Reinhard Lins: Zeitrichtige Bibliothek. Diplomarbeit

ZEITRICHTIGE BIBLIOTHEK
Reinhard Lins
Diplomarbeit
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Reinhard Lins
ZEITRICHTIGE BIBLIOTHEK
Diplomarbeit
eingereicht an der LEOPOLD-FR ANZENS-UNIVERSITÄT INNSBRUCK, Fakultät für Architektur
zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades „DIPLOM-INGENIEUR“
o.Univ.Prof.Arch.Dipl.-Ing. Volker Giencke, Institut für experimentelle Architektur / Studio3
November 2006
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Meiner Familie
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INHALT
PROLOG
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A LIBR ARY FOR THE NEW AGE
Wettbewerbsauschreibung
Erste Gedanken
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ALS OB MAN ÜBER BIBLIOTHEKEN FORSCHEN MUSS UM EINE ZU BAUEN
Wesentliche Planungsfaktoren
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ANFORDERUNGEN AN ZUKÜNF TIGE BIBLIOTHEKEN
Traditionelle und Moderne Bibliotheken im Vergleich
Wir müssen die Zukunft wollen
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DIGITALE BIBLIOTHEK
Das Ende der Gutenberg Galaxis und die digitale Weltbibiothek
Digital Rights Management
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DORT DRÜBEN AUF DEN SCHIENEN …
Der Bahnhof, die Literatur und James Joyce
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POESIE DER ENTSCHLEUNIGUNG
Entschleunigung, Kontemplation oder „Alles veloziferisch“
Wem gehört die Zeit
330! Du bist der Langsamste.
G - is for a Good Shave
Pfeifen und Zentimeter
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ZEITRICHTIGE BIBLIOTHEK
Die Zeit anhalten
Bibliothekarisches Konzept
Präsentation der Medien
Sicherheit | Das Magazin | Die Arbeitsplätze
Visuell Taktil Akustisch Linear Intervall Gleichzeitig
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PL ÄNE UND ZEICHNUNGEN
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LITER ATUR ANGABEN
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ABBILDUNGSVERZEICHNIS
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ICH DANKE
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PROLOG
Die Halbwertszeit unseres Wissens beträgt sieben Jahre, in zehn Jahren verdoppelt
sich das Wissen der Menschheit.1 Meine Bibliothek ist eine sich selbst regenerierende
Bibliothek welche sich nicht unbegrenzt erweitert sondern Altes aussondert.
Trotzdem gibt es einen Zuwachs an Medien. Die neuen und aktuellen Medien
werden in der Bibliothek untergebracht, die veralteten Medien werden vernichtet.
Stößt die Bibliothek an die Kapazitätsgrenzen werden neue Bibliotheken an anderen
Orten gebaut.
ERROR 404 THE PAGE CANNOT BE FOUND.
Was gibt es in jedem Ort? Wo hat eine Bibliothek Platz? Post, Bank, Kirche, Schule,
Kindergarten, Gasthaus, Lebensmittelladen, Gemeindeamt.
Nutzung ungenutzter Orte. Bahnhof.
In Wien wurde 2003 die neue Hauptbibliothek am Gürtel direkt über einen U-Bahn
Bahnhof gebaut. Patz genug. Besucherfrequenz garantiert.
Die Halbwer tszeit ist abhängig von der untersuchten Disziplin. So ist die Halbwer tszeit
in der Philosophie 50 0 Jahre und mehr, in
der Biochemie beträgt die Halbwer tszeit des
Wissens nur wenige Wochen.
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Die freie Internet- Enzyklopädie „Wikipedia“
wurde im Mär z 20 0 0 von Jimmy Wales ge meinsam mit Larr y Sanger als „ Nupedia“ erfunden. Am 15.01.2001 ging dann das Projekt
unter der Adresse www. wikipedia.com online.
Dies gilt als Geburtsstunde der Wikipedia. Am
20.0 6.20 03 verkündete Wales die Gründung
der Wikimedia Foundation und ab diesem Tag
war die Wikipedia unter der Non-profit Domain
w w w.wikipedia.org erreichbar. Mittler weile
sind kritische Stimmen laut geworden, da die
Qualität der Ar tikel durch bewußt falsch eingegebene Informationen sehr stark schwankt.
Der Mitbegründer Larry Sanger, welcher sich
schon im Februar 20 02 von Wikipedia entfer nte, b emüht sic h der zeit um ein neue s
Projekt ähnlich der Grundidee von Nupedia
mit festangestellten Lektoren zur Sicherung
der wissenschaf tlichen Qualität der Ar tikel.
So gesehen war Wikipedia 20 03 sehr wohl
er funden, hatte jedoch bei weitem noch nicht
die heutige Popularität und entzog sich daher
der Kenntniss des Autors.
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Bahnhöfe sind für mich meistens Unorte, Bahnhofsrestaurants ein Tummelplatz für
Nutten und bildungsferne Randgruppen der Gesellschaft. Die Bahnhofsoffensive
der ÖBB versucht da einiges zu ändern. Bahnhöfe werden eingeteilt in
Kategorien, und so ein Umbau bringt mindestens einen Kategoriensprung. Eine
Haube für den Bahnhof. Die brachliegenden Flächen über den Gleisanlagen
bleiben. Bahnhofsüberbauungen wurden in den letzen Jahren immer wieder ins
Gespräch gebracht. Mit meist kommerziellen Nutzungen wie Shopping-Malls und
Kinocentern. Unsere Gesellschaft giert nach Geldausgeben, Spielen und Vergnügen.
Immer up to date! Ist lesen in? up2date? kewl (73w1)? Das Internet als einzige
Informationsquelle der hippen modernen Gesellschaft, der Rest informiert sich aus
den politisch gefärbten Lokalnachrichten. Wissen wird vorverdaut und in leicht
konsumierbaren Dosen verabreicht. Bei einer Recherche im Internet wird abhängig
von der eingegebenen Suchlogik mehr oder weniger Müll ausgegeben. Eine
andere Möglichkeit zur Informationsbeschaffung ist das Aufsuchen „zuverlässiger“
Informationsquellen und man vertraut auf die Filterung durch die „Community“.
Zum Zeitpunkt dieser Gedanken ist die bekannte Internet-Enzyklopädie Wikipedia
noch nicht erfunden.2
Die einzige Zeit im Jahr, in der sich jeder zwingt „LANGSAMER“ zu sein, die
Zeit zu geniessen und „besinnlicher“ zu sein, ist die Vorweihnachtszeit. Davon ist
nichts zu spüren und dennoch gibt es vermehrt Tendenzen diese Langsamkeit neu zu
erfahren und bewusst stattfinden zu lassen. Wie Pilze schießen Wochenendseminare
aus dem Boden, welche neue Wege zur Langsamkeit aufzeigen wollen. Unzählige
Autoren verdienen sich eine goldene Nasen mit Ratgebern zum Zeit-Management.
„Zeitmillionäre“3 im anderen Sinn. Da wird der Nikolaus in den Wald eingeladen,
sogar das Weihnachtsfest wird in den Wald verlegt. Das Christkind kommt plötzlich
wieder überall hin, bevorzugt komischerweise in den Wald. Ich schweife ab.
Jeder der zumindest einmal pro Woche surft „kennt sich aus“ im Internet. Ich liebe
es, den Gesprächen zuzuhören über neueste Errungenschaften, wie ein neues
Mobiltelefon welches zwar kaum zum Telefonieren geeignet ist, dafür aber Photos
machen kann mit dem man Freunde, Bekannte und Feinde mit irgendwelchen
Schnappschüssen per MMS beglücken kann. Die Schafe der Gesellschaft sind im
Besitz der Halbwahrheit – aufbereitet und geliefert von den Marketingabteilungen
der Marktbeherrscher. Alles ist möglich – und noch viel mehr. Demnächst. Bigger
– Better – Faster – More. Wozu? Weil es geht! Ok, das ist eine Begründung die Spaß
macht.
Stell dir vor das Internet steht still. Nur für einen Tag. Keine Email. Kein Chat, kein
Spam, kein Diskussionsforum und auch keine andere Communitiy in der man sich
sonst „trifft“. Zeit. Plötzlich hat man Zeit. Ich baue eine zeitrichtige Bibliothek, die
mit, nach und trotz der aktuellen Hypes bestehen kann.
Meine Bibliothek kann die Zeit anhalten!
Levine (1998). Robert Levines „The Geography
of Time“ führ te den Begrif f „ Zeitmillionäre“
ein und analysier te das Zeitbewusstsein in
zahlreichen Gesellschaf ten und Völkern.
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A LIBR ARY FOR THE NEW AGE
Das Thema dieser Diplomarbeit basier t auf einen Wet tbewerb im Frühsommer 20 03 mit dem Titel
„A Librar y for the New Age“. Aus der Wettbewerbsauschreibung (frei übersetzt) 1 :
Die Informationsflut beeinflusst jeden Aspekt sozialer Strukturen und fordert
die Überarbeitung öffentlicher Einrichtungen. Die Bibliothek wird auch von
diesem Strudel gefangen. Seit der Entwicklung des Informationszeitalters
kann man ein ungeheuerliches Wachstum an Informationen feststellen.
Nicht nur aufgrund des Internet und des World Wide Web, sondern auch
aufgrund der immer größer werdenden Anzahl an veröffentlichten Büchern
und Zeitschriften. Es wurde schnell unmöglich, alle diese Informationen in
konventionellen Bibliotheken zu sammeln und unterzubringen, wo hingegen die computergestützte Suche immer einfacher und schneller wurde.
Die Computer haben die Karteikästen ersetzt und verwandeln diese in „information access corners“. Anstatt die Manuskripte an einem Arbeitstisch
durchzusehen / [überfliegen] wurde es üblich, auf eine entspannte Art zu
lesen. Überdies können Bücher, die von einem Computer verwaltet/katalogisiert sind, von Computern auch gelesen werden.
Weiter s ist die Bibliothek heute ein I nformations Net z werk Knoten in
der Gemeinschaft. Ihre Rolle hat sich auf die Förderung von Vor trägen,
Ausstellungen und Treffen für Menschen mit ähnlichen Interessen erweitert. Heute ist es bei weitem passender anstatt den Begriff „Bibliothek“ die
Bezeichnung „Mediathek“ zu verwenden.
Das Thema des Wettbewerbes ist also, eine für unsere Epoche angemessene Bibliothek zu finden. Als Alternative wäre der Umbau einer bestehenden
Bibliothek möglich. Anstatt großer, funktionell komplexer Bibliotheken werden eng mit der lokalen Gemeinschaft verbundene Bibliotheken gewünscht,
welche ein Teil des täglichen Lebens der Bewohner sind. Die Wahl des Ortes
und der Maßstab bleiben dem Teilnehmer überlassen. Es wird darauf gehofft, dass die Konzeptvorschläge und Entwürfe den Nerv unserer Epoche
tref fen und gleichzeitig auf die möglichen zukünf tigen Funktionen der
neuen Bibliothek reagieren.
Die komplette englischsprachige Ausschreibung
ist unter http://www.cgco.co.jp/english/glass_
house.html abrufbar. [10 - 0 6 -20 03]
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M a i l F r o m : c 84017 @ u i b k.a c.a t
m e i n e g e d a n k e n z u m t h e m a, w e n i g s t r u k t u r i e r t, w a s m i r m o m e n t a n e i n f a e l lt:
d a s t h e m a m e d i e n,m e d i a t h e k i n t e r e s s i e r t m i c h p e r s o e n l i c h. m i c h r e i z t d e r g e d a n k e, k o n z e p t e f u e r e i n e
n u r- e le k t r o n i s c h e bi bl io t h e k z u e nt w ic k e l n. o b d ie m o e gl ic h k e it g e g e b e n w i r d, s a e m t l ic h e e le k t r o n i s c h e n
i n fo r m a t i o n e n j e d e r z e it i n b u c h fo r m L I V E u n d DI R E K T z u e r s t e l l e n k a n n i c h j e t z t n o c h n i c h t s a g e n. d e r
e r s t e g e d a n k e s a g t m i r, d a s s d a s d i e m e n s c h e n w o l l e n. u n d d e r d a r a u f fo l g e n d e g e d a n k e i s t d e r, d a s s
d e r m e n s c h a u c h a n d e r e s l e r n e n u n d e r f a h r e n k a n n / m u s s /s o l l. e s w i r d i n d e n n a e c h s t e n m o n a t e n e r s t e
c o m p u t e r d i s p l a y s g e b e n , d i e f a lt b a r u n d p a p i e r d i c k s i n d u n d d i e h e r k ö m m l i c h e n f l a c h b i l d s c h i r m e /
m o n it o r e e r s e t z e n k o e n n e n w e r d e n. d i e s e d i s p l a y s w e r d e n t r a g b a r s e i n u n d d i e i n fo r m a t i o n e n u e b e r
f u n k e r h a lt e n.
d i e g e n a n n t e n e u e n u t z u n g d e r b i b l i o t h e k a l s v e r s a m m l u n g s u n d v e r a n s t a lt u n g s r a u m g e p a a r t m it d e r
i nt e g r at io n d e r bi bl iot h e k i n d a s k o m m u n a le g e s c h e h e n w u e r d e v e r m u t l ic h f u e r d ie m e i s t e n or t s c h a f t e n u n d
s t a e d t e e i n e b e r e ic h e r u n g b e d e u t e n. ic h d e n k e h ie r a u c h a n d a s t h e m a o e ffe nt l ic h e r r a u m , b e r e it s t e l lu n g
f u e r d ie o e ffe n t l ic h k e it. d ie b e n u t z e r d e r b i b l io t h e k s ol le n d u r c h d e n h offe n t l ic h a u f t r e t e n d e n u m t r ie b
n i c h t g e s t o e r t w e r d e n u n d s o k a n n i c h m i r v o r s t e l l e n, d a s s a n s t a t t d e r k a r t e i k a s t e n u n d l e s e p l a e t z e
u m w e lt g e s c h u e t z t e z o n e n v o r h a n d e n s i n d i n d e n e n d i e i n fo r m a t i o n e n g e s u c h t, g e s a m m e lt u n d k o n s u m i e r t
w e r d e n. e s k o e n n t e z e it l ic h b e g r e n z t m i e t b a r e b e r e ic h e g e b e n, d i e i m r a h m e n e i n e r fo r s c h u n g s t a e t ig k e it
r u n d u m d i e u h r v o m m i e t e r b e n u t z t w e r d e n k o e n n e n. i c h w e i s s n i c h t, o b d i e s e r g e d a n k e w i r k l i c h
d u r c h g e s p o n n e n w e r d e n s ol l: „k e i n p a pie r i n d e r b i b l io t h e k. d ie p a pie rlo s e b i b l io t h e k!“. i n fo r m at io n e n,
k o p i e n a u s b u e c h e r n e t c. g i b t e s n u r i n e l e k t r o n i s c h e r fo r m. d e r b e n u t z e r s p e i c h e r t d i e d a t e n a u f
s e i n e m h a n d h e l d , e i n e r s p e i c h e r k a r t e, i n s e i n e m h a n d y, s e i n e r u h r, ...
d ie g rosse frag e a n d er elek t ro n isc h e n bi bliot h ek ist bloss d ie: w oz u m u ss ic h u e b erh au pt i n d ie
b i b l i o t h e k g e h e n ? d i e b i b l i o t h e k k o e n n t e d o c h a u c h e i n f a c h „i m i n t e r n e t“ s e i n u n d j e d e r h o lt s i c h a l l e
i n fo r m a t i o n e n b e q u e m v o n z u h a u s e. ( n a c h d e m i n d e n n a e c h s t e n 5 ja h r e n i n o e s t e r r e i c h b e i n a h e j e d e r
b e w o h n e r z w i s c h e n 10 u n d 60 ja h r e n m it e i n e m i n t e r n e t z u g a n g ( p r iv a t, s c h u l e, u n i o d e r g e s c h a e f t l i c h )
v e r s o r g t s e i n w i r d.)[ g e n a u e z a h l e n w e i s s i c h j e t z t a l l e r d i n g s n i c h t].v i e l l e i c h t i s t d i e p a p i e r l o s e
bi bl iot h e k g e n au s o e i n e fe h le i n sc h a etz u n g w ie d a s p a pie rlo s e b u r e au. v ie l le ic ht s ol lt e d a s h au pt au g e n m e rk
n i c h t a u f d i e e l e k t o n i s c h e n m o e g l i c h k e it e n s o n d e r n a u f d i e n e u e n k o m m u n a l e n f u n k t i o n e n d e r b i b l i o t h e k
g e l e g t w e r d e n.
L i e b e r R e i n h a r d L i n s,
[...] f i n d e D e i n e n T h e m e n v o r s c h l a g „ z e it r i c h t i g e B i b l i o t h e k / M e d i a t h e k...“
e c h t i n t e r e s s a n t. Ic h d e n k e a u c h, d a ß d i e s e s T h e m a g u t z u D e i n e n
p e r s ö n l i c h e n E r f a h r u n g e n u n d K e n n t n i s s e n p a s s t, i c h k a n n m i r v o r s t e l l e n,
d a ß D u e t w a s z u s a g e n h a s t...
