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。Hewasoverborneinacornfieldfirstryefield,Ishouldsayandhewillneverbeavictorinhisowneyesafternorplayvictoriouslythegameoflaughandliedown。Assumeddongiovannismwillnotsavehim。Nolaterundoingwillundothefirstundoing。Thetuskoftheboarhaswoundedhimthere-whereloveliesableeding。Iftheshrewisworstedyetthereremainstoherwoman’sinvisibleweapon。Thereis,Ifeelinthewords,somegoadofthefleshdrivinghimintoanewpassion,adarkershadowofthefirst,darkeningevenhisownunderstandingofhimself。Alifefateawaitshimandthetworagescommingleinawhirlpool。
Theylist。AndintheporchesoftheirearsIpour——
Thesoulhasbeenbeforestrickenmortally,apoisonpouredintheporchofasleepingear。ButthosewhoaredonetodeathinsleepcannotknowthemanneroftheirquellunlesstheirCreatorendowtheirsoulswiththatknowledgeinthelifetocome。ThepoisoningandthebeastwithtwobacksthaturgeditkingHamlet’sghostcouldnotknowofwerehenotendowedwithknowledgebyhiscreator。ThatiswhythespeechhisleanunlovelyEnglishisalwaysturnedelsewhere,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。HeswearsHisHighnessnotHisLordshipbysaintPatrick——
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,willstobelaidinearthnearthebonesofhisdeadwifeandbidshisfriendsbekindtoanoldmistressdon’tforgetNellGwynnHerpyllisandletherliveinhisvilla——
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。Thechristianlawswhichbuiltupthehoardsofthejewsforwhom,asforthelollards,stormwasshelterboundtheiraffectionstoowithhoopsofsteel。WhetherthesebesinsorvirtuesoldNobodaddywilltellusatdoomsdayleet。Butamanwhoholdssotightlytowhathecallshisrightsoverwhathecallshisdebtswillholdtightlyalsotowhathecallshisrightsoverherwhomhecallshiswife。Nosirsmileneighbourshallcovethisoxorhiswifeorhismanservantorhismaidservantorhisjackass——
Orhisjennyass,BuckMulliganantiphoned——
GentleWillisbeingroughlyhandled,gentleMrBestsaidgently——
WhichWill?gaggedsweetlyBuckMulligan。Wearegettingmixed——
Thewilltolive,JohnEglintonphilosophised,forpoorAnn,Will’swidow,isthewilltodie——
Requiescat!Stephenprayed。
Whatofallthewilltodo?
Ithasvanishedlongago——
Shelieslaidoutinstarkstiffnessinthatsecondbestbed,themobledqueen,eventhoughyouprovethatabedinthosedayswasasrareasamotorcarisnowandthatitscarvingswerethewonderofsevenparishes。InoldageshetakesupwithgospellersonestayedatNewPlaceanddrankaquartofsackthetownpaidforbutinwhichbedhesleptitskillsnottoaskandheardshehadasoul。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。
BUCKMULLIGANPiano,diminuendo。
ThenoutspokemedicalDick
TohiscomrademedicalDavy……
STEPHENInhistrinityofblackWills,thevillainshakebags,Iago,RichardCrookback,EdmundinKingLear,twobearthewickeduncles’names。Nay,thatlastplaywaswrittenorbeingwrittenwhilehisbrotherEdmundlaydyinginSouthwark。
BESTIhopeEdmundisgoingtocatchit。Idon’twantRichard,myname。
Laughter。
QUAKERLYSTERAtempo。Buthethatfilchesfrommemygoodname……
STEPHENStringendo。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,makeslovetoawidowedAnnwhat’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。WhenallissaidDumasfilsorisitDumaspère?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。TheplaywrightwhowrotethefolioofthisworldandwroteitbadlyHegaveuslightfirstandthesuntwodayslater,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。
Thedourreclusestilltherehehashiscakeandthedouceyoungling,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:
TOBYTOSTOFFaruinedPole
CRABabushranger
MEDICALDICK
andtwobirdswithonestone
MEDICALDAVY
MOTHERGROGANawatercarrier
FRESHNELLY
and
ROSALIEthecoalquaywhore
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