Ulysses

  Blazes Boylan presented to the leaders’ skyblue frontlets and high action a skyblue tie, a widebrimmed straw hat at a rakish angle and a suit of indigo serge. His hands in his jacket pockets forgot to salute but he offered to the three ladies the bold admiration of his eyes and the red flower between his lips. As they drove along Nassau street His Excellency drew the attention of his bowing consort to the programme of music which was being discoursed in College park. Unseen brazen highland laddies blared and drumthumped after the cortège:

  But though she’s a factory lass

  And wears no fancy clothes.

  Baraabum.

  Yet I’ve a sort of a

  Yorkshire relish for

  My little Yorkshire rose.

  Baraabum.

  Thither of the wall the quartermile flat handicappers, M. C. Green, H. Thrift, T. M. Patey, C. Scaife, J. B. Jeffs, G. N. Morphy, F. Stevenson, C. Adderly, and W. C. Huggard started in pursuit. Striding past Finn’s hotel, Cashel Boyle O’Connor Fitzmaurice Tisdall Farrell stared through a fierce eyeglass across the carriages at the head of Mr E. M. Solomons in the window of the Austro-Hungarian viceconsulate. Deep in Leinster street, by Trinity’s postern, a loyal king’s man, Hornblower, touched his tallyho cap. As the glossy horses pranced by Merrion square Master Patrick Aloysius Dignam, waiting, saw salutes being given to the gent with the topper and raised also his new black cap with fingers greased by porksteak paper. His collar too sprang up. The viceroy, on his way to inaugurate the Minis bazaar in aid of funds for Mercer’s hospital, drove with his following towards Lower Mount street. He passed a blind stripling opposite Broadbent’s. In Lower Mount street a pedestrian in a brown macintosh, eating dry bread, passed swiftly and unscathed across the viceroy’s path. At the Royal Canal bridge, from his hoarding, Mr Eugene Stratton, his blub lips agrin, bade all comers welcome to Pembroke township. At Haddington road corner two sanded women halted themselves, an umbrella and a bag in which eleven cockles rolled to view with wonder the lord mayor and lady mayoress without his golden chain. On Northumberland and Landsdowne roads His Excellency acknowledged punctually salutes from rare male walkers, the salute of two small schoolboys at the garden gate of the house said to have been admired by the late queen when visiting the Irish capital with her husband, the prince consort, in 1849, and the salute of Almidano Artifoni’s sturdy trousers swallowed by a closing door.

  BRONZE by gold heard the hoofirons, steelyrining Impertbnthn thnthnthn.

  Chips, picking chips off rocky thumbnail, chips. Horrid! And gold flushed more.

  A husky fifenote blew.

  Blew. Blue bloom is on the

  Gold pinnacled hair.

  A jumping rose on satiny breasts of satin, rose of Castille.

  Trilling, trilling: Idolores.

  Peep! Who’s in the … peepofgold?

  Tink cried to bronze in pity.

  And a call, pure, long and throbbing. Longindying call.

  Decoy. Soft word. But look! The bright stars fade. O rose! Notes chirruping answer. Castille. The morn is breaking.

  Jingle jingle jaunted jingling.

  Coin rang. Clock clacked.

  Avowal. Sonnez. I could. Rebound of garter. Not leave thee. Smack. La cloche! Thigh smack. Avowal. Warm. Sweetheart, goodbye!

  Jingle. Bloo.

  Boomed crashing chords. When love absorbs. War! War! The tympanum.

  A sail! A veil awave upon the waves.

  Lost. Throstle fluted. All is lost now.

  Horn. Hawhorn.

  When first he saw. Alas!

  Full tup. Full throb.

  Warbling. Ah, lure! Alluring.

  Martha! Come!

  Clapclop. Clipclap. Clappyclap.

  Goodgod henev erheard inall.

  Deaf bald Fat brought pad knife took up.

  A moonlight nightcall: far: far.

  I feel so sad. P. S. So lonely blooming.

  Listen!

  The spiked and winding cold seahorn. Have you the? Each and for other plash and silent roar.

  Pearls: when she. Liszt’s rhapsodies. Hissss.

