamidwifetomotherashehadashrewtowife。Butshe,thegiglotwanton,didnotbreakabedvow。Twodeedsarerankinthatghost’smind:abrokenvowandthedullbrainedyokelonwhomherfavourhasdeclined,deceasedhusband’sbrother。SweetAnnItakeit,washotintheblood。Onceawooertwiceawooer。

Stephenturnedboldlyinhischair——

Theburdenofproofiswithyounotwithme,hesaid,frowning。IfyoudenythatinthefifthsceneofHamlethehasbrandedherwithinfamy,tellmewhythereisnomentionofherduringthethirtyfouryearsbetweenthedayshemarriedhimandthedaysheburiedhim。Allthosewomensawtheirmendownandunder:Mary,hergoodmanJohn,Ann,herpoor

dearWillun,whenhewentanddiedonher,ragingthathewasthefirsttogo,Joan,herfourbrothers,Judith,herhusbandandallhersons,Susan,herhusbandtoo,whileSusan’sdaughter,Elizabeth,tousegranddaddy’swords,wedhersecond,havingkilledherfirst。

Oyes,mentionthereis。IntheyearswhenhewaslivingrichlyinroyalLondontopayadebtshehadtoborrowfortyshillingsfromherfather’sshepherd。Explainyouthen。Explaintheswansongtoowhereinhehascommendedhertoposterity。

Hefacedtheirsilence。

TowhomthusEglinton:

Youmeanthewill。

Thathasbeenexplained,Ibelieve,byjurists。

Shewasentitledtoherwidow’sdower

Atcommonlaw。Hislegalknowledgewasgreat

Ourjudgestellus。

HimSatanfleers,

Mocker:

Andthereforeheleftouthername

Fromthefirstdraftbuthedidnotleaveout

Thepresentsforhisgranddaughter,forhisdaughters,

Forhissister,forhisoldcroniesinStratford

AndinLondon。Andthereforewhenhewasurged,

AsIbelieve,tonameher

HeleftherhisSecondbest

Bed。

Punkt

Leftherhis

Secondbest

Bestabed

Secabest

Leftabed。

Woa!——

Prettycountryfolkhadfewchattelsthen,JohnEglintonobserved,astheyhavestillifourpeasantplaysaretruetotype——

Hewasarichcountrygentleman,Stephensaid,withacoatofarmsandlandedestateatStratfordandahouseinIrelandyard,acapitalistshareholder,abillpromoter,atithefarmer。Whydidhenotleaveherhisbestbedifhewishedhertosnoreawaytherestofhernightsinpeace?——

Itisclearthatthereweretwobeds,abestandasecondbest,MrSecondbestBestsaidfinely——

Separatioamensaetathalamo,betteredBuckMulliganandwassmiledon——

Antiquitymentionsfamousbeds,SecondEglintonpuckered,bedsmiling。Letmethink——

AntiquitymentionsthatStagyriteschoolurchinandbaldheathensage,Stephensaid,whowhendyinginexilefreesandendowshisslaves,paystributetohiselders,willstobelaidinearthnearthebonesofhisdeadwifeandbidshisfriendsbekindtoanoldmistress(don’tforgetNellGwynnHerpyllis)andletherliveinhisvilla——

Doyoumeanhediedso?MrBestaskedwithslightconcern。Imean——

Hedieddeaddrunk,BuckMulligancapped。Aquartofaleisadishforaking。O,ImusttellyouwhatDowdensaid!——

What?askedBesteglinton。

WilliamShakespeareandcompany,limited。Thepeople’sWilliam。Fortermsapply:E。Dowden,Highfieldhouse——

Lovely!BuckMulligansuspiredamorously。Iaskedhimwhathethoughtofthechargeofpederastybroughtagainstthebard。Heliftedhishandsandsaid:Allwecansayisthatliferanveryhighinthosedays。Lovely!