Z u D e i n e n b i s h e r i g e n G e d a n k e n n u r s o v i e l:
P a p e r l e s s o d e r n i c h t s c h e i n t m i r e h e r s e c u n d ä r z u s e i n, d a s e h e i c h
n i c h t u n b e d i n g t e i n e n e n t s c h e i d e n d e n G e g e n s a t z...( ...w i e o f t h a b e i c h
m i r s c h o n i r g e n d e i n e I n fo r m a t i o n d e s h a l b a u s g e d r u c k t, u m i n g e w o h n t e r
W e i s e e i n „ D o k u m e n t“ i n d e r H a n d / v o r A u g e n z u h a b e n...).
U n d a u c h d i e Ü b e r l e g u n g, o b d i e d i g it a l e B i b l i o t h e k d e r Z u k u n f t n i c h t
o h n e k ö r p e r l i c h e r r e i c h b a r e s G e b ä u d e s o n d e r n d u r c h ( p r iv a t e )
Z u g ä n l i c h k e it ü b e r C o m p u t e r, H a n d y s,...u n t e r d i e H a u t i n p l a n t i e r t e
„ S c h m u c k s t ü c k e“ f u n t i o n i e r e n w i r d... w ü r d e i c h n i c h t m it e i n e m
e n t w e d e r - o d e r b e a n t w o r t e n. B e i d e s k a n n /s o l l n e b e n e i n a n d e r e x i s t i e r e n,
D u s e l b s t a h n s t ja d i e s o z i a l e B e d e u t u n g v o n O r t e n, w o s i c h M e n s c h e n
k ö r p e r l i c h /s o z i a l t r e f f e n u n d i h r Ve r h ä lt n i s z u e i n a n d e r u n d z u r W e lt
b e a r b e it e n k ö n n e n...
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ALS OB MAN ÜBER BIBLIOTHEKEN FORSCHEN MUSS UM EINE ZU BAUEN 4
Im Zuge einer ernsthaf ten Beschäf tigung mit einer Planungsaufgabe ist es erforderlich, sich mit den
Grundlagen und Randbedingungen des Themas zu beschäf tigen. Der sicherlich provokante Ausspruch
von Peter Eisenman kann daher nur als ironische Fragestellung interpretier t werden.
Folgende wesentlichen Planungsfaktoren sind das Ergebnis einer Unterhaltung
mit Dr. Karlheinz Albrecht, Leiter der Stadtbibliothek Feldkirch.
Funktion
Es ist erforderlich zu wissen, welche Funktionen die zukünftige Bibliothek hat.
Es wird unterschieden zwischen Stadt-, Landes- und Nationalbibliotheken,
öf fentliche Bibliotheken, Univer sit ät sbibliotheken, S chulbibliotheken,
Fachbibliotheken, Privat- und Unternehmensbibliotheken. Ein Grossteil der
österreichischen Bibliotheken (gemessen am Bestand) sind in öffentliche
Bibliotheken.
Je nach Funktion ergeben sich auch unterschiedliche Aufgaben, insbesondere
die der Archivierung und Bestandshaltung. Die Universitätsbibliothek Innsbruck
ist neben einer wissenschaftlichen Bibliothek auch Landesbibliothek von Tirol
und wird deshalb kein noch so kleines Heftchen über Tirol aussondern sondern archivieren. Im Gegensatz dazu sei die Bibliothek der Fachhochschule
Dornbirn er wähnt, welche ich im Zuge meiner Recherchen ebenfalls besucht habe. In dieser Bibliothek werden veraltete Medien ausgesondert.
Niemand benötigt 2006 noch ein Handbuch über das Schreibprogramm
Microsoft Word 2.0 welches vor über 10 Jahren erschienen ist und mittlerweile von etlichen neueren Versionen abgelöst wurde. Der allgemeine
Trend geht weg von den Spezialisierungen. „Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek“
und „Öffentliche Bibliothek“. Auch in öffentlichen Bibliotheken werden immer mehr Sachmedien verlangt. Gefragte Themen sind vor allem Sprachen,
Reisen, Gesundheit und berufliche Weiterbildung.
Rob Bruijnzeels 5 weist in seinem Vortrag bei der 68th IFLA Council and General
Conference im August 2002 darauf hin, dass das Prinzip „no completeness through specialisation“ eine Grundvoraussetzung für
moderne Bibliotheken ist. Daher ist die geplante Bibliothek eine öffentliche Bibliothek mit den aktuellsten Medien aus möglichst breit gefächerten
Wissensgebieten. Dazu trägt die Möglichkeit bei, Informationen digital immer und überall zur Verfügung zu haben.
Bestand
4
5
14
Eisenman (1999), S. 33 - 45
Bruijnzeels (20 02), S. 2
Ein wichtiges Planungskriterium ist der gewünschte Bestand. Dabei wird wieder unterschieden welche Medien angeboten werden. Arten von Medien sind
Monographien, Periodika, CD/ DVD/ Video, Schallplatten, Spiele, Kunstwerke.
Die Stadtbibliothek Feldkirch hatte mit Jahresende 2002 einen Bestand von
90757 Medien. 6 Der geplante Bestand der neuen Bibliothek geht von einem
Ausgangsbestand von ca. 30.000 Medien aus, was ca. 1 km Regalfläche
in Freihandaufstellung entspricht. 7 Zum Vergleich sind im Freihandbereich
der Bau-Bibliothek ca. 5.700 Medien untergebracht. Der Planungshorizont
ist in der Regel 20 Jahre, also wie viele Bände können nach 20 Jahren untergebracht werden? Dieser Zielbestand ist abhängig vom erwarteten und
geplanten Zuwachs.
Zuwachs
Der geplante Zuwachs beeinflusst nicht nur die benötigten Regalflächen
des Zielbestandes, sondern entscheidet auch die Personalsituation. Pro
2000 Neuerwerbungen im Jahr wird ein Mitarbeiter benötigt. Gehen wir
von einem jährlichen Zuwachs von 1500 Medien aus, so ist nach 20 Jahren
der Zielbestand bei gleichzeitiger Aussonderung veralteter Medien bei ca.
50.000 Medien.
Zeitschrif ten
In der Regel wird ein eigener Bereich für Zeit schrif ten eingerichtet da
diese nicht entlehnbar sind. Die Anzahl der regelmäßigen erscheinenden
Zeitschriften sind ein Qualitätsmerkmal für eine Bibliothek. Die Stadtbibliothek
Feldkirch führte 2002 530 Zeitschriften. 8 Gerade im naturwissenschaftlichen
Bereich wird vermehrt nur noch digital publiziert, da bis zur Drucklegung die
Informationen möglicherweise schon wieder veraltet sind. Digital Publishing
und Print on Demand hat sich in vielen Wissensbereichen schon durchgesetzt. Aufgrund des immer höheren Digitalisierungsgrades der Zeitschriften
(auch Tageszeitungen bieten mittlerweile Ihre Ausgaben in digitaler Form
an) kann die Anzahl der Periodika auf 200 beschränkt werden.
Ausleihzahlen
Ein weiterer Faktor zur Abschätzung des Personalbedarfes. Stadtbibliothek
Feldkirch berichtet von rund 7350 entlehnten Medien bei 2530 Benutzungsfällen.
Diese Zahlen ergeben eine tägliche Frequenz von ca. 12-15 Benutzungsfällen.
Bei der geplanten Bibliothek wird aufgrund der requentierten Lage von 85
Benutzungsfällen und ca. 250 Ausleihen pro Tag gerechnet.
6
7
8
Statistik Austria (20 02)
Naumann (20 03), S. 3
Statistik Austria (20 02)
15
Air-conditioning
Veranstaltungen
We would like to remind readers that
although it may be warm outside,
the air conditioning means that sometimes the reading rooms can feel
Eine moderne Bibliothek ist nicht nur Dienstleister zur Bereithaltung von
Medien sondern trit t auch als Veranstalter von kulturellen Ereignissen
auf. So gibt es Lesungen, Seminare, Schulungen aber auch Musik- und
Theateraufführungen.
cold. Please do dress accordingly.
Shawls can be made available
in extreme cases.10
Öffentlichkeit / Zugänglichkeit
Eine Bibliothek kann nur erfolgreich funktionieren, wenn eine entsprechende
Besucherfrequenz vorhanden ist. Die Bibliothek am Bahnhof profitiert von
der natürlichen Kundenfrequenz von ca. 8.500 Bahnreisenden am Tag. 9
Technisches
Klimatisierung des Magazins. Für die Lagerung der Medien erweist sich eine
Temperatur von 18-20° C, bei 48-55% RF als ideal. Von einer Klimatisierung
des Lesesaales wird von Albrecht abgeraten und ist in Anbetracht des
Hinweises auf der Homepage der British Library nachvollziehbar.
9
ÖBB (20 02), S. 74
British Librar y Readers Bulletin July 20 03
ht t p: / / w w w.bl.uk / ser vic es / reader sbulletin.
html [ 0 4 - 09 -20 03]
10
16
ANFORDERUNGEN AN ZUKÜNFTIGE BIBLIOTHEKEN
„Biblioth e ke n re chn e n sich nicht , ab e r sie z ahle n sich au s .“ Ein g e rn e ve r we n d e te s S p richwo r t .
Untersuchungen an der Universität Berlin haben ergeben, dass eine Selbstfinanzierung mit Beibehalt
der bisherigen Aufgaben nicht möglich sein wird.
Bibliotheken müssen von der öffentlichen Hand subventionier t werden.
Die einzigen Einnahmequellen sind Mahngebühren, F ernleihgebühren
und eventuelle Benutzungsgebühren in Form von Mitgliedsbeiträgen. Die
Ausleihgebühren sind in der Regel so gering, dass nicht einmal der administrative Aufwand der Entlehnung gedeckt ist. Eine Erhöhung der Gebühren
führt zu einem Sinken der Nutzerzahlen.
Um dieser Entwicklung entgegenzuwirken wird es notwendig, das künftige
Aufgabengebiet einer Bibliothek neu zu überdenken und dabei die Strukturen
und Strategien neu zu definieren.
Die folgenden Ausführungen beziehen sich im wesentlichen auf den Beitrag
„Traditional and modern in the library world“ von Roland Persson.11
Nach Ansicht Perssons besteht eine Unsicherheit über die Rolle der Bibliothek
in der heutigen Gesellschaft und welche Rolle von der Bibliothek in Zukunft
erwartet wird. Was berechtige die Bibliothek eine zeitgemäße Institution zu
sein, welche den Fortschritt gegenüber der Konservierung von Bisherigem
bevorzuge. Was für eine Organisation, Kompetenz, Entwicklungsstrategie,
Mentalität und allgemeine Charakteristiken werden heute gefordert und
welche waren gestern noch unnötig?
Persson spricht von neuen Kompetenzanforderungen im Bereich Ausbildung,
Handel und Industrie und dem öffentlichen Verlangen nach neuen Services,
nach neuen Medien und nach neuen Informationsquellen. Er unterteilt die
Bibliotheken in „traditional“ und „modern“, wobei sich die traditionelle Bibliothek in Harmonie mit der industrialisierten Gesellschaft befände,
die moderne Bibliothek hingegen in Harmonie mit der Informations- und
Mediengesellschaft. Jeder dieser Bibliotheken werden fünf Aktivitäten zugeordnet, welchen Persson Eigenschaften zuweist und in Gegensatzpaaren
zueinander in Beziehung bringt.
Die von Persson angesprochenen Planungstrategien werden von einigen
Bibliotheken schon heute teilweise umgesetzt. Leider ist oft zu beobachten,
dass organisatorische Veränderungen in Richtung „modern Library“ sehr
wohl gemacht werden, die Mentalität der der Bibliothek aber immer noch
im Status der „traditional Library“ stecken geblieben ist.
11
Persson (20 03), passim
17
Traditional
Modern
Organisation
Hierarchic
Depar tmental thinking
Librar y Board
Stable
Professional Role
Flat
Comprehensive View
Wider commitee structure
Changeable
Team
Characteristics
Slow
Obvious assignment
Local Access
Visitor
Accurate
Fast
Redraf ts assignments
Global access
Final user
In motion
Development strategy
More resources
From within
Missions
Ready solutions
Co - operation
Dialogue
Dialogue
Creating Solutions
Competencies
Card
Routine
Tactic
Filer
Silent knowledge
House
catalogue Web
Development project
Strategy
Information strategist
Pedagogy
Market place
Mentalit y
Closed
Hesitancy
Threat
Playing it safe
Static educational ideal
Arrogance
Bemerkenswerte Punkte bei Perssons Gegenüberstellung sind der Dialog
zwischen Leser und Bibliothekar, der übergreifende Blick auf verschiedene Wissensgebiete, der Wechsel in der Mentalität von einem statischen
Ausbildungsideal zu einem Lernprozess und die Auffassung der Bibliothek
als einen Marktplatz der Informationen. Der Bibliothekar ist nicht mehr
der bloße Konservator von Wissen, vielmehr verändert er sich zu einem – wie
Persson es nennt – Information strategist. Solche Information strategists oder
Information broker werden in Zukunft das Bild der Bibliothekare beschreiben.
Mit der zunehmenden Anzahl an digitalen Publikationen welche einzig im
Internet veröffentlicht werden ist der Bedarf an geschulten Menschen, die
solche Informationen finden und aufbereiten können, immer dringlicher.
In der Wirtschaft sind solche Information broker mittlerweile schon längst
etabliert und wichtige Erfolgsfaktoren für die Unternehmen.
Ute Klaassen, Übersetzerin des Buches „Bibliotheken 2040. Die Zukunft
neu entwerfen.“ von Rob Bruijnzeels12 stellt fest, dass Bibliotheken freiwillige Einrichtungen der Kommunen sind und wenn kein Geld mehr da ist
diese Bibliotheken die erste Einrichtungen wären die den Sparmaßnahmen
zum Opfer fielen. Dies habe nichts mit Bibliothekfeindlichkeit zu tun, führe aber zu der Frage, wozu denn öffentliche Bibliotheken in einer Zeit der
Informationsüberversorgung noch wirklich gebraucht würden.13
„Bibliotheken 2040“ ist das Ergebnis eines Projektes, welches sich mit der
möglichen Zukunft der öffentlichen Bibliotheken auseinandersetzt. Geleitet
wurde das Projekt von der Idee:
Wenn es 2040 noch Bibliotheken geben soll, dann müssen wir es wollen.
Und wenn es 2040 noch Bücher geben soll, dann, weil wir es wollen. Josef
Beuys hat es einmal sehr anschaulich formuliert: „Die Zukunft, die wir wollen, muss erfunden werden, sonst bekommen wie eine, die wir nicht wollen.“ 14 (Hervorh. UK)
OpenDevelopment project
Initiative
Possibilities
Risk taking
Learing processes
Humility
Tab. 1: Gegenüberstellung von traditional library
und modern librar y nach Roland Persson.
12
13
14
18
Bruijnzeels (20 02)
Klaassen (20 03), S. 763
ebd.
Die von Per s son geforder ten We chs el von traditioneller zu moderner
Bibliothek und die damit verbundenen Veränderungen in den fünf grundlegenden A spekten Organisation, Charakteristik, Ent wicklungsstrategie,
Kompetenzen und Mentalität müssen von den Mit wirkenden also auch
gewollt werden. Viele Strategien finden heute schon Ihre Anwendung
in der kreativen Industrie. In solchen Betrieben arbeiten wechselnde Teams
an wechselnden Aufgaben. Kompetenzen verteilen sich auf die einzelnen
Teammitglieder und sind bei der nächsten Aufgabe wieder anders verteilt.
Es werden Lösungen gesucht und keine fertigen Pakete angeboten.
Für die zu planende Bibliothek ergibt sich ein klares Anforderungsprofil. Die
Bibliothek als Marktplatz der Informationen. Alles immer und überall . Gleichzeitig soll die Bibliothek ein Ort des interaktiven Lernens sein.
Interaktives Lernen mit den Funktionen Aktion, Interaktion und Rückzug.
Roland Persson ist Konsulent für Ausbildung und
Ent wicklung an der Skåne County Librar y
Rob Bruijnzeels ist Bibiothekar in den
Niederlanden und Hauptinitator des Projektes
„ Bibliotheken 20 40 “, woraus unter anderem
die Brabant- Bibliothek, ein 230 Meter hoher
Turm mit 70 km Bücherregalen welche sich
spiralförmig nach oben Schrauben, entstanden
ist. Architekt: Winy Maas. MVRDV
Ute Klaassen ist niederländische Bibliothekarin
und Überset zerin des Buches „ Bibliotheken
20 40 “.