  You don’t?

  Did not: no, no: believe: Lidlyd. With a cock with a carra.

  Black.

  Deepsounding. Do, Ben, do.

  Wait while you wait. Hee hee. Wait while you hee.

  But wait!

  Low in dark middle earth. Embedded ore.

  Naminedamine. All gone. All fallen.

  Tiny, her tremulous fernfoils of maidenhair.

  Amen! He gnashed in fury.

  Fro. To, fro. A baton cool protruding.

  Bronzelydia by Minagold.

  By bronze, by gold, in oceangreen of shadow. Bloom. Old Bloom.

  One rapped, one tapped with a carra, with a cock.

  Pray for him! Pray, good people!

  His gouty fingers nakkering.

  Big Benaben. Big Benben.

  Last rose Castille of summer left bloom I feel so sad alone.

  Pwee! Little wind piped wee.

  True men. Lid Ker Cow De and Doll. Ay, ay. Like you men. Will lift your tschink with tschunk.

  Fff! Oo!

  Where bronze from anear? Where gold from afar? Where hoofs?

  Rrrpr. Kraa. Kraandl.

  Then, not till then. My eppripfftaph. Be pfrwritt.

  Done.

  Begin!

  Bronze by gold. Miss Douce’s head by Miss Kennedy’s head, over the crossblind of the Ormond bar heard the viceregal hoofs go by, ringing steel.

  —Is that her? asked Miss Kennedy.

  Miss Douce said yes, sitting with his ex, pearl grey and eau de Nil.

  —Exquisite contrast, Miss Kennedy said.

  When all agog Miss Douce said eagerly:

  —Look at the fellow in the tall silk.

  —Who? Where? gold asked more eagerly.

  —In the second carriage, Miss Douce’s wet lips said, laughing in the sun. He’s looking. Mind till I see.

  She darted, bronze, to the backmost corner, flattening her face against the pane in a halo of hurried breath.

  Her wet lips tittered:

  —He’s killed looking back.

  She laughed:

  —O wept! Aren’t men frightful idiots?

  With sadness.

  Miss Kennedy sauntered sadly from bright light, twining a loose hair behind an ear. Sauntering sadly, gold no more, she twisted twined a hair. Sadly she twined in sauntering gold hair behind a curving ear.

  —It’s them has the fine times, sadly then she said.

  A man.

  Bloowho went by by Moulang’s pipes, bearing in his breast the sweets of sin, by Wine’s antiques in memory bearing sweet sinful words, by Carroll’s dusky battered plate, for Raoul.

  The boots to them, them in the bar, them barmaids came. For them unheeding him he banged on the counter his tray of chattering china. And

  —There’s your teas, he said.

  Miss Kennedy with manners transposed the teatray down to an upturned lithia crate, safe from eyes, low.

  —What is it? loud boots unmannerly asked.

  —Find out, Miss Douce retorted, leaving her spying-point.

  —Your beau, is it?

  A haughty bronze replied:

  —I’ll complain to Mrs de Massey on you if I hear any more of your impertinent insolence.

  —Imperthnthn thnthnthn, bootsnout sniffed rudely, as he retreated as she threatened as he had come.

  Bloom.

  On her flower frowning Miss Douce said:

  —Most aggravating that young brat is. If he doesn’t conduct himself I’ll wring his ear for him a yard long.

  Ladylike in exquisite contrast.

  —Take no notice, Miss Kennedy rejoined.

  She poured in a teacup tea, then back in the teapot tea. They cowered under their reef of counter, waiting on footstools, crates upturned, waiting for their teas to draw. They pawed their blouses, both of black satin, two and nine a yard, waiting for their teas to draw, and two and seven.


  Yes, bronze from anear, by gold from afar, heard steel from anear, hoofs ring from afar, and heard steel-hoofs ringhoof ringsteel.

  —Am I awfully sunburnt?

  Miss Bronze unbloused her neck.

  —No, said Miss Kennedy. It gets brown after. Did you try the borax with the cherry laurel water?

  Miss Douce halfstood to see her skin askance in the barmirror gildedlettered where hock and claret glasses shimmered and in their midst a shell.