Catamite——

Thesenseofbeautyleadsusastray,saidbeautifulinsadnessBesttouglingEglinton。

SteadfastJohnrepliedsevere:——

Thedoctorcantelluswhatthosewordsmean。Youcannoteatyourcakeandhaveit。

Sayestthouso?Willtheywrestfromus,frommethepalmofbeauty?——

Andthesenseofproperty,Stephensaid。HedrewShylockoutofhisownlongpocket。Thesonofamaltjobberandmoneylenderhewashimselfacornjobberandmoneylenderwithtentodsofcornhoardedinthefamineriots。HisborrowersarenodoubtthosediversofworshipmentionedbyChettleFalstaffwhoreportedhisuprightnessofdealing。Hesuedafellowplayerforthepriceofafewbagsofmaltandexactedhispoundoffleshininterestforeverymoneylent。HowelsecouldAubrey’sostlerandcallboygetrichquick?Alleventsbroughtgristtohismill。Shylockchimeswiththejewbaitingthatfollowedthehangingandquarteringofthequeen’sleechLopez,hisjew’sheartbeingpluckedforthwhilethesheenywasyetalive:HamletandMacbethwiththecomingtothethroneofaScotchphilosophasterwithaturnforwitchroasting。ThelostarmadaishisjeerinLove’sLabourLost。Hispageants,thehistories,sailfullbelliedonatideofMafekingenthusiasm。Warwickshirejesuitsaretriedandwehaveaporter’stheoryofequivocation。TheSeaVenturecomeshomefromBermudasandtheplayRenanadmirediswrittenwithPatsyCaliban,ourAmericancousin。ThesugaredsonnetsfollowSidney’s。AsforfayElizabeth,otherwisecarrotyBess,thegrossvirginwhoinspiredTheMerryWivesofWindsor,letsomemeinherrfromAlmanygropehislifelongfordeephidmeaningsinthedepthofthebuckbasket。

Ithinkyou’regettingonverynicely。Justmixupamixtureoftheolologicophilolological。Mingo,minxi,mictum,mingere——

Provethathewasajew,JohnEglintondared,expectantly。YourdeanofstudiesholdshewasaholyRoman。

Sufflaminandussum——

HewasmadeinGermany,Stephenreplied,asthechampionFrenchpolisherofItalianscandals——

Amyriadmindedman,MrBestreminded。Coleridgecalledhimmyriadminded。

Amplius。Insocietatehumanahocestmaximenecessariumutsitamicitiaintermultos——

SaintThomas,Stephenbegan——

Orapronobis,MonkMulligangroaned,sinkingtoachair。

Therehekeenedawailingrune——

Poguemahone!Asushlamachree!It’sdestroyedwearefromthisday!It’sdestroyedwearesurely!

Allsmiledtheirsmiles——

SaintThomas,Stephen,smiling,said,whosegorbelliedworksIenjoyreadingintheoriginal,writingofincestfromastandpointdifferentfromthatofthenewVienneseschoolMrMageespokeof,likensitinhiswiseandcuriouswaytoanavariceoftheemotions。Hemeansthatthelovesogiventoonenearinbloodiscovetouslywithheldfromsomestrangerwho,itmaybe,hungersforit。Jews,whomchristianstaxwithavarice,areofallracesthemostgiventointer-marriage。Accusationsaremadeinanger。Thechristianlawswhichbuiltupthehoardsofthejews(forwhom,asforthelollards,stormwasshelter)boundtheiraffectionstoowithhoopsofsteel。WhetherthesebesinsorvirtuesoldNobodaddywilltellusatdoomsdayleet。Butamanwhoholdssotightlytowhathecallshisrightsoverwhathecallshisdebtswillholdtightlyalsotowhathecallshisrightsoverherwhomhecallshiswife。Nosirsmileneighbourshallcovethisoxorhiswifeorhismanservantorhismaidservantorhisjackass——

Orhisjennyass,BuckMulliganantiphoned——

GentleWillisbeingroughlyhandled,gentleMrBestsaidgently——

WhichWill?gaggedsweetlyBuckMulligan。Wearegettingmixed——

Thewilltolive,JohnEglintonphilosophised,forpoorAnn,Will’swidow,isthewilltodie——

Requiescat!Stephenprayed。

Whatofallthewilltodo?