19
DIE DIGITALE BIBLIOTHEK
Seit dem vom Medientheoretiker Marshall McLuhan bereits 1968 prognostizier ten Ende der Gutenberg
Galaxis15 hält der Paradigmenwechsel vom analogen zum digitalen Schrif tstück Technikbegeister te und
Zweifler auf Trab. Vom Tod des Buches warnen seither die einen, die anderen Träumen von einer digitalen Weltbibliothek für alle.
Der Zeit-Redakteur Dieter E. Zimmer hat seine Artikelserie „Die digitale
Bibliothek“ im Buch „Die Bibliothek der Zukunft. Text und Schrift in den Zeiten
des Internet“16 zusammengefasst. Darin liefert er detaillierte Informationen
zu den technischen und rechtlichen Grundlagen des Publizierens im Internet.
Mit der Fülle der Informationen wachse die Anforderung, diese Informationen
auch auffinden zu können. Insofern sieht Zimmer eine digitale Weltbibliothek
technisch und rechtlich als unrealistisch an.
Im Gegensatz zu Zimmer ist Brewster Kahle, Mitbegründer des Internet
Archive17 und Alexis Internet von einer digitalen Weltbibliothek überzeugt
und ist keineswegs eingeschüchter t von der Menge der Informationen.
1996 starteten er und seine Mitstreiter das Alexis Internet. Alexis Internet
basiert auf einer Software, die ähnlich der Internetsuchmaschine Google
komplette Webseiten indiziert. Im Gegensatz zu Google sollte allerdings
ein Katalog entstehen, in dem der Besucher Informationen hierarchisch
gegliedert durchsuchen kann. Das Projekt des Internet Archive geht einen
anderen Weg: Eine Software kopiert komplette Webseiten aus dem Internet
und stellt die Inhalte für die Besucher bereit. Dabei wird alle 2 Monate eine
Webseite neu besucht und diese neue Version wird neben den bisherigen
Versionen angeboten. So entsteht ein kontinuierliches Abbild des Internet,
auch von Seiten die längst nicht mehr online sind und ohne das Internet
Archive für immer verloren wäre.
Kahle arrangierte mit der chinesischen und indischen Regierung ein Abkommen,
eine Million amerikanischer Bücher zu digitalisieren. Voraussetzung war
lediglich, dass die USA die Bücher und die Scanner bereitstellt, die Kosten
beliefen sich auf dieselben als ob das Buch photokopiert worden wäre. Aus
Angst die Bücher nicht mehr wiederzubekommen lehnten die Bibliotheken
dieses Projekt ab. Als Konsequenz kauften die Initiatoren 100.000 Bücher
und ließen diese auf eigene Kosten digitalisieren.
McLuhan (19 68)
Zimmer (1999), passim
17
Internet Archive Wayback Machine
w w w.archive.org [25 - 0 6 -20 0 6 ]
18
Arets (20 05), S. 61- 62
15
16
20
In der größten Bibliothek der Welt, der Library of Congress lagern 26 Millionen
Bücher. Es wird geschätzt, dass insgesamt etwa 100 Millionen Bücher existieren. Wenn ein als Word Dokument gespeicher tes Buch ein Megaby te
Speicherplatz belegt, so würde die gesamte Library of Congress 26 Terabyte
Speicherplatz beanspruchen. 26 Terabyte haben in einem Bücherregal Platz
welches unter den Schreibtisch gestellt werden kann. Aus den Erfahrungen
mit Indien und China rechnet Kahle vor, dass die Digitalisierung eines Buches
bei diesen Mengen ca. $10,00 kostet – oder anders gerechnet: Um $260
Millionen wäre die gesamte Library of Congress digitalisiert. Dies entspricht
dem halben Jahresbudget der Library of Congress.18
Die Vorteile eines digitalisierten Buches liegen auf der Hand: Neben der
herkömmlichen Katalogisierung wird es möglich, die Metainformationen19
automatisch zu erfassen. Eine Volltextsuche macht es möglich, Medien zu
finden die nicht nur anhand Ihres Titels einem Fachgebiet zuzuordnen sind.
Die Lagerung der digitalen Informationen ist or tsunabhängig und kann
durch Spiegelung der Daten auf getrennte Ser versysteme redundant gehalten werden. Dadurch sind Katastrophen wie der Brand der Bibliothek in
Alexandra (47 v. Chr.) oder der Brand in Leningrad (1988) wo hundertausende Medien für immer verloren gingen ausgeschlossen. 20 Die Informationen
bleiben erhalten. 21
An den technischen und finanziellen Möglichkeiten
scheitert eine digitale Bibliothek nicht. Das größte Hindernis
ist die rechtliche Situation in Bezug auf Nutzungsrechte und Copyright.
Sind Informationen frei? Für jedermann zugänglich? Der Grundgedanke der
öffentlichen Bibliotheken Informationen für alle Bevölkerungsschichten
zugänglich zu machen erstreckt sich anscheinend nicht auf das Internet
und die digitale Bibliothek.
Metainformationen sind Daten, welc he Infor mationen über andere Daten wie
et wa ein Dokument liefer n. Gebräuchliche
Metainformationen über ein Buch sind Autor,
A u f l a g e , Ve r l a g o d e r E r s c h e i n u n g s j a h r.
Metainformationen bei digitalen Medien enthalten beispielsweise auch die Zugriffsrechte,
letzter Zugrif f auf die Datei, letzte Änderung.
M e t a i n f o r m a t i o n e n kö n n e n m i t d e r D a t e i
g e s p e i c h e r t w e r d e n o d e r s i n d Te i l e i n e r
Datenbank.
19
DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
Mit der Entwicklung des Digital Rights Management ( DRM) bietet sich eine
Möglichkeit, digitale Informationen zu verbreiten und mit elektronischen
Mitteln die Rechte und Nutzungsvereinbarungen individuell zu gestalten.
Vor allem bei Musik Dateien ist das DRM weit verbreitet. Mit Hilfe des
Rechteverwaltungssystems kann die Wiedergabe der Informationen zeitlich
begrenzt werden, auf ein bestimmtes Wiedergabegerät limitiert sein oder
die Wiedergabe auf eine bestimmte Anzahl eingeschränkt werden.
Dadurch eröffnen sich neue Geschäftsfelder für den Rechtinhaber, welche ohne DRM nicht möglich waren. 2003 startete der Apple Music-Store
„iTunes“ als einer der ersten kommerziellen Anbietern ein Vertriebsmodell
von digitaler Musik auf der Basis des DRM. Die Verwertungsmöglichkeiten
gehen weit über die einer Pauschalvergütung wie beim einmaligen Kauf
eines Buches hinaus. So kann eine Vergütung auch abhängig von Häufigkeit,
Dauer oder Umfang der Nutzung abhängig gemacht werden.
Durch die Entwicklung des DRM bietet sich aber auch für Bibliotheken die
technische Möglichkeit Informationen digital anzubieten, dabei aber dennoch die Rechte der Urheber zu waren. Durch den Verkauf individueller
Lizenzen eröffnen sich der Bibliothek ebenfalls neue Einnahmequellen von
denen auch der Rechteinhaber profitiert.
Ray Bradbur y beschreibt in seinem
Roman „ Fahrenheit 451“ die Geschichte eines Feuer wehrmannes, der im Amerika der
Zukunft gezwungen wird, Bücher zu verbrennen.
Schliesslich schließt er sich einer Gruppe an,
deren Mitglieder Bücher auswendig gelernt
haben und diese so vor der Vernichtung be wahren. [ Bradbur y (20 0 0), passim]
20
Bei der Datenhaltung ist allerdings darauf
zu achten, dass Formate und Technologien
ver wendet werden, die nicht von einer spe ziellen Sof t ware oder von einer bestimmten
Hardware abhängig sind. Ein gängiges Beispiel
ist die 5. 25“ Diskette, die heute ein ausge storbenes Format ist. Kaum ein Computer hat
heute noch ein entsprechendes Lauf werk um
die Daten lesbar zu machen. Dem Verlust der
Informationen durch fehlende Sof t ware oder
Hardware kann nur durch ständige Migration,
also dem ständigen Umkopieren von einem
Datenträger auf einen anderen zuvorgekommen werden.
21
21
** STA RT OF THE PROJECT GUT ENBERG EBOOK ULYSSES ***
Buck Mu l l igan sighed tragical ly and laid h is hand on Stephen‘s arm.
--From me, K inch, he said.
In a suddenly changed tone he added:
Th is etext was prepared by Col Choat <[email protected]>.
--To tel l you the God ‘s truth I th ink you‘re right. Damn al l else they
are good for. W hy don‘t you play them as I do? To hel l with them al l. Let
us get out of the k ip.
He stood up, gravely ungirdled and d isrobed h imself of h is gown, say ing
resigned ly:
Ulysses by James Joyce
--Mu l l igan is stripped of h is garments.
-- I --
He empt ied h is pockets on to the table.
STAT ELY, PLUM P BUCK M UL LIGA N CA M E FROM THE STA IR HE A D, bearing a bowl of
lather on wh ich a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yel low dressinggown,
ung ird led, was sustained gent ly beh ind h im by the mi ld morn ing air. He
held the bowl aloft and intoned:
--T here‘s your snotrag, he said.
Halted, he peered down the dark wind ing stairs and cal led out coarsely:
A nd putt ing on h is st iff col lar and rebel l ious t ie he spoke to them,
ch id ing them, and to h is dangl ing watchchain. H is hands plunged and
r ummaged in h is trunk wh i le he cal led for a clean handkerch ief. God,
we‘ l l simply have to dress the character. I want puce gloves and green
boots. Contrad ict ion. Do I contrad ict myself ? Ver y wel l then, I
contrad ict myself. Mercurial Malach i. A l imp black missi le f lew out of
h is talk ing hands.
--Come up, K inch! Come up, you fearfu l jesu it!
--A nd there‘s your Lat in quarter hat, he said.
Solemnly he came for ward and mounted the round g unrest. He faced about
and blessed gravely thrice the tower, the surround ing land and the
awak ing mountains. Then, catch ing sight of Stephen Dedalus, he bent
towards h im and made rapid crosses in the air, g urgl ing in h is throat and
shak ing h is head. Stephen Dedalus, d ispleased and sleepy, leaned h is arms
on the top of the staircase and looked cold ly at the shak ing g urgl ing
face that blessed h im, equ ine in its leng th, and at the l ight untonsured
hair, grained and hued l ike pale oak.
Stephen picked it up and put it on. Haines cal led to them from the
door way:
Buck Mul l igan peeped an instant under the mirror and then covered
the bowl smart ly.
--A nd going forth he met Butterly.
--INT ROIBO A D A LTA R E DEI.
--A re you coming, you fel lows?
--I‘m ready, Buck Mul l igan answered, going towards the door. Come out,
K inch. You have eaten al l we left, I suppose. Resigned he passed out with
grave words and gait, say ing, wel ln igh with sorrow:
Stephen, tak ing h is ashplant from its lean ing place, fol lowed them out
and, as they went down the ladder, pul led to the slow iron door and
locked it. He put the huge key in h is inner pocket.
--Back to barracks! he said sternly.
He added in a preacher‘s tone:
At the foot of the ladder Buck Mul l igan asked:
--For th is, O dearly beloved, is the genu ine Christ ine: body and sou l and
blood and ouns. Slow music, please. Shut your eyes, gents. One moment. A
l itt le trouble about those wh ite corpuscles. Si lence, al l.
--Did you bring the key?
He peered sideways up and gave a long slow wh ist le of cal l, then paused
awh i le in rapt attent ion, h is even wh ite teeth gl isten ing here and there
with gold points. Chr ysostomos. Two strong shri l l wh ist les answered
through the calm.
He walked on. Beh ind h im he heard Buck Mul l igan club with h is heav y
bathtowel the leader shoots of ferns or grasses.
--T hanks, old chap, he cried brisk ly. T hat wi l l do n icely. Switch off the
current, wi l l you?
Haines asked:
He sk ipped off the g unrest and looked gravely at h is watcher, gathering
about h is legs the loose folds of h is gown. T he plump shadowed face and
su l len oval jowl recal led a prelate, patron of arts in the midd le ages. A
pleasant smi le broke qu iet ly over h is l ips.
--Twelve qu id, Buck Mul l igan said.
--I have it, Stephen said, preced ing them.
--Down, sir! How dare you, sir!
--Do you pay rent for th is tower?
--To the secretar y of state for war, Stephen added over h is shoulder.
--T he mocker y of it! he said gai ly. Your absurd name, an ancient Greek!
T hey halted wh i le Haines sur veyed the tower and said at last:
He pointed h is f inger in friendly jest and went over to the parapet,
laugh ing to h imself. Stephen Dedalus stepped up, fol lowed h im weari ly
half way and sat down on the edge of the g unrest, watch ing h im st i l l as he
propped h is mirror on the parapet, d ipped the br ush in the bowl and
lathered cheeks and neck.
--Rather bleak in wintert ime, I should say. Martel lo you cal l it?
--Bi l ly Pitt had them bu i lt, Buck Mul l igan said, when the French were on
the sea. But ours is the OM PH A LOS.
Buck Mul l igan‘s gay voice went on.
--W hat is your idea of Hamlet? Haines asked Stephen.
--My name is absurd too: Malach i Mu l l igan, t wo dact yls. But it has a
Hel len ic ring, hasn‘t it? Tripping and sunny l ike the buck h imself. We
must go to Athens. Wi l l you come if I can get the aunt to fork out t went y
qu id?
--No, no, Buck Mul l igan shouted in pain. I‘m not equal to Thomas Aqu inas
and the f ift y-f ive reasons he has made out to prop it up. Wait t i l l I have
a few pints in me f irst.
He laid the brush aside and, laugh ing with del ight, cried:
He turned to Stephen, say ing, as he pul led down neat ly the peaks of h is
primrose waistcoat:
--Wi l l he come? The jejune jesu it!
--You cou ldn‘t manage it under three pints, K inch, could you?
Ceasing, he began to shave with care.
--It has waited so long, Stephen said l ist lessly, it can wait longer.
--Tel l me, Mul l igan, Stephen said qu iet ly.
--You pique my curiosit y, Haines said amiably. Is it some paradox?
--Yes, my love?
--Pooh! Buck Mul l igan said. We have grown out of Wi lde and paradoxes.
It‘s qu ite simple. He proves by algebra that Hamlet‘s grandson is
Shakespeare‘s grandfather and that he h imself is the ghost of h is own
father.
--How long is Haines going to stay in th is tower?
Buck Mul l igan showed a shaven cheek over h is right shou lder.
--God, isn‘t he dreadful? he said frank ly. A ponderous Saxon. He th inks
you‘re not a gent leman. God, these bloody Engl ish! Burst ing with money
and ind igest ion. Because he comes from Oxford. You k now, Dedalus, you
have the real Oxford manner. He can‘t make you out. O, my name for you is
the best: K inch, the k n ife-blade.
He shaved wari ly over h is ch in.
--W hat? Haines said, beginn ing to point at Stephen. He h imself ?
Buck Mu l l igan slung h is towel stolewise round h is neck and, bend ing in
loose laughter, said to Stephen‘s ear:
--O, shade of K inch the elder! Japhet in search of a father!
--We‘re always t ired in the morn ing, Stephen said to Haines. And it is
rather long to tel l.
--He was raving al l n ight about a black panther, Stephen said. W here is
h is g uncase?
Buck Mu l l igan, walk ing for ward again, raised h is hands.
--A woful lunat ic! Mul l igan said. Were you in a funk?
--T he sacred pint alone can unbind the tong ue of Dedalus, he said.
--I was, Stephen said with energ y and growing fear. Out here in the dark
with a man I don‘t k now raving and moan ing to h imself about shoot ing a
black panther. You saved men from drown ing. I‘m not a hero, however. If
he stays on here I am off.
--I mean to say, Haines explained to Stephen as they fol lowed, th is tower
and these cl iffs here remind me somehow of Elsinore. TH AT BEET LES O‘ER
HIS BASE INTO THE SEA, ISN‘ T IT?
Buck Mu l l igan turned suddenly. for an instant towards Stephen but d id not
speak. In the bright si lent instant Stephen saw h is own image in cheap
dust y mourn ing bet ween their gay att ires.
Buck Mul l igan frowned at the lather on h is razorblade. He hopped down
from h is perch and began to search h is trouser pockets hast i ly.
--Scutter! he cried th ick ly.
--It‘s a wonderful tale, Haines said, bringing them to halt again.
He came over to the g unrest and, thr ust ing a hand into Stephen‘s upper
pocket, said:
--Lend us a loan of your noserag to wipe my razor.
Eyes, pale as the sea the wind had freshened, paler, f irm and prudent.
T he seas‘ r u ler, he gazed southward over the bay, empt y save for the
smokeplume of the mai lboat vag ue on the bright skyl ine and a sai l tack ing
by the Mugl ins.