  —And leave it to my hands, she said.

  —Try it with the glycerine. Miss Kennedy advised.

  Bidding her neck and hands adieu Miss Douce

  —Those things only bring out a rash, replied, reseated. I asked that old fogey in Boyd’s for something for my skin.

  Miss Kennedy, pouring now fulldrawn tea, grimaced and prayed:

  —O, don’t remind me of him for mercy’sake!

  —But wait till I tell you, Miss Douce entreated.

  Sweet tea Miss Kennedy having poured with milk plugged both two ears with little fingers.

  —No, don’t, she cried.

  —I won’t listen, she cried.

  But Bloom?

  Miss Douce grunted in snuffy fogey’s tone:

  —For your what? says he.

  Miss Kennedy unplugged her ears to hear, to speak: but said, but prayed again:

  —Don’t let me think of him or I’ll expire. The hideous old wretch! That night in the Antient Concert Rooms.

  She sipped distastefully her brew, hot tea, a sip, sipped sweet tea.

  —Here he was, Miss Douce said, cocking her bronze head three quarters, ruffling her nosewings. Hufa! Hufa!

  Shrill shriek of laughter sprang from Miss Kennedy’s throat. Miss Douce huffed and snorted down her nostrils that quivered imperthnthn like a shout in quest.

  —O! shrieking. Miss Kennedy cried. Will you ever forget his goggle eye?

  Miss Douce chimed in in deep bronze laughter, shouting:

  —And your other eye!

  Bloowhose dark eye read Aaron Figatner’s name. Why do I always think Figather? Gathering figs I think. And Prosper Loré’s huguenot name. By Bassi’s blessed virgins Bloom’s dark eyes went by. Bluerobed, white under, come to me. God they believe she is: or goddess. Those today. I could not see. That fellow spoke. A student. After with Dedalus’ son. He might be Mulligan. All comely virgins. That brings those rakes of fellows in: her white.

  By went his eyes. The sweets of sin. Sweet are the sweets.

  Of sin.

  In a giggling peal young goldbronze voices blended, Douce with Kennedy your other eye. They threw young heads back, bronze gigglegold, to let freefly their laughter, screaming, your other, signals to each other, high piercing notes.

  Ah, panting, sighing. Sighing, ah, fordone their mirth died down.

  Miss Kennedy lipped her cup again, raised, drank a sip and giggle-giggled. Miss Douce, bending again over the teatray, ruffled again her nose and rolled droll fattened eyes. Again Kennygiggles, stooping her fair pinnacles of hair, stooping, her tortoise napecomb showed, spluttered out of her mouth her tea, choking in tea and laughter, coughing with choking, crying:

  —O greasy eyes! Imagine being married to a man like that, she cried. With his bit of beard!

  Douce gave full vent to a splendid yell, a full yell of full woman, delight, joy, indignation.

  —Married to the greasy nose! she yelled.

  Shrill, with deep laughter, after bronze in gold, they urged each each to peal after peal, ringing in changes, bronzegold goldbronze, shrilldeep, to laughter after laughter. And then laughed, more. Greasy I knows. Exhausted, breathless their shaken heads they laid, braided and pinnacled by glossycombed, against the counterledge. All flushed (O!), panting, sweating (O!), all breathless.

  Married to Bloom, to greaseaseabloom.

  —O saints above! Miss Douce said, sighed above her jumping rose. I wished I hadn’t laughed so much. I feel all wet.

  —O, Miss Douce! Miss Kennedy protested. You horrid thing!

  And flushed yet more (you horrid!), more goldenly.

  By Cantwell’s offices roved Greaseabloom, by Ceppi’s virgins, bright of their oils. Nannetti’s father hawked those things about, wheedling at doors as I. Religion pays. Must see him about Keyes’s par. Eat first. I want. Not yet. At four, she said. Time ever passing. Clock-hands turning. On. Where eat? The Clarence, Dolphin. On. For Raoul. Eat. If I net five guineas with those ads. The violet silk petticoats. Not yet. The sweets of sin.

  Flushed less, still less, goldenly paled.