Ithasvanishedlongago——

Shelieslaidoutinstarkstiffnessinthatsecondbestbed,themobledqueen,eventhoughyouprovethatabedinthosedayswasasrareasamotorcarisnowandthatitscarvingswerethewonderofsevenparishes。Inoldageshetakesupwithgospellers(onestayedatNewPlaceanddrankaquartofsackthetownpaidforbutinwhichbedhesleptitskillsnottoask)andheardshehadasoul。ShereadorhadreadtoherhischapbookspreferringthemtotheMerryWivesand,loosinghernightlywatersonthejordan,shethoughtoverHooksandEyesforBelievers’BreechesandThemostSpiritualSnuffboxtoMaketheMostDevoutSoulsSneeze。Venushadtwistedherlipsinprayer。Agenbiteofinwit:remorseofconscience。Itisanageofexhaustedwhoredomgropingforitsgod——

Historyshowsthattobetrue,inquitEglintonusChronolologos。Theagessucceedoneanother。Butwehaveitonhighauthoritythataman’sworstenemiesshallbethoseofhisownhouseandfamily。IfeelthatRussellisright。Whatdowecareforhiswifeandfather?Ishouldsaythatonlyfamilypoetshavefamilylives。Falstaffwasnotafamilyman。Ifeelthatthefatknightishissupremecreation。

Lean,helayback。Shy,denythykindred,theuncoguid。Shysuppingwiththegodless,hesneaksthecup。AsireinUltonianAntrimbadeithim。Visitshimhereonquarterdays。MrMagee,sir,there’sagentlemantoseeyou。Me?Sayshe’syourfather,sir。GivememyWordsworth。EnterMageeMorMatthew,aruggedroughrugheadedkern,instrosserswithabuttonedcodpiece,hisnetherstocksbemiredwithclauberoftenforests,awandofwildinginhishand。

Yourown?Heknowsyouroldfellow。Thewidower。

HurryingtohersqualiddeathlairfromgayParisonthequaysideItouchedhishand。Thevoice,newwarmth,speaking。DrBobKennyisattendingher。Theeyesthatwishmewell。Butdonotknowme——

Afather,Stephensaid,battlingagainsthopelessness,isanecessaryevil。Hewrotetheplayinthemonthsthatfollowedhisfather’sdeath。Ifyouholdthathe,agreyingmanwithtwomarriageabledaughters,withthirtyfiveyearsoflife,nelmezzodelcammindinostravita,withfiftyofexperience,isthebeardlessundergraduatefromWittenbergthenyoumustholdthathisseventyyearoldmotheristhelustfulqueen。No。ThecorpseofJohnShakespearedoesnotwalkthenight。Fromhourtohouritrotsandrots。Herests,disarmedoffatherhood,havingdevisedthatmysticalestateuponhisson。Boccaccio’sCalandrinowasthefirstandlastmanwhofelthimselfwithchild。Fatherhood,inthesenseofconsciousbegetting,isunknowntoman。Itisamysticalestate,anapostolicsuccession,fromonlybegettertoonlybegotten。OnthatmysteryandnotonthemadonnawhichthecunningItalianintellectflungtothemobofEuropethechurchisfoundedandfoundedirremovablybecausefounded,liketheworld,macro-andmicrocosm,uponthevoid。Uponincertitude,uponunlikelihood。Amormatris,subjectiveandobjectivegenitive,maybetheonlytruethinginlife。Paternitymaybealegalfiction。Whoisthefatherofanysonthatanysonshouldlovehimorheanyson?

Whatthehellareyoudrivingat?

Iknow。Shutup。Blastyou!Ihavereasons。

Amplius。Adhuc。Iterum。Postea。

Areyoucondemnedtodothis?——

Theyaresunderedbyabodilyshamesosteadfastthatthecriminalannalsoftheworld,stainedwithallotherincestsandbestialities,hardlyrecorditsbreach。Sonswithmothers,sireswithdaughters,lesbicsisters,lovesthatdarenotspeaktheirname,nephewswithgrandmothers,jailbirdswithkeyholes,queenswithprizebulls。Thesununbornmarsbeauty:born,hebringspain,dividesaffection,increasescare。Heisamale:hisgrowthishisfather’sdecline,hisyouthhisfather’senvy,hisfriendhisfather’senemy。

InrueMonsieur-le-PrinceIthoughtit——

Whatlinkstheminnature?Aninstantofblindrut。AmIfather?IfIwere?