Stephen suffered h im to pul l out and hold up on show by its corner a
d irt y cr umpled handkerch ief. Buck Mu l l igan wiped the razorblade neat ly.
Then, gazing over the handkerch ief, he said:
--I read a theological interpretat ion of it somewhere, he said bemused.
T he Father and the Son idea. The Son striving to be atoned with the
Father.
--T he bard ‘s noserag! A new art colour for our Irish poets: snotgreen.
You can almost taste it, can‘t you?
Buck Mu l l igan at once put on a bl ithe broadly smi l ing face. He looked at
them, h is wel lshaped mouth open happi ly, h is eyes, from wh ich he had
suddenly withdrawn al l shrewd sense, bl ink ing with mad gaiet y. He moved a
dol l ‘s head to and fro, the brims of h is Panama hat qu ivering, and began
to chant in a qu iet happy fool ish voice:
He mounted to the parapet again and gazed out over Dubl in bay, h is fair
oakpale hair st irring sl ight ly.
--God! he said qu iet ly. Isn‘t the sea what A lg y cal ls it: a great sweet
mother? The snotgreen sea. The scrotumt ighten ing sea. EPI OINOPA PONTON.
A h, Dedalus, the Greeks! I must teach you. You must read them in the
orig inal. TH A L AT TA! TH A L AT TA! She is our great sweet mother. Come and
look.
Stephen stood up and went over to the parapet. Lean ing on it he looked
down on the water and on the mai lboat clearing the harbourmouth of
K ingstown.
--I‘M THE QUEER EST YOUNG FEL LOW TH AT EV ER YOU HEA R D.
M Y MOTHER‘S A JEW, M Y FATHER‘S A BIR D.
W ITH JOSEPH THE JOINER I CA NNOT AGR EE .
SO HER E‘S TO DISCIPLES A ND CA LVA RY.
He held up a foref inger of warn ing.
--Our might y mother! Buck Mul l igan said.
--IF A N YONE THINK S TH AT I A M N‘ T DI V INE
HE‘ L L GET NO FR EE DR INK S WHEN I‘M M A K ING THE W INE
BUT H AV E TO DR INK WATER A ND W ISH IT W ER E PL A IN
TH AT I M A K E WHEN THE W INE BECOM ES WATER AGA IN.
He turned abrupt ly h is grey search ing eyes from the sea to Stephen‘s
face.
--T he aunt th inks you k i l led your mother, he said. T hat‘s why she won‘t
let me have anyth ing to do with you.
He tugged swift ly at Stephen‘s ashplant in farewel l and, runn ing for ward
to a brow of the cl iff, f luttered h is hands at h is sides l ike f ins or
wings of one about to rise in the air, and chanted:
--Someone k i l led her, Stephen said gloomi ly.
--You could have k nelt down, damn it, K inch, when your dy ing mother asked
you, Buck Mul l igan said. I‘m hy perborean as much as you. But to th ink of
your mother begging you with her last breath to k neel down and pray for
her. A nd you refused. There is someth ing sin ister in you ...
He broke off and lathered again l ight ly h is farther cheek. A tolerant
smi le curled h is l ips.
--GOODBY E , NOW, GOODBY E ! W R ITE DOW N A L L I SA ID
A ND T EL L TOM, DIEK A ND H A R RY I ROSE FROM THE DEA D.
W H AT‘S BR ED IN THE BONE CA NNOT FA I L M E TO FLY
A ND OLI V ET‘S BR EEZY ... GOODBY E , NOW, GOODBY E !
--But a lovely mummer! he murmured to h imself. K inch, the lovel iest
mummer of them al l!
He capered before them down towards the fort y-foot hole, f luttering h is
wingl ike hands, leaping n imbly, Mercur y‘s hat qu ivering in the fresh wind
that bore back to them h is brief birdsweet cries.
He shaved evenly and with care, in si lence, seriously.
Haines, who had been laugh ing g uardedly, walked on beside Stephen and
said:
Stephen, an elbow rested on the jagged gran ite, leaned h is palm against
h is brow and gazed at the fray ing edge of h is sh iny black coat-sleeve.
Pain, that was not yet the pain of love, fretted h is heart. Si lent ly, in
a dream she had come to h im after her death, her wasted body with in its
loose brown graveclothes giving off an odour of wax and rosewood, her
breath, that had bent upon h im, mute, reproachfu l, a faint odour of
wetted ashes. Across the threadbare cuffedge he saw the sea hai led as a
great sweet mother by the wel lfed voice beside h im. T he ring of bay and
skyl ine held a dul l green mass of l iqu id. A bowl of wh ite ch ina had stood
beside her deathbed hold ing the green slugg ish bi le wh ich she had torn up
from her rott ing l iver by f its of loud groan ing vomit ing.
--We oughtn‘t to laugh, I suppose. He‘s rather blasphemous. I‘m not a
bel iever myself, that is to say. St i l l h is gaiet y takes the harm out of
it somehow, doesn‘t it? W hat d id he cal l it? Joseph the Joiner?
--T he bal lad of jok ing Jesus, Stephen answered.
--O, Haines said, you have heard it before?
--T hree t imes a day, after meals, Stephen said dri ly.
--You‘re not a bel iever, are you? Haines asked. I mean, a bel iever in the
narrow sense of the word. Creat ion from noth ing and miracles and a
personal God.
Buck Mul l igan wiped again h is razorblade.
--A h, poor dogsbody! he said in a k ind voice. I must g ive you a sh irt and
a few noserags. How are the secondhand breeks?
--T here‘s only one sense of the word, it seems to me, Stephen said.
--T hey f it wel l enough, Stephen answered.
Haines stopped to take out a smooth si lver case in wh ich t wink led a green
stone. He sprang it open with h is thumb and offered it.
Buck Mul l igan attacked the hol low beneath h is underl ip.
--T hank you, Stephen said, tak ing a cigarette.
--T he mocker y of it, he said contented ly. Second leg they shou ld be. God
k nows what poxy bowsy left them off. I have a lovely pair with a hair
stripe, grey. You‘ l l look spiff ing in them. I‘m not jok ing, K inch. You
look damn wel l when you‘re dressed.
Haines helped h imself and snapped the case to. He put it back in h is
sidepocket and took from h is waistcoatpocket a n ickel t inderbox, sprang
it open too, and, having l it h is cigarette, held the f laming spunk
towards Stephen in the shel l of h is hands.
--T hanks, Stephen said. I can‘t wear them if they are grey.
--Yes, of course, he said, as they went on again. Either you bel ieve or
you don‘t, isn‘t it? Personal ly I couldn‘t stomach that idea of a
personal God. You don‘t stand for that, I suppose?
--He can‘t wear them, Buck Mul l igan told h is face in the mirror.
Et iquette is et iquette. He k i l ls h is mother but he can‘t wear grey
trousers.
--You behold in me, Stephen said with grim d ispleasure, a horrible
example of free thought.
He folded h is razor neat ly and with strok ing palps of f ingers felt the
smooth sk in.
He walked on, wait ing to be spoken to, trai l ing h is ashplant by h is side.
Its ferr u le fol lowed l ight ly on the path, squeal ing at h is heels. My
fami l iar, after me, cal l ing, Steeeeeeeeeeeephen! A wavering l ine along
the path. T hey wi l l walk on it ton ight, coming here in the dark. He wants
that key. It is mine. I paid the rent. Now I eat h is salt bread. Give h im
the key too. A l l. He wi l l ask for it. That was in h is eyes.
Stephen turned h is gaze from the sea and to the plump face with its
smokeblue mobi le eyes.
--T hat fel low I was with in the Sh ip last n ight, said Buck Mu l l igan, says
you have g.p.i. He‘s up in Dott y vi l le with Connol ly Norman. General
paralysis of the insane !
--After al l, Haines began ...
He swept the mirror a half circle in the air to f lash the t id ings abroad
in sunl ight now rad iant on the sea. H is curl ing shaven l ips laughed and
the edges of h is wh ite gl ittering teeth. Laughter seized al l h is strong
wel lk n it trunk.
Stephen turned and saw that the cold gaze wh ich had measured h im was not
al l unk ind.
--After al l, I should th ink you are able to free yourself. You are your
own master, it seems to me.
--Look at yourself, he said, you dreadfu l bard!
Stephen bent for ward and peered at the mirror held out to h im, cleft by a
crooked crack. Hair on end. As he and others see me. W ho chose th is face
for me ? Th is dogsbody to rid of vermin. It asks me too.
--I am a ser vant of t wo masters, Stephen said, an Engl ish and an Ital ian.
--I pinched it out of the sk iv v y‘s room, Buck Mu l l igan said. It does her
al l right. The aunt always keeps plainlook ing ser vants for Malach i. Lead
h im not into temptat ion. And her name is Ursu la.
A crazy queen, old and jealous. K neel down before me.
Laugh ing again, he brought the mirror away from Stephen‘s peering eyes.
--Ital ian? Haines said again. W hat do you mean?
--T he rage of Cal iban at not seeing h is face in a mirror, he said. If
Wi lde were only al ive to see you !
--T he imperial Brit ish state, Stephen answered, h is colour rising, and
the holy Roman cathol ic and apostol ic church.
--Ital ian? Haines said.
--A nd a th ird, Stephen said, there is who wants me for odd jobs.
Drawing back and point ing, Stephen said with bitterness:
Haines detached from h is underl ip some f ibres of tobacco before he spoke.
--It is a symbol of Irish art. The cracked look ing-glass of a ser vant.
--I can qu ite understand that, he said calmly. An Irishman must th ink
l ike that, I daresay. We feel in England that we have treated you rather
unfairly. It seems h istor y is to blame.
Buck Mul l igan suddenly l inked h is arm in Stephen‘s and walked with h im
round the tower, h is razor and mirror clack ing in the pocket where he had
thr ust them.
T he proud potent t it les clanged over Stephen‘s memor y the triumph of
their brazen bel ls: ET UNA M SA NCTA M CATHOLICA M ET APOSTOLICA M ECCLESI A M:
the slow growth and change of rite and dogma l ike h is own rare thoughts,
a chemistr y of stars. Symbol of the apost les in the mass for pope
Marcel lus, the voices blended, singing alone loud in aff irmat ion: and
beh ind their chant the vigi lant angel of the church mi l itant d isarmed and
menaced her heresiarchs. A horde of heresies f leeing with mitres awr y:
Phot ius and the brood of mockers of whom Mul l igan was one, and Arius,
warring h is l ife long upon the consubstant ial it y of the Son with the
Father, and Valent ine, spurn ing Christ‘s terrene body, and the subt le
African heresiarch Sabel l ius who held that the Father was H imself H is own
Son. Words Mu l l igan had spoken a moment since in mocker y to the stranger.
Id le mocker y. T he void awaits surely al l them that weave the wind: a
menace, a d isarming and a worst ing from those embatt led angels of the
church, M ichael ‘s host, who defend her ever in the hour of conf l ict with
their lances and their sh ields.
--It‘s not fair to tease you l ike that, K inch, is it? he said k ind ly. God
k nows you have more spirit than any of them.
Parried again. He fears the lancet of my art as I fear that of h is. T he
cold steelpen.
--Cracked look ingglass of a ser vant! Tel l that to the oxy chap downstairs
and touch h im for a g u inea. He‘s st ink ing with money and th inks you‘re
not a gent leman. H is old fel low made h is t in by sel l ing jalap to Zu lus or
some bloody swindle or other. God, K inch, if you and I cou ld only work
together we might do someth ing for the island. Hel len ise it.
Cranly‘s arm. H is arm.
--A nd to th ink of your having to beg from these swine. I‘m the only one
that k nows what you are. W hy don‘t you tr ust me more ? W hat have you up
your nose against me? Is it Haines? If he makes any noise here I‘ l l bring
down Seymour and we‘ l l give h im a ragg ing worse than they gave Cl ive
Kempthorpe.
Hear, hear! Prolonged applause. ZUT! NOM DE DIEU!
--Of course I‘m a Brit isher, Haines‘s voice said, and I feel as one. I
don‘t want to see my countr y fal l into the hands of German jews either.
T hat‘s our nat ional problem, I‘m afraid, just now.
Young shouts of moneyed voices in Cl ive Kempthorpe‘s rooms. Palefaces:
they hold their ribs with laughter, one clasping another. O, I shal l
expire ! Break the news to her gent ly, Aubrey! I shal l d ie ! With sl it
ribbons of h is sh irt wh ipping the air he hops and hobbles round the
table, with trousers down at heels, chased by Ades of Magdalen with the
tai lor‘s shears. A scared calf ‘s face g i lded with marmalade. I don‘t want
to be debagged! Don‘t you play the g iddy ox with me !
Two men stood at the verge of the cl iff, watch ing: businessman, boatman.
--She‘s mak ing for Bul lock harbour.
T he boatman nodded towards the north of the bay with some d isdain.
Shouts from the open window start l ing even ing in the quadrangle. A deaf
gardener, aproned, masked with Matthew A rnold ‘s face, pushes h is mower on
the sombre lawn watch ing narrowly the dancing motes of grasshalms.
To ourselves ... new pagan ism ... omphalos.
--Let h im stay, Stephen said. There‘s noth ing wrong with h im except at
n ight.
--T here‘s f ive fathoms out there, he said. It‘ l l be swept up that way
when the t ide comes in about one. It‘s n ine days today.
T he man that was drowned. A sai l veering about the blank bay wait ing for
a swol len bund le to bob up, rol l over to the sun a puffy face, salt wh ite.
Here I am.
T hey fol lowed the wind ing path down to the creek. Buck Mul l igan stood on
a stone, in sh irtsleeves, h is uncl ipped t ie rippl ing over h is shoulder. A
young man cl inging to a spur of rock near h im, moved slowly frog wise h is
green legs in the deep jel ly of the water.
--T hen what is it? Buck Mul l igan asked impat ient ly. Cough it up. I‘m
qu ite frank with you. W hat have you against me now?
--Is the brother with you, Malach i?
They halted, look ing towards the blunt cape of Bray Head that lay on the
water l ike the snout of a sleeping whale. Stephen freed h is arm qu iet ly.
--Down in Westmeath. With the Bannons.
--Do you wish me to tel l you? he asked.
--St i l l there ? I got a card from Bannon. Says he found a sweet young
th ing down there. Photo girl he cal ls her.
--Yes, what is it? Buck Mul l igan answered. I don‘t remember anyth ing.
--Snapshot, eh? Brief exposure.
He looked in Stephen‘s face as he spoke. A l ight wind passed h is brow,
fann ing soft ly h is fair uncombed hair and st irring si lver points of
anx iet y in h is eyes.
Buck Mu l l igan sat down to unlace h is boots. An elderly man shot up near
the spur of rock a blowing red face. He scrambled up by the stones, water
gl isten ing on h is pate and on its garland of grey hair, water ri l l ing
over h is chest and paunch and spi l l ing jets out of h is black sagging
loincloth.
Stephen, depressed by h is own voice, said:
--Do you remember the f irst day I went to your house after my mother‘s
death?
Buck Mul l igan frowned qu ick ly and said:
Buck Mu l l igan made way for h im to scramble past and, glancing at Haines
and Stephen, crossed h imself piously with h is thumbnai l at brow and l ips
and breastbone.
--W hat? W here? I can‘t remember anyth ing. I remember only ideas and
sensat ions. W hy? W hat happened in the name of God?
--Seymour‘s back in town, the young man said, grasping again h is spur of
rock. Chucked med icine and going in for the army.
--You were mak ing tea, Stephen said, and went across the land ing to get
more hot water. Your mother and some visitor came out of the drawingroom.
She asked you who was in your room.
--Going over next week to stew. You k now that red Carl isle girl, L i ly?
--A h, go to God! Buck Mul l igan said.
--Yes? Buck Mul l igan said. W hat d id I say? I forget.
--Yes.
--You said, Stephen answered, O, IT‘S ONLY DEDA LUS W HOSE MOTHER IS
BE AST LY DEA D.
--Spoon ing with h im last n ight on the pier. The father is rotto with
money.
A f lush wh ich made h im seem younger and more engag ing rose to Buck
Mu l l igan‘s cheek.
--Is she up the pole?
--Better ask Seymour that.
--Did I say that? he asked. Wel l? W hat harm is that?
--Seymour a bleed ing off icer! Buck Mul l igan said.
He shook h is constraint from h im ner vously.
--A nd what is death, he asked, your mother‘s or yours or my own? You saw
only your mother d ie. I see them pop off ever y day in the Mater and
R ichmond and cut up into tripes in the d issect ingroom. It‘s a beast ly
th ing and noth ing else. It simply doesn‘t matter. You wou ldn‘t k neel down
to pray for your mother on her deathbed when she asked you. W hy? Because
you have the cursed jesu it strain in you, only it‘s injected the wrong
way. To me it‘s al l a mocker y and beast ly. Her cerebral lobes are not
funct ion ing. She cal ls the doctor sir Peter Teazle and picks buttercups
off the qu i lt. Humour her t i l l it‘s over. You crossed her last wish in
death and yet you sulk with me because I don‘t wh inge l ike some h ired
mute from Lalouette‘s. Absurd! I suppose I d id say it. I d idn‘t mean to
offend the memor y of your mother.