  Into their bar strolled Mr Dedalus. Chips, picking chips off one of his rocky thumbnails. Chips. He strolled.

  —O welcome back, Miss Douce.

  He held her hand. Enjoyed her holidays?

  —Tiptop.

  He hoped she had nice weather in Rostrevor.

  —Gorgeous, she said. Look at the holy show I am. Lying out on the strand all day.

  Bronze whiteness.

  —That was exceedingly naughty of you, Mr Dedalus told her and pressed her hand indulgently. Tempting poor simple males.

  Miss Douce of satin douced her arm away.

  —O go away, she said. You’re very simple, I don’t think.

  He was.

  —Well now, I am, he mused. I looked so simple in the cradle they christened me simple Simon.

  —You must have been a doaty, Miss Douce made answer. And what did the doctor order today?

  —Well now, he mused, whatever you say yourself. I think I’ll trouble you for some fresh water and a half glass of whisky.

  Jingle.

  —With the greatest alacrity, Miss Douce agreed.

  With grace of alacrity towards the mirror gilt Cantrell and Cochrane’s she turned herself. With grace she tapped a measure of gold whisky from her crystal keg. Forth from the skirt of his coat Mr Dedalus brought pouch and pipe. Alacrity she served. He blew through the flue two husky fifenotes.

  —By Jove, he mused. I often wanted to see the Mourne mountains. Must be a great tonic in the air down there. But a long threatening comes at last, they say. Yes, yes.

  Yes. He fingered shreds of hair, her maidenhair, her mermaid’s, into the bowl. Chips. Shreds. Musing. Mute.

  None not said nothing. Yes.

  Gaily Miss Douce polished a tumbler, trilling:

  —O, Idolores, queen of the eastern seas !

  —Was Mr Lidwell in today?

  In came Lenehan. Round him peered Lenehan. Mr Bloom reached Essex bridge. Yes, Mr Bloom crossed bridge of Yessex. To Martha I must write. Buy paper. Daly’s. Girl there civil. Bloom. Old Bloom. Blue Bloom is on the rye.

  —He was in at lunchtime, Miss Douce said.

  Lenehan came forward.

  —Was Mr Boylan looking for me?

  He asked. She answered:

  —Miss Kennedy, was Mr Boylan in while I was upstairs?

  She asked. Miss voice of Kennedy answered, a second teacup poised, her gaze upon a page.

  —No. He was not.

  Miss gaze of Kennedy, heard not seen, read on. Lenehan round the sandwichbell wound his round body round.

  —Peep! Who’s in the corner?

  No glance of Kennedy rewarding him he yet made overtures. To mind her stops. To read only the black ones: round o and crooked ess.

  Jingle jaunty jingle.

  Girlgold she read and did not glance. Take no notice. She took no notice while he read by rote a solfa fable for her, plappering flatly:

  —Ah fox met ah stork. Said thee fox too thee stork: Will you put your bill down inn my troath and pull upp ah bone?

  He droned in vain. Miss Douce turned to her tea aside.

  He sighed, aside:

  —Ah me! O my!

  He greeted Mr Dedalus and got a nod.

  —Greetings from the famous son of a famous father.

  —Who may he be? Mr Dedalus asked.

  Lenehan opened most genial arms. Who?

  —Who may he be? he asked. Can you ask? Stephe
n, the youthful bard.

  Dry.

  Mr Dedalus, famous fighter, laid by his dry filled pipe.

  —I see, he said. I didn’t recognize him for the moment. I hear he is keeping very select company. Have you seen him lately?

  He had.

  —I quaffed the nectarbowl with him this very day, said Lenehan. In Mooney’s en ville and in Mooney’s sur mer. He had received the rhino for the labour of his muse.

  He smiled at bronze’s teabathed lips, at listening lips and eyes.

  —The élite of Erin hung upon his lips. The ponderous pundit, Hugh MacHugh, Dublin’s most brilliant scribe and editor, and that minstrel boy of the wild wet west who is known by the euphonious appellation of the O’Madden Burke.

  After an interval Mr Dedalus raised his grog and

  —That must have been highly diverting, said he. I see.