Shrunkenuncertainhand——

Sabellius,theAfrican,subtlestheresiarchofallthebeastsofthefield,heldthattheFatherwasHimselfHisOwnSon。ThebulldogofAquin,withwhomnowordshallbeimpossible,refuteshim。Well:ifthefatherwhohasnotasonbenotafathercanthesonwhohasnotafatherbeason?WhenRutlandbaconsouthamptonshakespeareoranotherpoetofthesamenameinthecomedyoferrorswroteHamlethewasnotthefatherofhisownsonmerelybut,beingnomoreason,hewasandfelthimselfthefatherofallhisrace,thefatherofhisowngrandfather,thefatherofhisunborngrandsonwho,bythesametoken,neverwasbornfornature,asMrMageeunderstandsher,abhorsperfection。

Eglintoneyes,quickwithpleasure,lookedupshybrightly。Gladlyglancing,amerrypuritan,throughthetwistedeglantine。

Flatter。Rarely。ButFlatter——

Himselfhisownfather,Sonmulligantoldhimself。Wait。Iambigwithchild。Ihaveanunbornchildinmybrain。PallasAthena!Aplay!Theplay’sthething!Letmeparturiate!

Heclaspedhispaunchbrowwithbothbirthaidinghands——

Asforhisfamily,Stephensaid,hismother’snamelivesintheforestofArden。HerdeathbroughtfromhimthescenewithVolumniainCoriolanus。Hisboyson’sdeathisthedeathsceneofyoungArthurinKingJohn。Hamlet,theblackprince,isHamnetShakespeare。WhothegirlsinTheTempest,inPericles,inWinter’sTaleareweknow。WhoCleopatra,fleshpotofEgypt,andCressidandVenusarewemayguess。Butthereisanothermemberofhisfamilywhoisrecorded——

Theplotthickens,JohnEglintonsaid。

Thequakerlibrarian,quaking,tiptoedin,quake,hismask,quake,withhaste,quake,quack。

Doorclosed。Cell。Day。

Theylist。Three。They。

Iyouhethey。

Come,mess。

STEPHENHehadthreebrothers,Gilbert,Edmund,Richard。GilbertinhisoldagetoldsomecavaliershegotapassfornowtfromMaisterGathereronetimemasshedidandheseenhisbrudMaisterWulltheplaywriterupinLunnoninawrastlingplaywudamanon’sback。TheplayhousesausagefilledGilbert’ssoul。Heisnowhere:butanEdmundandaRichardarerecordedintheworksofsweetWilliam。

MAGEEGLINJOHNNames!What’sinaname?

BESTThatismyname,Richard,don’tyouknow。IhopeyouaregoingtosayagoodwordforRichard,don’tyouknow,formysake。

(Laughter。)

BUCKMULLIGAN(Piano,diminuendo。)

ThenoutspokemedicalDick

TohiscomrademedicalDavy……

STEPHENInhistrinityofblackWills,thevillainshakebags,Iago,RichardCrookback,EdmundinKingLear,twobearthewickeduncles’names。Nay,thatlastplaywaswrittenorbeingwrittenwhilehisbrotherEdmundlaydyinginSouthwark。

BESTIhopeEdmundisgoingtocatchit。Idon’twantRichard,myname。

(Laughter。)

QUAKERLYSTER(Atempo。)Buthethatfilchesfrommemygoodname……

STEPHEN(Stringendo。)Hehashiddenhisownname,afairname,William,intheplays,asuperhere,aclownthere,asapainterofoldItalysethisfaceinadarkcornerofhiscanvas。HehasrevealeditinthesonnetswherethereisWillinoverplus。LikeJohnO’Gaunthisnameisdeartohim,asdearasthecoatofarmshetoadiedfor,onabendsableaspearorsteeledargent,honorificabilitudinitatibus,dearerthanhisgloryofgreatestshakesceneinthecountry。What’sinaname?Thatiswhatweaskourselvesinchildhoodwhenwewritethenamethatwearetoldisours。Astar,adaystar,afiredrakeroseathisbirth。Itshonebydayintheheavensalone,brighterthanVenusinthenight,andbynightitshoneoverdeltainCassiopeia,therecumbentconstellationwhichisthesignatureofhisinitialamongthestars。Hiseyeswatchedit,lowlyingonthehorizon,eastwardofthebear,ashewalkedbytheslumberoussummerfieldsatmidnight,returningfromShotteryandfromherarms。

Bothsatisfied。Itoo。

Don’ttellthemhewasnineyearsoldwhenitwasquenched。

Andfromherarms。

Waittobewooedandwon。Ay,meacock。Whowillwooyou?