He had spoken h imself into boldness. Stephen, sh ield ing the gaping wounds
wh ich the words had left in h is heart, said ver y cold ly:
--I am not th ink ing of the offence to my mother.
He nodded to h imself as he drew off h is trousers and stood up, say ing
tritely:
--Redheaded women buck l ike goats.
He broke off in alarm, feel ing h is side under h is f lapping sh irt.
--My t welfth rib is gone, he cried. I‘m the UBER M ENSCH. Toothless K inch
and I, the supermen.
He str uggled out of h is sh irt and f lung it beh ind h im to where h is
clothes lay.
--A re you going in here, Malach i?
--Yes. Make room in the bed.
T he young man shoved h imself back ward through the water and reached the
midd le of the creek in t wo long clean strokes. Haines sat down on a
stone, smok ing.
--Of what then? Buck Mul l igan asked.
--Of the offence to me, Stephen answered.
--A re you not coming in? Buck Mul l igan asked.
Buck Mul l igan sw ung round on h is heel.
--Later on, Haines said. Not on my breakfast.
--O, an impossible person! he exclaimed.
Stephen turned away.
He walked off qu ick ly round the parapet. Stephen stood at h is post,
gazing over the calm sea towards the head land. Sea and head land now grew
d im. Pu lses were beat ing in h is eyes, vei l ing their sight, and he felt
the fever of h is cheeks.
--I‘m going, Mu l l igan, he said.
--Give us that key, K inch, Buck Mul l igan said, to keep my chemise f lat.
A voice with in the tower cal led loud ly:
Stephen handed h im the key. Buck Mul l igan laid it across h is heaped
clothes.
--A re you up there, Mul l igan?
--A nd t wopence, he said, for a pint. Throw it there.
--I‘m coming, Buck Mul l igan answered.
Stephen threw t wo penn ies on the soft heap. Dressing, undressing. Buck
Mu l l igan erect, with joined hands before h im, said solemnly:
He turned towards Stephen and said:
--He who stealeth from the poor lendeth to the Lord. Thus spake
Zarathustra.
--Look at the sea. W hat does it care about offences? Chuck Loyola, K inch,
and come on down. The Sassenach wants h is morn ing rashers.
H is plump body plunged.
H is head halted again for a moment at the top of the staircase, level
with the roof:
--We‘ l l see you again, Haines said, turn ing as Stephen walked up the path
and smi l ing at wi ld Irish.
--Don‘t mope over it al l day, he said. I‘m inconsequent. Give up the
moody brood ing.
Horn of a bu l l, hoof of a horse, smi le of a Saxon.
H is head van ished but the drone of h is descend ing voice boomed out of the
stairhead:
A ND NO MOR E T UR N ASIDE A ND BROOD
UPON LOV E‘S BIT TER M YSTERY
FOR FERGUS RULES THE BR AZEN CA R S.
--T he Sh ip, Buck Mul l igan cried. Half t welve.
--Good, Stephen said.
He walked along the upwardcur ving path.
LI LI ATA RUT I L A NT IUM.
T UR M A CIRCUM DET.
IUBI L A NT IUM TE V IRGINUM.
Woodshadows f loated si lent ly by through the morn ing peace from the
stairhead seaward where he gazed. Inshore and farther out the mirror of
water wh itened, spurned by l ightshod hurr y ing feet. W h ite breast of the
d im sea. The t win ing stresses, t wo by t wo. A hand pluck ing the
harpstrings, merg ing their t win ing chords. Wavewh ite wedded words
sh immering on the d im t ide.
T he priest‘s grey n imbus in a n iche where he dressed d iscreet ly. I wi l l
not sleep here ton ight. Home also I cannot go.
A voice, sweettoned and sustained, cal led to h im from the sea. Turn ing
the cur ve he waved h is hand. It cal led again. A sleek brown head, a
seal ‘s, far out on the water, round.
A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, whol ly, shadowing the bay in
deeper green. It lay beneath h im, a bowl of bitter waters. Ferg us‘ song:
I sang it alone in the house, hold ing down the long dark chords. Her door
was open: she wanted to hear my music. Si lent with awe and pit y I went to
her bedside. She was cr y ing in her wretched bed. For those words,
Stephen: love‘s bitter myster y.
Usurper.
*******
W here now?
Her secrets: old featherfans, tassel led dancecards, powdered with musk, a
gaud of amber beads in her locked drawer. A birdcage hung in the sunny
window of her house when she was a g irl. She heard old Royce sing in the
pantomime of T UR KO THE TER R IBLE and laughed with others when he sang:
I A M THE BOY
TH AT CA N ENJOY
IN V ISIBI LIT Y.
--You, Cochrane, what cit y sent for h im?
--Tarentum, sir.
--Ver y good. Wel l?
--T here was a batt le, sir.
--Ver y good. W here?
T he boy‘s blank face asked the blank window.
Phantasmal mirth, folded away: muskperfumed.
Fabled by the daughters of memor y. And yet it was in some way if not as
memor y fabled it. A phrase, then, of impat ience, thud of Blake‘s wings of
excess. I hear the ru in of al l space, shattered glass and toppl ing
masonr y, and t ime one l ivid f inal f lame. W hat‘s left us then?
A ND NO MOR E T UR N ASIDE A ND BROOD.
Folded away in the memor y of nature with her toys. Memories beset h is
brood ing brain. Her glass of water from the k itchen tap when she had
approached the sacrament. A cored apple, f i l led with brown sugar,
roast ing for her at the hob on a dark autumn even ing. Her shapely
f ingernai ls reddened by the blood of squashed l ice from the ch i ldren‘s
sh irts.
--I forget the place, sir. 279 B. C.
In a dream, si lent ly, she had come to h im, her wasted body with in its
loose graveclothes giving off an odour of wax and rosewood, her breath,
bent over h im with mute secret words, a faint odour of wetted ashes.
T hat phrase the world had remembered. A dul l ease of the mind. From a
h i l l above a corpsestrewn plain a general speak ing to h is off icers,
leaned upon h is spear. Any general to any off icers. They lend ear.
Her glazing eyes, staring out of death, to shake and bend my sou l. On me
alone. T he ghostcandle to l ight her agony. Ghost ly l ight on the tortured
face. Her hoarse loud breath ratt l ing in horror, wh i le al l prayed on
their k nees. Her eyes on me to strike me down. LI LI ATA RUT I L A NT IUM T E
CONFESSORUM T UR M A CIRCUM DET: IUBI L A NT IUM T E V IRGINUM HORUS EXCIPI AT.
--You, A rmstrong, Stephen said. W hat was the end of Pyrrhus?
--Ascu lum, Stephen said, glancing at the name and date in the gorescarred
book.
--Yes, sir. A nd he said: A NOTHER V ICTORY LIK E TH AT A ND W E A R E DONE FOR.
--End of Pyrrhus, sir?
--I k now, sir. Ask me, sir, Comyn said.
Ghou l ! Chewer of corpses!
--Wait. You, A rmstrong. Do you k now anyth ing about Pyrrhus?
No, mother! Let me be and let me l ive.
A bag of f igrol ls lay snugly in Armstrong‘s satchel. He curled them
bet ween h is palms at wh i les and swal lowed them soft ly. Crumbs adhered to
the t issue of h is l ips. A sweetened boy‘s breath. Wel loff people, proud
that their eldest son was in the nav y. Vico road, Dalkey.
--K inch ahoy!
Buck Mul l igan‘s voice sang from with in the tower. It came nearer up the
staircase, cal l ing again. Stephen, st i l l trembl ing at h is sou l ‘s cr y,
heard warm runn ing sunl ight and in the air beh ind h im friend ly words.
--Pyrrhus, sir? Pyrrhus, a pier.
--Dedalus, come down, l ike a good mosey. Breakfast is ready. Haines is
apolog ising for wak ing us last n ight. It‘s al l right.
A l l laughed. M irthless h igh mal icious laughter. Armstrong looked round at
h is classmates, si l ly glee in prof i le. In a moment they wi l l laugh more
loud ly, aware of my lack of rule and of the fees their papas pay.
--I‘m coming, Stephen said, turn ing.
--Tel l me now, Stephen said, pok ing the boy‘s shoulder with the book,
what is a pier.
--Do, for Jesus‘ sake, Buck Mul l igan said. For my sake and for al l our
sakes.
--A pier, sir, A rmstrong said. A th ing out in the water. A k ind of a
bridge. K ingstown pier, sir.
H is head d isappeared and reappeared.
Some laughed again: mirthless but with mean ing. Two in the back bench
wh ispered. Yes. They k new: had never learned nor ever been innocent. A l l.
With env y he watched their faces: Ed ith, Ethel, Gert y, L i ly. Their l ikes:
their breaths, too, sweetened with tea and jam, their bracelets t ittering
in the str uggle.
--I told h im your symbol of Irish art. He says it‘s ver y clever. Touch
h im for a qu id, wi l l you? A g u inea, I mean.
--I get paid th is morn ing, Stephen said.
--T he school k ip? Buck Mul l igan said. How much? Four qu id? Lend us one.
--K ingstown pier, Stephen said. Yes, a d isappointed bridge.
--If you want it, Stephen said.
T he words troubled their gaze.
--Four sh in ing sovereigns, Buck Mu l l igan cried with del ight. We‘ l l have a
glorious drunk to aston ish the dru idy dr u ids. Four omn ipotent sovereigns.
--How, sir? Comyn asked. A bridge is across a river.
For Haines‘s chapbook. No-one here to hear. Ton ight deft ly amid wi ld
drink and talk, to pierce the pol ished mai l of h is mind. W hat then? A
jester at the court of h is master, indulged and d isesteemed, winn ing a
clement master‘s praise. W hy had they chosen al l that part? Not whol ly
for the smooth caress. For them too h istor y was a tale l ike any other too
often heard, their land a pawnshop.
He f lung up h is hands and tramped down the stone stairs, sing ing out of
tune with a Cock ney accent:
O, WON‘ T W E H AV E A M ER RY T I M E ,
DR INK ING WHISK Y, BEER A ND W INE !
ON CORONAT ION,
CORONAT ION DAY!
O, WON‘ T W E H AV E A M ER RY T I M E
ON CORONAT ION DAY!
Had Pyrrhus not fal len by a beldam‘s hand in Argos or Jul ius Caesar not
been k n ifed to death. They are not to be thought away. Time has branded
them and fettered they are lodged in the room of the inf in ite
possibi l it ies they have ousted. But can those have been possible seeing
that they never were? Or was that only possible wh ich came to pass?
Weave, weaver of the wind.
Warm sunsh ine merr y ing over the sea. T he n ickel shavingbowl shone,
forgotten, on the parapet. W hy shou ld I bring it down? Or leave it there
al l day, forgotten friendsh ip?
--Tel l us a stor y, sir.
--O, do, sir. A ghoststor y.
He went over to it, held it in h is hands awh i le, feel ing its coolness,
smel l ing the clammy slaver of the lather in wh ich the br ush was stuck. So
I carried the boat of incense then at Clongowes. I am another now and yet
the same. A ser vant too. A ser ver of a ser vant.
--W here do you begin in th is? Stephen asked, open ing another book.
--W EEP NO MOR E , Comyn said.
In the gloomy domed l ivingroom of the tower Buck Mu l l igan‘s gowned form
moved brisk ly to and fro about the hearth, h id ing and reveal ing its
yel low glow. Two shafts of soft dayl ight fel l across the f lagged f loor
from the h igh barbacans: and at the meet ing of their rays a cloud of
coalsmoke and fumes of fried grease f loated, turn ing.
--A nd the stor y, sir?
--We‘ l l be choked, Buck Mul l igan said. Haines, open that door, wi l l you?
A swarthy boy opened a book and propped it n imbly under the breast work of
h is satchel. He recited jerks of verse with odd glances at the text:
Stephen laid the shavingbowl on the locker. A tal l f ig ure rose from the
hammock where it had been sitt ing, went to the door way and pu l led open
the inner doors.
--Go on then, Talbot.
--After, Stephen said. Go on, Talbot.
--W EEP NO MOR E , WOFUL SHEPHER DS, W EEP NO MOR E
FOR LYCIDAS, YOUR SOR ROW, IS NOT DEA D,
SUNK THOUGH HE BE BENEATH THE WATERY FLOOR ...
--Have you the key? a voice asked.
--Dedalus has it, Buck Mul l igan said. Janey Mack, I‘m choked!
He howled, without look ing up from the f ire:
--K inch!
--It‘s in the lock, Stephen said, coming for ward.
The key scraped round harshly t wice and, when the heav y door had been set
ajar, welcome l ight and bright air entered. Haines stood at the door way,
look ing out. Stephen haled h is upended val ise to the table and sat down
to wait. Buck Mul l igan tossed the fr y on to the d ish beside h im. T hen he
carried the d ish and a large teapot over to the table, set them down
heavi ly and sighed with rel ief.
--I‘m melt ing, he said, as the candle remarked when ... But, hush! Not a
word more on that subject! K inch, wake up! Bread, butter, honey. Haines,
come in. The grub is ready. Bless us, O Lord, and these thy g ifts.
W here‘s the sugar? O, jay, there‘s no mi lk.
It must be a movement then, an actual it y of the possible as possible.
A ristot le‘s phrase formed itself with in the gabbled verses and f loated
out into the stud ious si lence of the l ibrar y of Saint Genevieve where he
had read, sheltered from the sin of Paris, n ight by n ight. By h is elbow a
del icate Siamese conned a handbook of strateg y. Fed and feed ing brains
about me: under glowlamps, impaled, with faint ly beat ing feelers: and in
my mind ‘s dark ness a sloth of the under world, reluctant, shy of
brightness, sh ift ing her dragon scaly folds. Thought is the thought of
thought. Tranqu i l brightness. The soul is in a manner al l that is: the
sou l is the form of forms. Tranqu i l it y sudden, vast, candescent: form of
forms.
Talbot repeated:
--THROUGH THE DEA R M IGHT OF HI M TH AT WA LK ED THE WAV ES,
THROUGH THE DEA R M IGHT ...
Stephen fetched the loaf and the pot of honey and the buttercooler from
the locker. Buck Mul l igan sat down in a sudden pet.
--Turn over, Stephen said qu iet ly. I don‘t see anyth ing.
--W hat, sir? Talbot asked simply, bend ing for ward.
--W hat sort of a k ip is th is? he said. I told her to come after eight.
H is hand turned the page over. He leaned back and went on again,
having just remembered. Of h im that walked the waves. Here also over
these craven hearts h is shadow l ies and on the scoffer‘s heart and l ips
and on mine. It l ies upon their eager faces who offered h im a coin of the
tribute. To Caesar what is Caesar‘s, to God what is God ‘s. A long look
from dark eyes, a riddl ing sentence to be woven and woven on the church ‘s
looms. Ay.
--We can drink it black, Stephen said th irst i ly. T here‘s a lemon in the
locker.
--O, damn you and your Paris fads! Buck Mu l l igan said. I want Sandycove
mi lk.
Haines came in from the door way and said qu iet ly:
--T hat woman is coming up with the mi lk.
R IDDLE M E , R IDDLE M E , R A NDY RO.
M Y FATHER GAV E M E SEEDS TO SOW.
--T he blessings of God on you ! Buck Mu l l igan cried, jumping up from h is
chair. Sit down. Pour out the tea there. T he sugar is in the bag. Here, I
can‘t go fumbl ing at the damned eggs.
Talbot sl id h is closed book into h is satchel.
He hacked through the fr y on the d ish and slapped it out on three plates,
say ing:
--Have I heard al l? Stephen asked.
--Yes, sir. Hockey at ten, sir.
--IN NOM INE PAT R IS ET FI LII ET SPIR IT US SA NCT I.
--Half day, sir. Thursday.
Haines sat down to pour out the tea.
--W ho can answer a riddle? Stephen asked.
--I‘m g iving you t wo lumps each, he said. But, I say, Mu l l igan, you do
make strong tea, don‘t you?
T hey bund led their books away, penci ls clack ing, pages rust l ing.
Crowd ing together they strapped and buck led their satchels, al l gabbl ing
gai ly:
Buck Mul l igan, hewing th ick sl ices from the loaf, said in an old woman‘s
wheed l ing voice:
--A ridd le, sir? Ask me, sir.
--W hen I makes tea I makes tea, as old mother Grogan said. A nd when I
makes water I makes water.
--O, ask me, sir.
--By Jove, it is tea, Haines said.
--A hard one, sir.
Buck Mul l igan went on hewing and wheed l ing:
--T h is is the riddle, Stephen said:
--SO I DO, M R S CA HI L L , says she. BEGOB, M A‘A M, says M rs Cah i l l, GOD SEND
YOU DON‘ T M A K E THEM IN THE ONE POT.