Readtheskies。Autontimerumenos。BonusStephanoumenos。Where’syourconfiguration?Stephen,Stephen,cutthebreadeven。S。D。:suadonna。Già:dilui。Gelindorisolvedinonamar。S。D——

Whatisthat,MrDedalus?thequakerlibrarianasked。Wasitacelestialphenomenon?——

Astarbynight,Stephensaid,apillarofthecloudbyday。

Whatmore’stospeak?

Stephenlookedonhishat,hisstick,hisboots。

Stephanos,mycrown。Mysword。Hisbootsarespoilingtheshapeofmyfeet。Buyapair。Holesinmysocks。Handkerchieftoo——

Youmakegooduseofthename,JohnEglintonallowed。Yourownnameisstrangeenough。Isupposeitexplainsyourfantasticalhumour。

Me,MageeandMulligan。

Fabulousartificer,thehawklikeman。Youflew。Whereto?Newhaven-Dieppe,steeragepassenger。Parisandback。Lapwing。Icarus。Pater,ait。Seabedabbled,fallen,weltering。Lapwingyouare。Lapwinghe。

MrBest’seagerquietlyliftedhisbooktosay:——

That’sveryinterestingbecausethatbrothermotive,don’tyouknow,wefindalsointheoldIrishmyths。Justwhatyousay。ThethreebrothersShakespeare。InGrimmtoo,don’tyouknow,thefairytales。Thethirdbrotherthatmarriesthesleepingbeautyandwinsthebestprize。

BestofBestbrothers。Good,better,best。

Thequakerlibrarianspringhaltednear——

Ishouldliketoknow,hesaid,whichbrotheryou……Iunderstandyoutosuggesttherewasmisconductwithoneofthebrothers……ButperhapsIamanticipating?

Hecaughthimselfintheact:lookedatall:refrained。

Anattendantfromthedoorwaycalled:——

MrLyster!FatherDineenwants——

O!FatherDineen!Directly。

Swiftlyrectlycreakingrectlyrectlyhewasrectlygone。

JohnEglintontouchedthefoil——

Come,hesaid。LetushearwhatyouhavetosayofRichardandEdmund。Youkeptthemforthelast,didn’tyou?——

InaskingyoutorememberthosetwonoblekinsmennuncleRichieandnuncleEdmund,Stephenanswered,IfeelIamaskingtoomuchperhaps。Abrotherisaseasilyforgottenasanumbrella。

Lapwing。

Whereisyourbrother?Apothecaries’hall。Mywhetstone。Him,thenCranly,Mulligan:nowthese。Speech,speech。Butact。Actspeech。Theymocktotryyou。Act。Beactedon。

Lapwing。

Iamtiredofmyvoice,thevoiceofEsau。Mykingdomforadrink。

On——

Youwillsaythosenameswerealreadyinthechroniclesfromwhichhetookthestuffofhisplays。Whydidhetakethemratherthanothers?Richard,awhoresoncrookback,misbegotten,makeslovetoawidowedAnn(what’sinaname?),woosandwinsher,awhoresonmerrywidow。Richardtheconqueror,thirdbrother,cameafterWilliamtheconquered。Theotherfouractsofthatplayhanglimplyfromthatfirst。OfallhiskingsRichardistheonlykingunshieldedbyShakespeare’sreverence,theangeloftheworld。WhyistheunderplotofKingLearinwhichEdmundfiguresliftedoutofSidney’sArcadiaandspatchcockedontoaCelticlegendolderthanhistory?——

ThatwasWill’sway,JohnEglintondefended。WeshouldnotnowcombineaNorsesagawithanexcerptfromanovelbyGeorgeMeredith。Quevoulez-vous?Moorewouldsay。HeputsBohemiaontheseacoastandmakesUlyssesquoteAristotle——

Why?Stephenansweredhimself。BecausethethemeofthefalseortheusurpingortheadulterousbrotherorallthreeinoneistoShakespeare,whatthepoorisnot,alwayswithhim。Thenoteofbanishment,banishmentfromtheheart,banishmentfromhome,soundsuninterruptedlyfromTheTwoGentlemenofVeronaonwardtillProsperobreakshisstaff,buriesitcertainfathomsintheearthanddrownshisbook。Itdoublesitselfinthemiddleofhislife,reflectsitselfinanother,repeatsitself,protasis,epitasis,catastasis,catastrophe。Itrepeatsitselfagainwhenheisnearthegrave,whenhismarrieddaughterSusan,chipoftheoldblock,isaccusedofadultery。Butitwastheoriginalsinthatdarkenedhisunderstanding,weakenedhiswillandleftinhimastronginclinationtoevil。ThewordsarethoseofmylordsbishopsofMaynooth:anoriginalsinand,likeoriginalsin,committedbyanotherinwhosesinhetoohassinned。Itisbetweenthelinesofhislastwrittenwords,itispetrifiedonhistombstoneunderwhichherfourbonesarenottobelaid。Agehasnotwitheredit。Beautyandpeacehavenotdoneitaway。Itisininfinitevarietyeverywhereintheworldhehascreated,inMuchAdoaboutNothing,twiceinAsyoulikeIt,inTheTempest,inHamlet,inMeasureforMeasure,andinalltheotherplayswhichIhavenotread。

Helaughedtofreehismindfromhismind’sbondage。JudgeEglintonsummedup——

Thetruthismidway,heaffirmed。Heistheghostandtheprince。Heisallinall——

Heis,Stephensaid。Theboyofactoneisthematuremanofactfive。Allinall。InCymbeline,inOthelloheisbawdandcuckold。Heactsandisactedon。Loverofanidealoraperversion,likeJoséhekillstherealCarmen。HisunremittingintellectisthehornmadIagoceaselesslywillingthatthemoorinhimshallsuffer——

Cuckoo!Cuckoo!CuckMulligancluckedlewdly。Owordoffear!

Darkdomereceived,reverbed——

AndwhatacharacterisIago!undauntedJohnEglintonexclaimed。WhenallissaidDumasfils(orisitDumaspère?)isright。AfterGodShakespearehascreatedmost——

Mandelightshimnotnorwomanneither,Stephensaid。Hereturnsafteralifeofabsencetothatspotofearthwherehewasborn,wherehehasalwaysbeen,manandboy,asilentwitnessandthere,hisjourneyoflifeended,heplantshismulberrytreeintheearth。Thendies。Themotionisended。GravediggersburyHamletpéreandHamletfils。Akingandaprinceatlastindeath,withincidentalmusic。And,whatthoughmurderedandbetrayed,beweptbyallfrailtenderheartsfor,DaneorDubliner,sorrowforthedeadistheonlyhusbandfromwhomtheyrefusetobedivorced。Ifyouliketheepiloguelooklongonit:prosperousProspero,thegoodmanrewarded,Lizzie,grandpa’slumpoflove,andnuncleRichie,thebadmantakenoffbypoeticjusticetotheplacewherethebadniggersgo。Strongcurtain。Hefoundintheworldwithoutasactualwhatwasinhisworldwithinaspossible。Maeterlincksays:IfSocratesleavehishousetodayhewillfindthesageseatedonhisdoorstep。IfJudasgoforthtonightitistoJudashisstepswilltend。Everylifeismanydays,dayafterday。Wewalkthroughourselves,meetingrobbers,ghosts,giants,oldmen,youngmen,wives,widows,brothers-in-love。Butalwaysmeetingourselves。Theplaywrightwhowrotethefolioofthisworldandwroteitbadly(Hegaveuslightfirstandthesuntwodayslater),thelordofthingsastheyarewhomthemostRomanofcatholicscalldioboia,hangmangod,isdoubtlessallinallinallofus,ostlerandbutcher,andwouldbebawdandcuckoldtoobutthatintheeconomyofheaven,foretoldbyHamlet,therearenomoremarriages,glorifiedman,anandrogynousangel,beingawifeuntohimself——

Eureka!BuckMulligancried。Eureka!