He lunged towards h is messmates in turn a th ick sl ice of bread, impaled
on h is k n ife.
--T hat‘s folk, he said ver y earnest ly, for your book, Haines. Five l ines
of text and ten pages of notes about the folk and the f ishgods of
Dundr um. Printed by the weird sisters in the year of the big wind.
THE COCK CR EW,
THE SK Y WAS BLUE :
THE BEL LS IN HEAV EN
W ER E ST R IK ING ELEV EN.
‚T IS T I M E FOR THIS POOR SOUL
TO GO TO HEAV EN.
W hat is that?
He turned to Stephen and asked in a f ine puzzled voice, l ift ing h is
brows:
--W hat, sir?
--Can you recal l, brother, is mother Grogan‘s tea and water pot spoken of
in the Mabinogion or is it in the Upan ishads?
--Again, sir. We d idn‘t hear.
T heir eyes grew bigger as the l ines were repeated. After a si lence
Cochrane said:
--I doubt it, said Stephen gravely.
--Do you now? Buck Mul l igan said in the same tone. Your reasons, pray?
--W hat is it, sir? We give it up.
--I fancy, Stephen said as he ate, it d id not ex ist in or out of the
Mabinogion. Mother Grogan was, one imag ines, a k inswoman of Mar y A nn.
Stephen, h is throat itch ing, answered:
Buck Mul l igan‘s face smi led with del ight.
--T he fox bur y ing h is grandmother under a hol lybush.
He stood up and gave a shout of ner vous laughter to wh ich their cries
echoed d ismay.
--Charming! he said in a f in ical sweet voice, showing h is wh ite teeth and
bl ink ing h is eyes pleasant ly. Do you th ink she was? Qu ite charming!
A st ick str uck the door and a voice in the corridor cal led:
Then, suddenly overcloud ing al l h is features, he growled in a hoarsened
rasping voice as he hewed again vigorously at the loaf:
--Hockey!
T hey broke asunder, sidl ing out of their benches, leaping them.
Qu ick ly they were gone and from the lumberroom came the ratt le of st icks
and clamour of their boots and tong ues.
--FOR OL D M A RY A NN
SHE DOESN‘ T CA R E A DA M N.
BUT, HISING UP HER PET T ICOATS ...
Sargent who alone had l ingered came for ward slowly, showing an
open copybook. H is th ick hair and scragg y neck gave witness of
unread iness and through h is mist y glasses weak eyes looked up plead ing.
On h is cheek, dul l and bloodless, a soft stain of ink lay, dateshaped,
recent and damp as a snai l ‘s bed.
He crammed h is mouth with fr y and munched and droned.
The door way was darkened by an entering form.
--T he mi lk, sir!
He held out h is copybook. The word SUMS was written on the
head l ine. Beneath were sloping f ig ures and at the foot a crooked signature
with bl ind loops and a blot. Cyri l Sargent: h is name and seal.
--Come in, ma‘am, Mul l igan said. K inch, get the jug.
An old woman came for ward and stood by Stephen‘s elbow.
--M r Deasy told me to write them out al l again, he said, and show them to
you, sir.
--T hat‘s a lovely morn ing, sir, she said. Glor y be to God.
Stephen touched the edges of the book. Fut i l it y.
--To whom? Mul l igan said, glancing at her. A h, to be sure !
--Do you understand how to do them now? he asked.
Stephen reached back and took the mi lkjug from the locker.
--Numbers eleven to f ifteen, Sargent answered. M r Deasy said I was to
copy them off the board, sir.
--T he islanders, Mul l igan said to Haines casual ly, speak frequent ly of
the col lector of prepuces.
-- Can you do them. yourself ? Stephen asked.
--How much, sir? asked the old woman.
--No, sir.
--A quart, Stephen said.
Ugly and fut i le: lean neck and th ick hair and a stain of ink, a snai l ‘s
bed. Yet someone had loved h im, borne h im in her arms and in her heart.
But for her the race of the world would have trampled h im underfoot, a
squashed boneless snai l. She had loved h is weak water y blood drained from
her own. Was that then real? The only true th ing in l ife? H is mother‘s
prostrate body the f ier y Columbanus in holy zeal bestrode. She was no
more: the trembl ing skeleton of a t wig burnt in the f ire, an odour of
rosewood and wetted ashes. She had saved h im from being trampled
underfoot and had gone, scarcely having been. A poor soul gone to heaven:
and on a heath beneath wink ing stars a fox, red reek of rapine in h is fur,
with merci less bright eyes scraped in the earth, l istened, scraped up the
earth, l istened, scraped and scraped.
He watched her pour into the measure and thence into the jug rich wh ite
mi lk, not hers. Old shrunken paps. She poured again a measurefu l and a
t i l ly. Old and secret she had entered from a morn ing world, maybe a
messenger. She praised the goodness of the mi lk, pouring it out.
Crouch ing by a pat ient cow at daybreak in the lush f ield, a witch on her
toadstool, her wrink led f ingers qu ick at the squ irt ing dugs. T hey lowed
about her whom they k new, dewsi lky catt le. Si lk of the k ine and poor old
woman, names given her in old t imes. A wandering crone, lowly form of an
immortal ser ving her conqueror and her gay betrayer, their common
cuckquean, a messenger from the secret morn ing. To ser ve or to upbraid,
whether he could not tel l: but scorned to beg her favour.
--It is indeed, ma‘am, Buck Mul l igan said, pouring mi lk into their cups.
Sitt ing at h is side Stephen solved out the problem. He proves by
algebra that Shakespeare‘s ghost is Hamlet‘s grandfather. Sargent peered
askance through h is slanted glasses. Hockeyst icks ratt led in the
lumberroom: the hol low k nock of a bal l and cal ls from the f ield.
--Taste it, sir, she said.
He drank at her bidd ing.
--A re you a med ical student, sir? the old woman asked.
Across the page the symbols moved in grave morrice, in the mummer y
of their letters, wearing quaint caps of squares and cubes. Give hands,
traverse, bow to partner: so: imps of fancy of the Moors. Gone too from
the world, Averroes and Moses Maimon ides, dark men in mien and
movement, f lash ing in their mock ing mirrors the obscure soul of the
world, a dark ness sh in ing in brightness wh ich brightness could not
comprehend.
--I am, ma‘am, Buck Mul l igan answered.
--Do you understand now? Can you work the second for yourself ?
--If we could l ive on good food l ike that, he said to her somewhat
loud ly, we wouldn‘t have the countr y fu l l of rotten teeth and rotten
g uts. L iving in a bogswamp, eat ing cheap food and the streets paved with
dust, horsedung and consumpt ives‘ spits.
--Look at that now, she said.
--Yes, sir.
Stephen l istened in scornful si lence. She bows her old head to a voice
that speaks to her loudly, her bonesetter, her med icineman: me she
sl ights. To the voice that wi l l shrive and oi l for the grave al l there is
of her but her woman‘s unclean loins, of man‘s f lesh made not in God ‘s
l ikeness, the serpent‘s prey. And to the loud voice that now bids her be
si lent with wondering unsteady eyes.
In long shaky strokes Sargent copied the data. Wait ing always for a
word of help h is hand moved faithful ly the unsteady symbols, a faint hue
of shame f l ickering beh ind h is dul l sk in. A MOR M AT R IS: subject ive and
object ive gen it ive. With her weak blood and wheysour mi lk she had fed h im
and h id from sight of others h is swaddl ing bands.
L ike h im was I, these sloping shoulders, th is gracelessness. My
ch i ldhood bends beside me. Too far for me to lay a hand there once or
l ight ly. M ine is far and h is secret as our eyes. Secrets, si lent, stony
sit in the dark palaces of both our hearts: secrets wear y of their
t yranny: t yrants, wi l l ing to be dethroned.
--Do you understand what he says? Stephen asked her.
--Is it French you are talk ing, sir? the old woman said to Haines.
Haines spoke to her again a longer speech, conf ident ly.
T he sum was done.
--Irish, Buck Mul l igan said. Is there Gael ic on you?
--It is ver y simple, Stephen said as he stood up.
--I thought it was Irish, she said, by the sound of it. A re you from the
west, sir?
--Yes, sir. T hanks, Sargent answered.
--I am an Engl ishman, Haines answered.
He dried the page with a sheet of th in blott ing paper and carried h is
copybook back to h is bench.
--He‘s Engl ish, Buck Mul l igan said, and he th inks we ought to speak Irish
in Ireland.
--You had better get your st ick and go out to the others, Stephen said as
he fol lowed towards the door the boy‘s graceless form.
--Sure we ought to, the old woman said, and I‘m ashamed I don‘t speak the
lang uage myself. I‘m told it‘s a grand lang uage by them that k nows.
--Yes, sir.
--Grand is no name for it, said Buck Mu l l igan. Wonderfu l ent irely. Fi l l
us out some more tea, K inch. Would you l ike a cup, ma‘am?
In the corridor h is name was heard, cal led from the playf ield.
--Sargent!
--No, thank you, sir, the old woman said, sl ipping the ring of the
mi lkcan on her forearm and about to go.
--Run on, Stephen said. M r Deasy is cal l ing you.
Haines said to her:
He stood in the porch and watched the laggard hurr y towards the
scrappy f ield where sharp voices were in strife. They were sorted in teams
and M r Deasy came away stepping over wisps of grass with gaitered feet.
W hen he had reached the schoolhouse voices again contend ing cal led to
h im. He turned h is angr y wh ite moustache.
--Have you your bi l l? We had better pay her, Mu l l igan, hadn‘t we ?
Stephen f i l led again the three cups.
--Bi l l, sir? she said, halt ing. Wel l, it‘s seven morn ings a pint at
t wopence is seven t wos is a sh i l l ing and t wopence over and these three
morn ings a quart at fourpence is three quarts is a sh i l l ing. T hat‘s a
sh i l l ing and one and t wo is t wo and t wo, sir.
--W hat is it now? he cried cont inual ly without l isten ing.
-- Cochrane and Hal l iday are on the same side, sir, Stephen said.
--Wi l l you wait in my study for a moment, M r Deasy said, t i l l I restore
order here.
Buck Mul l igan sighed and, having f i l led h is mouth with a cr ust th ick ly
buttered on both sides, stretched forth h is legs and began to search h is
trouser pockets.
A nd as he stepped fussi ly back across the f ield h is old man‘s voice
cried sternly:
--Pay up and look pleasant, Haines said to h im, smi l ing.
--W hat is the matter? W hat is it now?
Stephen f i l led a th ird cup, a spoonfu l of tea colouring faint ly the th ick
rich mi lk. Buck Mul l igan brought up a f lorin, t wisted it round in h is
f ingers and cried:
T heir sharp voices cried about h im on al l sides: their many forms
closed round h im, the garish sunsh ine bleach ing the honey of h is i l ldyed
head.
--A miracle !
Stale smoky air hung in the study with the smel l of drab abraded
leather of its chairs. As on the f irst day he bargained with me here. As
it
He passed it along the table towards the old woman, say ing:
--Ask noth ing more of me, sweet. A l l I can g ive you I g ive.
Stephen laid the coin in her uneager hand.
--We‘ l l owe t wopence, he said.
--Time enough, sir, she said, tak ing the coin. Time enough. Good morn ing,
sir.
She curtseyed and went out, fol lowed by Buck Mu l l igan‘s tender chant:
--HE A RT OF M Y HEA RT, W ER E IT MOR E ,
MOR E WOUL D BE L A ID AT YOUR FEET.
He turned to Stephen and said:
--Seriously, Dedalus. I‘m stony. Hurr y out to your school k ip and bring
us back some money. Today the bards must drink and junket. Ireland
expects that ever y man th is day wi l l do h is dut y.
--T hat reminds me, Haines said, rising, that I have to visit your
nat ional l ibrar y today.
--Our swim f irst, Buck Mul l igan said.
He turned to Stephen and asked bland ly:
--Is th is the day for your monthly wash, K inch?
Then he said to Haines:
--T he unclean bard makes a point of wash ing once a month.
--A l l Ireland is washed by the g ulfstream, Stephen said as he let honey
trick le over a sl ice of the loaf.
Haines from the corner where he was k nott ing easi ly a scarf about the
loose col lar of h is tenn is sh irt spoke:
--I intend to make a col lect ion of your say ings if you wi l l let me.
Speak ing to me. They wash and tub and scr ub. Agenbite of inwit.
Conscience. Yet here‘s a spot.
--T hat one about the cracked look ingglass of a ser vant being the symbol
of Irish art is deuced good.
Buck Mul l igan k icked Stephen‘s foot under the table and said with warmth
of tone:
--Wait t i l l you hear h im on Hamlet, Haines.
--Wel l, I mean it, Haines said, st i l l speak ing to Stephen. I was just
th ink ing of it when that poor old creature came in.
--Wou ld I make any money by it? Stephen asked.
Haines laughed and, as he took h is soft grey hat from the holdfast of the
hammock, said:
--I don‘t k now, I‘m sure.
He strol led out to the door way. Buck Mu l l igan bent across to Stephen and
said with coarse vigour:
--You put your hoof in it now. W hat d id you say that for?
--Wel l? Stephen said. The problem is to get money. From whom? From the
mi lk woman or from h im. It‘s a toss up, I th ink.
--I blow h im out about you, Buck Mu l l igan said, and then you come along
with your lousy leer and your gloomy jesu it jibes.
--I see l itt le hope, Stephen said, from her or from h im.
22
wou ld. Lucky Mol ly got over hers l ight ly. T hey ought to invent someth ing
to stop that. L ife with hard labour. Twi l ight sleep idea: queen Victoria
was g iven that. Nine she had. A good layer. Old woman that l ived in a shoe
she had so many ch i ldren. Suppose he was consumpt ive. Time someone thought
about it instead of gassing about the what was it the pensive bosom of the
si lver effulgence. Flapdoodle to feed fools on. T hey cou ld easi ly have big
establ ishments whole th ing qu ite painless out of al l the taxes g ive ever y
ch i ld born f ive qu id at compound interest up to t went yone f ive per cent is
a hundred sh i l l ings and f ive t iresome pounds mu lt iply by t went y decimal
system encourage people to put by money save hundred and ten and a bit
t went yone years want to work it out on paper come to a t idy sum more than
you th ink.
Not st i l lborn of course. They are not even reg istered. Trouble for
noth ing.
Funny sight t wo of them together, their bel l ies out. Mol ly and M rs
Moisel. Mothers‘ meet ing. Phth isis ret ires for the t ime being, then
returns. How f lat they look al l of a sudden after. Peacefu l eyes.
Weight off their mind. Old M rs Thornton was a jol ly old sou l. A l l
my babies, she said. The spoon of pap in her mouth before she fed
them. O, that‘s ny umny um. Got her hand cr ushed by old Tom Wal l ‘s son.
H is f irst bow to the publ ic. Head l ike a prize pumpk in. Snuffy Dr Murren.
People k nock ing them up at al l hours. For God ‘ sake, doctor. Wife in
her throes. Then keep them wait ing months for their fee. To attendance
on your wife. No grat itude in people. Humane doctors, most of them.
Before the huge h igh door of the Irish house of parl iament a f lock of
pigeons f lew. Their l itt le frol ic after meals. W ho wi l l we do it on? I
pick the fel low in black. Here goes. Here‘s good luck. Must be thri l l ing
from the air. Apjohn, myself and Owen Goldberg up in the trees near Goose
green play ing the monkeys. Mackerel they cal led me.
A squad of constables debouched from Col lege street, march ing in
Ind ian f i le. Goosestep. Foodheated faces, sweat ing helmets, patt ing their
truncheons. After their feed with a good load of fat soup under their
belts. Pol iceman‘s lot is oft a happy one. T hey spl it up in groups and
scattered, salut ing, towards their beats. Let out to graze. Best moment to
attack one in pudd ing t ime. A punch in h is d inner. A squad of others,
march ing irreg ularly, rounded Trin it y rai l ings mak ing for the stat ion.
Bound for their troughs. Prepare to receive cavalr y. Prepare to receive
soup.
He crossed under Tommy Moore‘s rog u ish f inger. T hey d id right to
put h im up over a urinal: meet ing of the waters. Ought to be places for
women. Runn ing into cakeshops. Sett le my hat straight. THER E IS NOT IN
THIS W IDE WOR L D A VA L LEE . Great song of Ju l ia Morkan‘s. Kept her voice up
to the ver y last. Pupi l of M ichael Balfe‘s, wasn‘t she ?
He gazed after the last broad tun ic. Nast y customers to tack le. Jack
Power could a tale unfold: father a G man. If a fel low gave them trouble
being lagged they let h im have it hot and heav y in the bridewel l. Can‘t
blame them after al l with the job they have especial ly the young horn ies.