SuddenlyhappiedhejumpedupandreachedinastrideJohnEglinton’sdesk——

MayI?hesaid。TheLordhasspokentoMalachi。

Hebegantoscribbleonaslipofpaper。

Takesomeslipsfromthecountergoingout——

Thosewhoaremarried,MrBest,douceherald,said,allsaveone,shalllive。Therestshallkeepastheyare。

Helaughed,unmarried,atEglintonJohannes,ofartsabachelor。

Unwed,unfancied,wareofwiles,theyfingerpondernightlyeachhisvariorumeditionofTheTamingoftheShrew——

Youareadelusion,saidroundlyJohnEglintontoStephen。YouhavebroughtusallthiswaytoshowusaFrenchtriangle。Doyoubelieveyourowntheory?——

No,Stephensaidpromptly——

Areyougoingtowriteit?MrBestasked。Yououghttomakeitadialogue,don’tyouknow,likethePlatonicdialoguesWildewrote。

JohnEclecticondoublysmiled——

Well,inthatcase,hesaid,Idon’tseewhyyoushouldexpectpaymentforitsinceyoudon’tbelieveityourself。DowdenbelievesthereissomemysteryinHamletbutwillsaynomore。HerrBleibtreu,themanPipermetinBerlin,whoisworkingupthatRutlandtheory,believesthatthesecretishiddenintheStratfordmonument。Heisgoingtovisitthepresentduke,Pipersays,andprovetohimthathisancestorwrotetheplays。Itwillcomeasasurprisetohisgrace。Buthebelieveshistheory。

Ibelieve,OLord,helpmyunbelief。Thatis,helpmetobelieveorhelpmetounbelieve?Whohelpstobelieve?Egomen。Whotounbelieve?Otherchap——

YouaretheonlycontributortoDanawhoasksforpiecesofsilver。ThenIdon’tknowaboutthenextnumber。FredRyanwantsspaceforanarticleoneconomics。

Fraidrine。Twopiecesofsilverhelentme。Tideyouover。Economics——

Foraguinea,Stephensaid,youcanpublishthisinterview。

BuckMulliganstoodupfromhislaughingscribbling,laughing:andthengravelysaid,honeyingmalice:——

IcalleduponthebardKinchathissummerresidenceinupperMecklenburghstreetandfoundhimdeepinthestudyoftheSummacontraGentilesinthecompanyoftwogonorrhealladies,FreshNellyandRosalie,thecoalquaywhore。

Hebrokeaway——

Come,Kinch。Come,wandering&Aelig;ngusofthebirds。

Come,Kinch,youhaveeatenallweleft。Ay,Iwillserveyouyourortsandoffals。

Stephenrose。

Lifeismanydays。Thiswillend——

Weshallseeyoutonight,JohnEglintonsaid。NotreamiMooresaysMalachiMulliganmustbethere。

BuckMulliganflauntedhisslipandpanama——

MonsieurMoore,hesaid,lectureronFrenchletterstotheyouthofIreland。I’llbethere。Come,Kinch,thebardsmustdrink。Canyouwalkstraight?

Laughinghe……

Swilltilleleven。Irishnights’entertainment。

Lubber……

Stephenfollowedalubber……

Onedayinthenationallibrarywehadadiscussion。Shakes。AfterhislubbackIfollowed。Igallhiskibe。

Stephen,greeting,thenallamort,followedalubberjester,awellkempthead,newbarbered,outofthevaultedcellintoashatteringdaylightofnothoughts。

WhathaveIlearned?Ofthem?Ofme?

WalklikeHainesnow。

Theconstantreaders’room。Inthereaders’bookCasheBoyleO’ConnorFitzmauriceTisdallFarrellparafeshispolysyllables。Item:wasHamletmad?Thequaker’spategodlilywithapriesteeninbooktalk——

Opleasedo,sir……Ishallbemostpleased……

AmusedBuckMulliganmusedinpleasantmurmurwithhimself,selfnodding:——

Apleasedbottom。

Theturnstile。

Isthat?……Blueribbonedhat……Idlywriting……What?Looked?……

Thecurvingbalustrade;smoothslidingMincius。

PuckMulligan,panamahelmeted,wentstepbystep,iambing,trolling:

JohnEglinton,myjo,John。

Whywon’tyouwedawife?

Hesputteredtotheair:

O,thechinlessChinaman!ChinChonEgLinTon。Wewentovertotheirplaybox,HainesandI,theplumbers’hall。OurplayersarecreatinganewartforEuropeliketheGreeksorM。Maeterlinck。Abbeytheatre!Ismellthepublicsweatofmonks。

Hespatblank。

Forgot:anymorethanheforgotthewhippinglousyLucygavehim。Andleftthefemmedetrenteans。Andwhynootherchildrenborn?Andhisfirstchildagirl?

Afterwit。Goback。

Thedourreclusestillthere(hehashiscake)andthedouceyoungling,minionofpleasure,Phedo’stoyablefairhair。

Eh……Ijusteh……wanted……Iforgot……he——

LongworthandM’CurdyAtkinsonwerethere……

Ihardlyhearthepurlieucry

OraTommytalkasIpassoneby

Beforemythoughtsbegintorun

OnF。M’CurdyAtkinson,

Thesamethathadthewoodenleg

Andthatfilibusteringfillibeg

Thatneverdaredtoslakehisdrouth,

Mageethathadthechinlessmouth。

Beingafraidtomarryonearth

Theymasturbatedforalltheywereworth。

Jeston。Knowthyself。

Haltedbelowme,aquizzerlooksatme。Ihalt——

Mournfulmummer,BuckMulliganmoaned。Syngehasleftoffwearingblacktobelikenature。Onlycrows,priestsandEnglishcoalareblack。

Alaughtrippedoverhislips——

Longworthisawfullysick,hesaid,afterwhatyouwroteaboutthatoldhakeGregory。Oyouinquisitionaldrunkenjewjesuit!ShegetsyouajobonthepaperandthenyougoandslateherdriveltoJaysus。Couldn’tyoudotheYeatstouch?

Hewentonanddown,mopping,chantingwithwavinggracefularms:——

Themostbeautifulbookthathascomeoutofourcountryinmytime。OnethinksofHomer。

Hestoppedatthestairfoot——

Ihaveconceivedaplayforthemummers,hesaidsolemnly。

ThepillaredMoorishhall,shadowsentwined。Gonetheninemen’smorricewithcapsofindices。

InsweetlyvaryingvoicesBuckMulliganreadhistablet:

EverymanHisownWife

or

AHoneymoonintheHand

(anationalimmoralityinthreeorgasms)

by

BallockyMulligan

Heturnedahappypatch’ssmirktoStephen,saying:——

Thedisguise,Ifear,isthin。Butlisten。

Heread,marcato:——

Characters:

TOBYTOSTOFF(aruinedPole)

CRAB(abushranger)

MEDICALDICK

and(twobirdswithonestone)

MEDICALDAVY

MOTHERGROGAN(awatercarrier)

FRESHNELLY

and

ROSALIE(thecoalquaywhore)

Helaughed,lollingatoandfrohead,walkingon,followedbyStephen:andmirthfullyhetoldtheshadows,soulsofmen:——

O,thenightintheCamdenhallwhenthedaughtersofErinhadtolifttheirskirtstostepoveryouasyoulayinyourmulberrycoloured,multicoloured,multitudinousvomit!——

ThemostinnocentsonofErin,Stephensaid,forwhomtheyeverliftedthem。

Abouttopassthroughthedoorway,feelingonebehind,hestoodaside。

Part。Themomentisnow。Wherethen?IfSocratesleavehishousetoday,ifJudasgoforthtonight。Why?ThatliesinspacewhichIintimemustcometo,ineluctably。

Mywill:hiswillthatfrontsme。Seasbetween。

Amanpassedoutbetweenthem,bowing,greeting——

Gooddayagain,BuckMulligansaid。

Theportico。

HereIwatchedthebirdsforaugury。&Aelig;ngusofthebirds。Theygo,theycome。nightIflew。Easilyflew。Menwandered。Streetofharlotsafter。Acreamfruitmelonheheldtome。In。Youwillsee——

Thewanderingjew,BuckMulliganwhisperedwithclown’sawe。Didyouseehiseye?Helookeduponyoutolustafteryou。Ifearthee,ancientmariner。O,Kinch,thouartinperil。Gettheeabreechpad。

MannerofOxenford。

Day。Wheelbarrowsunoverarchofbridge。

Adarkbackwentbeforethem。Stepofapard,down,outbythegateway,underportcullisbarbs。

Theyfollowed。

Offendmestill。Speakon。

KindairdefinedthecoignsofhousesinKildarestreet。Nobirds。Frailfromthehousetopstwoplumesofsmokeascended,pluming,andinaflawofsoftnesssoftlywereblown。

Ceasetostrive。PeaceofthedruidpriestsofCymbeline,hierophantic:fromwideearthanaltar。

Laudwethegods

Andletourcrookedsmokesclimbtotheirnostrils

Fromourbless’daltars。

WanderingRocks

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