That horsepol iceman the day Joe Chamberlain was g iven h is degree in
Trin it y he got a run for h is money. My word he d id! H is horse‘s hoofs
clattering after us down Abbey street. Lucky I had the presence of mind to
d ive into Mann ing‘s or I was souped. He d id come a wal lop, by George.
Must have cracked h is skul l on the cobblestones. I oughtn‘t to have got
myself swept along with those med icals. A nd the Trin it y jibs in their
mortarboards. Look ing for trouble. St i l l I got to k now that young Dixon
who dressed that st ing for me in the Mater and now he‘s in Hol les street
where M rs Purefoy. W heels with in wheels. Pol ice wh ist le in my ears st i l l.
A l l skedaddled. W hy he f ixed on me. Give me in charge. R ight here it
began.
--Up the Boers!
--T hree cheers for De Wet!
--Ii i i i ichaaaaaaach!
--T here was one woman, Nosey Flynn said, h id herself in a clock to f ind
out what they do be doing. But be damned but they smelt her out and swore
her in on the spot a master mason. That was one of the saint Legers of
Donerai le.
Dav y Byrne, sated after h is yawn, said with tear washed eyes:
--A nd is that a fact? Decent qu iet man he is. I often saw h im in here and
I never once saw h im--you k now, over the l ine.
--God A lmight y couldn‘t make h im drunk, Nosey Flynn said f irmly. Sl ips
off when the fun gets too hot. Didn‘t you see h im look at h is watch? A h,
you weren‘t there. If you ask h im to have a drink f irst th ing he does he
outs with the watch to see what he ought to imbibe. Declare to God he
does.
--T here are some l ike that, Dav y Byrne said. He‘s a safe man, I‘ d say.
--He‘s not too bad, Nosey Flynn said, snuff l ing it up. He‘s been k nown to
put h is hand down too to help a fel low. Give the devi l h is due. O, Bloom
has h is good points. But there‘s one th ing he‘ l l never do.
H is hand scrawled a dr y pen signature beside h is grog.
--I k now, Dav y Byrne said.
--Noth ing in black and wh ite, Nosey Flynn said.
Paddy Leonard and Bantam Lyons came in. Tom Rochford fol lowed frown ing, a
plain ing hand on h is claret waistcoat.
--Day, M r Byrne.
--Day, gent lemen.
T hey paused at the counter.
--W ho‘s stand ing? Paddy Leonard asked.
--I‘m sitt ing anyhow, Nosey Flynn answered.
--Wel l, what‘ l l it be? Paddy Leonard asked.
--I‘ l l take a stone ginger, Bantam Lyons said.
--How much? Paddy Leonard cried. Since when, for God ‘ sake? W hat‘s yours,
Tom?
--How is the main drainage? Nosey Flynn asked, sipping.
For answer Tom Rochford pressed h is hand to h is breastbone and h iccupped.
--Wou ld I trouble you for a glass of fresh water, M r Byrne? he said.
-- Certainly, sir.
Paddy Leonard eyed h is alemates.
--Lord love a duck, he said. Look at what I‘m stand ing drinks to! Cold
water and g ingerpop! Two fel lows that would suck wh isky off a sore leg.
He has some bloody horse up h is sleeve for the Gold cup. A dead sn ip.
--Zinfandel is it? Nosey Flynn asked.
Tom Rochford spi lt powder from a t wisted paper into the water set before
h im.
--We‘ l l hang Joe Chamberlain on a sourapple tree.
--T hat cursed dyspepsia, he said before drink ing.
Si l ly bi l l ies: mob of young cubs yel l ing their g uts out. Vinegar h i l l.
The Butter exchange band. Few years‘ t ime half of them mag istrates and
civi l ser vants. War comes on: into the army helterskelter: same fel lows
used to. W hether on the scaffold h igh.
--Breadsoda is ver y good, Dav y Byrne said.
Never k now who you‘re talk ing to. Corny Kel leher he has Har vey
Duff in h is eye. L ike that Peter or Den is or James Carey that blew the
gaff on the invincibles. Member of the corporat ion too. Egg ing raw youths
on to get in the k now al l the t ime drawing secret ser vice pay from the
cast le. Drop h im l ike a hot potato. W hy those plainclothes men are always
court ing slaveys. Easi ly t wig a man used to un iform. Squarepush ing up
against a backdoor. Maul her a bit. T hen the next th ing on the menu. A nd
who is the gent leman does be visit ing there ? Was the young master say ing
anyth ing? Peeping Tom through the keyhole. Decoy duck. Hotblooded young
student fool ing round her fat arms iron ing.
--A re those yours, Mar y?
--I don‘t wear such th ings ... Stop or I‘ l l tel l the missus on you.
Out half the n ight.
Tom Rochford nodded and drank.
--Is it Zinfandel?
--Say noth ing! Bantam Lyons winked. I‘m going to plunge f ive bob on my
own.
--Tel l us if you‘re worth your salt and be damned to you, Paddy Leonard
said. W ho gave it to you?
M r Bloom on h is way out raised three f ingers in greet ing.
--So long! Nosey Flynn said.
T he others turned.
--T hat‘s the man now that gave it to me, Bantam Lyons wh ispered.
--T here are great t imes coming, Mar y. Wait t i l l you see.
--Prr wht! Paddy Leonard said with scorn. M r Byrne, sir, we‘ l l take t wo of
your smal l Jamesons after that and a ...
--A h, gelong with your great t imes coming.
--Stone g inger, Dav y Byrne added civi l ly.
Barmaids too. Tobaccoshopgirls.
--Ay, Paddy Leonard said. A suck ingbott le for the baby.
James Stephens‘ idea was the best. He k new them. Circles of ten so
that a fel low couldn‘t round on more than h is own ring. Sinn Fein. Back
out you get the k n ife. H idden hand. Stay in. T he f iring squad. Turnkey‘s
daughter got h im out of R ichmond, off from Lusk. Putt ing up in the
Buck ingham Palace hotel under their ver y noses. Garibald i.
M r Bloom walked towards Dawson street, h is tong ue brush ing h is teeth
smooth. Someth ing green it would have to be: spinach, say. Then with
those Rontgen rays searchl ight you could.
You must have a certain fascinat ion: Parnel l. A rthur Griff ith is a
squareheaded fel low but he has no go in h im for the mob. Or gas about our
lovely land. Gammon and spinach. Dubl in Baker y Company‘s tearoom.
Debat ing societ ies. That republ ican ism is the best form of government.
That the lang uage quest ion should take precedence of the economic
quest ion. Have your daughters inveigl ing them to your house. Stuff them
up with meat and drink. M ichaelmas goose. Here‘s a good lump of thyme
season ing under the apron for you. Have another quart of goosegrease
before it gets too cold. Halffed enthusiasts. Penny rol l and a walk with
the band. No grace for the car ver. T he thought that the other chap pays
best sauce in the world. Make themselves thoroughly at home. Show us over
those apricots, mean ing peaches. The not far d istant day. Homer u le sun
rising up in the northwest.
H is smi le faded as he walked, a heav y cloud h id ing the sun slowly,
shadowing Trin it y‘s surly front. Trams passed one another, ingoing,
outgoing, clanging. Useless words. T h ings go on same, day after day:
squads of pol ice march ing out, back: trams in, out. T hose t wo loon ies
mooch ing about. Dignam carted off. M ina Purefoy swol len bel ly on a bed
groan ing to have a ch i ld tugged out of her. One born ever y second
somewhere. Other dy ing ever y second. Since I fed the birds f ive minutes.
Three hundred k icked the bucket. Other three hundred born, wash ing the
blood off, al l are washed in the blood of the lamb, bawl ing maaaaaa.
Cit yfu l passing away, other cit yful coming, passing away too: other
coming on, passing on. Houses, l ines of houses, streets, mi les of
pavements, pi ledup bricks, stones. Chang ing hands. T h is owner, that.
Land lord never d ies they say. Other steps into h is shoes when he gets
h is not ice to qu it. They buy the place up with gold and st i l l they
have al l the gold. Swindle in it somewhere. Pi led up in cit ies, worn
away age after age. Pyramids in sand. Bu i lt on bread and on ions.
Slaves Ch inese wal l. Babylon. Big stones left. Round towers. Rest r ubble,
sprawl ing suburbs, jerr ybu i lt. Ker wan‘s mushroom houses bu i lt of breeze.
Shelter, for the n ight.
At Duke lane a ravenous terrier choked up a sick k nuck ly cud on the
cobblestones and lapped it with new zest. Surfeit. Returned with thanks
having fu l ly d igested the contents. First sweet then savour y. M r Bloom
coasted wari ly. Ruminants. H is second course. Their upper jaw they move.
Wonder if Tom Rochford wi l l do anyth ing with that invent ion of h is?
Wast ing t ime explain ing it to Flynn‘s mouth. Lean people long mouths.
Ought to be a hal l or a place where inventors could go in and invent
free. Course then you‘ d have al l the cranks pestering.
He hummed, prolonging in solemn echo the closes of the bars:
DON GIOVA NNI, A CENA R TECO
M‘IN V ITAST I.
Feel better. Burg undy. Good pick me up. W ho d ist i l led f irst? Some chap in
the blues. Dutch courage. That K I LK ENN Y PEOPLE in the nat ional l ibrar y
now I must.
Bare clean closestools wait ing in the window of Wi l l iam M i l ler, plumber,
turned back h is thoughts. They could: and watch it al l the way down,
swal low a pin somet imes come out of the ribs years after, tour round the
body chang ing bi l iar y duct spleen squ irt ing l iver gastric ju ice coi ls of
intest ines l ike pipes. But the poor buffer would have to stand al l the
t ime with h is insides entrai ls on show. Science.
--A CENA R T ECO.
W hat does that TECO mean? Ton ight perhaps.
DON GIOVA NNI, THOU H AST M E IN V ITED
TO COM E TO SUPPER TONIGHT,
THE RUM THE RUM DUM.
No-one is anyth ing.
Doesn‘t go properly.
Th is is the ver y worst hour of the day. Vital it y. Du l l, gloomy: hate
th is hour. Feel as if I had been eaten and spewed.
Keyes: t wo months if I get Nannett i to. That‘ l l be t wo pounds ten about
t wo pounds eight. Three Hynes owes me. Two eleven. Prescott‘s dyeworks
van over there. If I get Bi l ly Prescott‘s ad: t wo f ifteen. Five g u ineas
about. On the pig‘s back.
Provost‘s house. The reverend Dr Salmon: t inned salmon. Wel l
t inned in there. L ike a mortuar y chapel. Wou ldn‘t l ive in it if they paid
me. Hope they have l iver and bacon today. Nature abhors a vacuum.
The sun freed itself slowly and l it gl ints of l ight among the si lver ware
opposite in Walter Sexton‘s window by wh ich John Howard Parnel l passed,
unseeing.
There he is: the brother. Image of h im. Haunt ing face. Now that‘s a
coincidence. Course hundreds of t imes you th ink of a person and don‘t
meet h im. L ike a man walk ing in h is sleep. No-one k nows h im. Must be a
corporat ion meet ing today. They say he never put on the cit y marshal ‘s
un iform since he got the job. Charley K avanagh used to come out on h is
h igh horse, cocked hat, puffed, powdered and shaved. Look at the
woebegone walk of h im. Eaten a bad egg. Poached eyes on ghost. I have a
pain. Great man‘s brother: h is brother‘s brother. He‘ d look n ice on the
cit y charger. Drop into the D.B.C. probably for h is coffee, play chess
there. H is brother used men as pawns. Let them al l go to pot. Afraid to
pass a remark on h im. Freeze them up with that eye of h is. T hat‘s the
fascinat ion: the name. A l l a bit touched. Mad Fanny and h is other sister
M rs Dick inson driving about with scarlet harness. Bolt upright l ik
surgeon M‘Ardle. St i l l David Sheehy beat h im for south Meath.
Apply for the Ch i ltern Hundreds and ret ire into publ ic l ife. T he patriot‘s
banquet. Eat ing orangepeels in the park. Simon Dedalus said when they put
h im in parl iament that Parnel l would come back from the grave and lead
h im out of the house of commons by the arm.
--Of the t woheaded octopus, one of whose heads is the head upon wh ich
the ends of the world have forgotten to come wh i le the other speaks with a
Scotch accent. The tentacles ...
They passed from beh ind M r Bloom along the curbstone. Beard and
bicycle. Young woman.
And there he is too. Now that‘s real ly a coincidence: second t ime.
Coming events cast their shadows before. With the approval of the eminent
poet, M r Geo. Russel l. That might be L izzie Twigg with h im. A. E .: what
does that mean? In it ials perhaps. A lbert Edward, A rthur Edmund,
A lphonsus Eb Ed El Esqu ire. W hat was he say ing? T he ends of the world
with a Scotch accent. Tentacles: octopus. Someth ing occu lt: symbol ism.
Hold ing forth. She‘s tak ing it al l in. Not say ing a word. To aid gent leman
in l iterar y work.
Cou ld buy one of those si lk pett icoats for Mol ly, colour of her new
garters.
Today. Today. Not th ink.
Tour the south then. W hat about Engl ish watering places? Brighton,
Margate. Piers by moonl ight. Her voice f loat ing out. Those lovely seaside
g irls. Against John Long‘s a drowsing loafer lounged in heav y thought,
gnawing a cr usted k nuck le. Handy man wants job. Smal l wages. Wi l l eat
anyth ing.
M r Bloom turned at Gray‘s confect ioner‘s window of unbought tarts and
passed the reverend Thomas Connel lan‘s bookstore. WH Y I LEF T THE CHURCH
OF ROM E? BIR DS‘ NEST. Women run h im. They say they used to give pauper
ch i ldren soup to change to protestants in the t ime of the potato bl ight.
Societ y over the way papa went to for the conversion of poor jews. Same
bait. W hy we left the church of Rome.
A bl ind stripl ing stood tapping the curbstone with h is slender cane. No
tram in sight. Wants to cross.
--Do you want to cross? M r Bloom asked.
T he bl ind stripl ing d id not answer. H is wal lface frowned weak ly. He moved
h is head uncertainly.
--You‘re in Dawson street, M r Bloom said. Molesworth street is opposite.
Do you want to cross? There‘s noth ing in the way.
T he cane moved out trembl ing to the left. M r Bloom‘s eye fol lowed its
l ine and saw again the dyeworks‘ van drawn up before Drago‘s. W here I saw
h is bri l lant ined hair just when I was. Horse drooping. Driver in John
Long‘s. Slak ing h is drouth.
--T here‘s a van there, M r Bloom said, but it‘s not moving. I‘ l l see you
across. Do you want to go to Molesworth street?
--Yes, the stripl ing answered. South Frederick street.
-- Come, M r Bloom said.
H is eyes fol lowed the h igh f ig ure in homespun, beard and bicycle, a
l isten ing woman at h is side. Coming from the vegetarian. Only
weggebobbles and fru it. Don‘t eat a beefsteak. If you do the eyes of that
cow wi l l pursue you through al l etern it y. T hey say it‘s health ier.
Windandwater y though. Tried it. Keep you on the r un al l day. Bad as a
bloater. Dreams al l n ight. W hy do they cal l that th ing they gave me
nutsteak? Nutarians. Fru itarians. To g ive you the idea you are eat ing
r umpsteak. Absurd. Salt y too. They cook in soda. Keep you sitt ing by the
tap al l n ight.
He touched the th in elbow gent ly: then took the l imp seeing hand to g u ide
it for ward.
Her stock ings are loose over her ank les. I detest that: so tasteless.
Those l iterar y etherial people they are al l. Dreamy, cloudy, symbol ist ic.
Esthetes they are. I wouldn‘t be surprised if it was that k ind of food you
see produces the l ike waves of the brain the poet ical. For example one of
those pol icemen sweat ing Irish stew into their sh irts you cou ldn‘t squeeze
a l ine of poetr y out of h im. Don‘t k now what poetr y is even. Must be in a
certain mood.
Stains on h is coat. Slobbers h is food, I suppose. Tastes al l d ifferent
for h im. Have to be spoonfed f irst. L ike a ch i ld ‘s hand, h is hand. L ike
M i l ly‘s was. Sensit ive. Sizing me up I daresay from my hand. Wonder if he
has a name. Van. Keep h is cane clear of the horse‘s legs: t ired drudge
get h is doze. T hat‘s right. Clear. Beh ind a bul l: in front of a horse.
THE DR EA M Y CLOUDY GUL L
WAV ES O‘ER THE WATER S DUL L .
He crossed at Nassau street corner and stood before the window of
Yeates and Son, pricing the f ieldglasses. Or wi l l I drop into old Harris‘s
and have a chat with young Sinclair? Wel lmannered fel low. Probably at h is
lunch. Must get those old glasses of mine set right. Goerz lenses six
g u ineas. Germans mak ing their way ever y where. Sel l on easy terms to
capture trade. Undercutt ing. M ight chance on a pair in the rai lway lost
propert y off ice. Aston ish ing the th ings people leave beh ind them in trains
and cloak rooms. W hat do they be th ink ing about? Women too. Incred ible.
Last year travel l ing to Enn is had to pick up that farmer‘s daughter‘s ba
and hand it to her at L imerick junct ion. Unclaimed money too. T here‘s a
l itt le watch up there on the roof of the bank to test those glasses by.
H is l ids came down on the lower rims of h is irides. Can‘t see it. If you
imag ine it‘s there you can almost see it. Can‘t see it.
He faced about and, stand ing bet ween the awn ings, held out h is right
hand at arm‘s length towards the sun. Wanted to tr y that often. Yes:
completely. The t ip of h is l itt le f inger blotted out the sun‘s d isk. Must
be the focus where the rays cross. If I had black glasses. Interest ing.
There was a lot of talk about those sunspots when we were in Lombard
street west. Look ing up from the back garden. Terrif ic explosions they
are. T here wi l l be a total ecl ipse th is year: autumn some t ime.
Now that I come to th ink of it that bal l fal ls at Greenwich t ime. It‘s
the clock is worked by an electric wire from Dunsink. Must go out there
some f irst Saturday of the month. If I cou ld get an introduct ion to
professor Joly or learn up someth ing about h is fami ly. T hat wou ld do to:
man always feels compl imented. Flatter y where least expected. Nobleman
proud to be descended from some k ing‘s mistress. H is foremother. Lay it on
with a trowel. Cap in hand goes through the land. Not go in and blurt out
what you k now you‘re not to: what‘s paral lax? Show th is gent leman the
door.
A h.
H is hand fel l to h is side again.
Never k now anyth ing about it. Waste of t ime. Gasbal ls spinn ing
about, crossing each other, passing. Same old d ingdong always. Gas: then
sol id: then world: then cold: then dead shel l drift ing around, frozen
rock, l ike that pineapple rock. The moon. Must be a new moon out, she
said. I bel ieve there is.
He went on by la maison Claire.
Say someth ing to h im. Better not do the condescend ing. They mistrust what
you tel l them. Pass a common remark.
--T he rain kept off.
No answer.
--T hanks, sir.
K nows I‘m a man. Voice.
--R ight now? First turn to the left.
T he bl ind stripl ing tapped the curbstone and went on h is way, drawing h is
cane back, feel ing again.
M r Bloom walked beh ind the eyeless feet, a f latcut su it of herringbone
t weed. Poor young fel low! How on earth d id he k now that van was there?
Must have felt it. See th ings in their forehead perhaps: k ind of sense of
volume. Weight or size of it, someth ing blacker than the dark. Wonder
wou ld he feel it if someth ing was removed. Feel a gap. Queer idea of
Dubl in he must have, tapping h is way round by the stones. Could he walk
in a beel ine if he hadn‘t that cane? Bloodless pious face l ike a fel low
going in to be a priest.
Penrose ! T hat was that chap‘s name.
Look at al l the th ings they can learn to do. Read with their f ingers.
Tune pianos. Or we are surprised they have any brains. W hy we th ink a
deformed person or a hunchback clever if he says someth ing we might say.
Of course the other senses are more. Embroider. Plait baskets. People
ought to help. Workbasket I could buy for Mol ly‘s birthday. Hates sewing.
M ight take an object ion. Dark men they cal l them.
Sense of smel l must be stronger too. Smel ls on al l sides, bunched
together. Each street d ifferent smel l. Each person too. Then the spring,
the summer: smel ls. Tastes? They say you can‘t taste wines with your eyes
shut or a cold in the head. A lso smoke in the dark they say get no
pleasure.
A nd with a woman, for instance. More shameless not seeing. That girl
passing the Stewart inst itut ion, head in the air. Look at me. I have them
al l on. Must be strange not to see her. K ind of a form in h is mind ‘s eye.
T he voice, temperatures: when he touches her with h is f ingers must almost
see the l ines, the cur ves. H is hands on her hair, for instance. Say it
was black, for instance. Good. We cal l it black. Then passing over her
wh ite sk in. Different feel perhaps. Feel ing of wh ite.
Postoff ice. Must answer. Fag today. Send her a postal order t wo
sh i l l ings, half a crown. Accept my l itt le present. Stat ioner‘s just here
too. Wait. T h ink over it.
With a gent le f inger he felt ever so slowly the hair combed back above
h is ears. Again. Fibres of f ine f ine straw. Then gent ly h is f inger felt
the sk in of h is right cheek. Downy hair there too. Not smooth enough. The
bel ly is the smoothest. No-one about. There he goes into Frederick
street. Perhaps to Levenston‘s dancing academy piano. M ight be sett l ing
my braces.
Wait. T he ful l moon was the n ight we were Sunday fortn ight exact ly
there is a new moon. Walk ing down by the Tolka. Not bad for a Fair view
moon. She was humming. The young May moon she‘s beaming, love. He
other side of her. Elbow, arm. He. Glow worm‘s la-amp is gleaming, love.
Touch. Fingers. Ask ing. Answer. Yes.
Walk ing by Doran‘s publ ichouse he sl id h is hand bet ween h is waistcoat and
trousers and, pul l ing aside h is sh irt gent ly, felt a slack fold of h is
bel ly. But I k now it‘s wh itey yel low. Want to tr y in the dark to see.
Stop. Stop. If it was it was. Must.
Poor fel low! Qu ite a boy. Terrible. Real ly terrible. W hat dreams would he
have, not seeing? L ife a dream for h im. W here is the just ice being born
that way? A l l those women and ch i ldren excursion beanfeast burned and
drowned in New York. Holocaust. Karma they cal l that transmigrat ion for
sins you d id in a past l ife the reincarnat ion met h im pike hoses. Dear,
dear, dear. Pit y, of course: but somehow you can‘t cotton on to them
someway.
M r Bloom, qu ickbreath ing, slowl ier walk ing passed Adam court.
With a keep qu iet rel ief h is eyes took note th is is the street here
midd le of the day of Bob Doran‘s bott le shou lders. On h is annual bend,
M Coy said. They drink in order to say or do someth ing or CHERCHEZ L A
FEM M E . Up in the Coombe with chummies and street walkers and then the
rest of the year sober as a judge.
Yes. T hought so. Sloping into the Empire. Gone. Plain soda wou ld do
h im good. W here Pat K insel la had h is Harp theatre before W h itbred ran
the Queen‘s. Broth of a boy. Dion Boucicau lt business with h is
har vestmoon face in a poky bonnet. T hree Purt y Maids from School. How
t ime f l ies, eh? Showing long red pantaloons under h is sk irts. Drinkers,
drink ing, laughed spluttering, their drink against their breath. More
power, Pat. Coarse red: fun for drunkards: g uffaw and smoke. Take off that
wh ite hat. H is parboi led eyes. W here is he now? Beggar somewhere. T he harp
that once d id star ve us al l.
I was happier then. Or was that I? Or am I now I? Twent yeight I was.
She t went ythree. W hen we left Lombard street west someth ing changed.
Cou ld never l ike it again after Rudy. Can‘t bring back t ime. L ike hold ing
water in your hand. Would you go back to then? Just beg inn ing then.
Wou ld you? Are you not happy in your home you poor l itt le naught y boy?
Wants to sew on buttons for me. I must answer. Write it in the l ibrar y.
Grafton street gay with housed awn ings lured h is senses. Musl in
prints, si lkdames and dowagers, jingle of harnesses, hoofthuds lowring ing
in the bak ing causeway. Th ick feet that woman has in the wh ite stock ings.
Hope the rain mucks them up on her. Countr ybred chawbacon. A l l the beef
to the heels were in. A lways gives a woman clumsy feet. Mol ly looks out of
plumb.
He passed, dal ly ing, the windows of Brown T homas, si lk mercers.
Cascades of ribbons. Fl imsy Ch ina si lks. A t i lted urn poured from its
mouth a f lood of bloodhued popl in: lustrous blood. T he hug uenots brought
that here. L A CAUSA E SA NTA! Tara Tara. Great chor us that. Taree tara.
Must be washed in rainwater. Meyerbeer. Tara: bom bom bom.
Pincush ions. I‘m a long t ime threaten ing to buy one. St ick ing them al l
over the place. Needles in window curtains.
He bared sl ight ly h is left forearm. Scrape: nearly gone. Not today
anyhow. Must go back for that lot ion. For her birthday perhaps.
Juneju lyaugseptember eighth. Nearly three months off. T hen she mightn‘t
l ike it. Women won‘t pick up pins. Say it cuts lo.
Gleaming si lks, pett icoats on sl im brass rai ls, rays of f lat si lk
stock ings.
He withdrew h is hand and pul led h is dress to.
Sir Frederick Falk iner going into the freemasons‘ hal l. Solemn as Troy.
After h is good lunch in Earlsfort terrace. Old legal cron ies crack ing a
magnum. Tales of the bench and assizes and annals of the bluecoat school.
I sentenced h im to ten years. I suppose he‘ d turn up h is nose at that
stuff I drank. Vintage wine for them, the year marked on a dust y bott le.
Has h is own ideas of just ice in the recorder‘s court. Wel lmean ing old
man. Pol ice chargesheets crammed with cases get their percentage
manufacturing crime. Sends them to the rightabout. The devi l on
moneylenders. Gave Reuben J. a great strawcal l ing. Now he‘s real ly what
they cal l a d irt y jew. Power those judges have. Crust y old topers in
wigs. Bear with a sore paw. And may the Lord have mercy on your soul.
Hel lo, placard. M irus bazaar. H is Excel lency the lord l ieutenant.
Sixteenth. Today it is. In aid of funds for Mercer‘s hospital. THE
M ESSI A H was f irst given for that. Yes. Handel. W hat about going out
there: Bal lsbridge. Drop in on Keyes. No use st ick ing to h im l ike a
leech. Wear out my welcome. Sure to k now someone on the gate.
M r Bloom came to K i ldare street. First I must. L ibrar y.
Straw hat in sunl ight. Tan shoes. Turnedup trousers. It is. It is.
H is heart quopped soft ly. To the right. Museum. Goddesses. He swer ved to
the right.
Is it? A lmost certain. Won‘t look. Wine in my face. W hy d id I? Too heady.
Yes, it is. T he walk. Not see. Get on.
Mak ing for the museum gate with long windy steps he l ifted h is eyes.
Handsome bu i ld ing. Sir Thomas Deane designed. Not fol lowing me?
Didn‘t see me perhaps. L ight in h is eyes.
T he f lutter of h is breath came forth in short sighs. Qu ick. Cold statues:
qu iet there. Safe in a minute.
No. Didn‘t see me. After t wo. Just at the gate.
My heart!
H is eyes beat ing looked steadfast ly at cream cur ves of stone. Sir Thomas
Deane was the Greek arch itecture.
Useless to go back. Had to be. Tel l me al l.
Look for someth ing I.
H igh voices. Sunwarm si lk. Jingl ing harnesses. A l l for a woman,
home and houses, si lk webs, si lver, rich fr u its spicy from Jaffa. Agendath
Netaim. Wealth of the world.
H is hast y hand went qu ick into a pocket, took out, read unfolded Agendath
Netaim. W here d id I?
A warm human plumpness sett led down on h is brain. H is brain
y ielded. Perfume of embraces al l h im assai led. With hungered f lesh
obscurely, he mutely craved to adore.
He thr ust back qu ick Agendath.
Duke street. Here we are. Must eat. T he Burton. Feel better then.
He turned Combridge‘s corner, st i l l pursued. Jingl ing, hoofthuds.
Perfumed bod ies, warm, ful l. A l l k issed, y ielded: in deep summer f ields,
tangled pressed grass, in trick l ing hal lways of tenements, along sofas,
creak ing beds.
Busy look ing.
Afternoon she said.
I am look ing for that. Yes, that. Tr y al l pockets. Handker. FR EEM A N.
W here d id I? A h, yes. Trousers. Potato. Purse. W here?
Hurr y. Walk qu iet ly. Moment more. My heart.
--Jack, love !
H is hand look ing for the where d id I put found in h is h ip pocket soap
lot ion have to cal l tepid paper stuck. A h soap there I yes. Gate.
--Darl ing!
Safe !
--K iss me, Regg y!
--My boy!
*******
--Love !
Urbane, to comfort them, the quaker l ibrarian purred:
H is heart ast ir he pushed in the door of the Burton restaurant. St ink
gripped h is trembl ing breath: pungent meatju ice, slush of greens. See the
an imals feed.
--A nd we have, have we not, those priceless pages of W I LHEL M M EISTER. A
great poet on a great brother poet. A hesitat ing soul tak ing arms against
a sea of troubles, torn by conf l ict ing doubts, as one sees in real l ife.
Men, men, men.
He came a step a sinkapace for ward on neatsleather creak ing and a step
back ward a sinkapace on the solemn f loor.
Perched on h igh stools by the bar, hats shoved back, at the tables
cal l ing for more bread no charge, swi l l ing, wolf ing gobfu ls of sloppy
food, their eyes bulging, wiping wetted moustaches. A pal l id suetfaced
young man pol ished h is tumbler k n ife fork and spoon with h is napk in. New
set of microbes. A man with an infant‘s saucestained napk in tucked round
h im shovel led g urgl ing soup down h is g u l let. A man spitt ing back on h is
plate: halfmast icated grist le: g ums: no teeth to chewchewchew it. Chump
chop from the gri l l. Bolt ing to get it over. Sad booser‘s eyes. Bitten off
more than he can chew. Am I l ike that? See ourselves as others see us.
Hungr y man is an angr y man. Work ing tooth and jaw. Don‘t! O ! A bone ! T hat
last pagan k ing of Ireland Cormac in the schoolpoem choked h imself at
Slett y southward of the Boyne. Wonder what he was eat ing. Someth ing
galopt ious. Saint Patrick converted h im to Christ ian it y. Cou ldn‘t swal low
it al l however.
--Roast beef and cabbage.
--One stew.
Smel ls of men. Spaton sawdust, sweet ish warmish cigarette smoke, reek of
plug, spi lt beer, men‘s beer y piss, the stale of ferment.
H is gorge rose.
Cou ldn‘t eat a morsel here. Fel low sharpen ing k n ife and fork to eat
al l before h im, old chap pick ing h is toot les. Sl ight spasm, fu l l, chewing
the cud. Before and after. Grace after meals. Look on th is picture then on
that. Scoff ing up stewgrav y with sopping sippets of bread. L ick it off the
plate, man! Get out of th is.
He gazed round the stooled and tabled eaters, t ighten ing the wings of
h is nose.
--Two stouts here.
--One corned and cabbage.
That fel low ramming a k n ifeful of cabbage down as if h is l ife
depended on it. Good stroke. Give me the f idgets to look. Safer to eat
from h is three hands. Tear it l imb from l imb. Second nature to h im. Born
with a si lver k n ife in h is mouth. That‘s witt y, I th ink. Or no. Si lver
means born rich. Born with a k n ife. But then the al lusion is lost.
An i l lg irt ser ver gathered st icky clattering plates. Rock, the head
bai l iff, stand ing at the bar blew the foamy crown from h is tankard. Wel l
up: it splashed yel low near h is boot. A d iner, k n ife and fork upright,
elbows on table, ready for a second helping stared towards the food l ift
across h is stained square of newspaper. Other chap tel l ing h im someth ing
with h is mouth ful l. Sympathet ic l istener. Table talk. I munched hum un
thu Unchster Bunk un Munchday. Ha? Did you, faith?
M r Bloom raised t wo f ingers doubtfu l ly to h is l ips. H is eyes said:
--Not here. Don‘t see h im.
Out. I hate d irt y eaters.
He backed towards the door. Get a l ight snack in Dav y Byrne‘s. Stopgap.
Keep me going. Had a good breakfast.
--Roast and mashed here.
--Pint of stout.
Ever y fel low for h is own, tooth and nai l. Gu lp. Gr ub. Gu lp. Gobstuff.
A noiseless attendant sett ing open the door but sl ight ly made h im a
noiseless beck.
--Direct ly, said he, creak ing to go, albeit l ingering. The beaut iful
ineffectual dreamer who comes to grief against hard facts. One always
feels that Goethe‘s judgments are so true. True in the larger analysis.
Twicreak ingly analysis he corantoed off. Bald, most zealous by the door
he gave h is large ear al l to the attendant‘s words: heard them: and was
gone.
Two left.
--Monsieur de la Pal ice, Stephen sneered, was al ive f ifteen minutes
before h is death.
--Have you found those six brave med icals, John Egl inton asked with
elder‘s gal l, to write PA R A DISE LOST at your d ictat ion? THE SOR ROWS OF
SATA N he cal ls it.
Smi le. Smi le Cranly‘s smi le.
FIR ST HE T ICK LED HER
THEN HE PAT TED HER
THEN HE PASSED THE FEM A LE CATHETER.
FOR HE WAS A M EDICA L
JOL LY OL D M EDI ...
--I feel you wou ld need one more for H A M LET. Seven is dear to the myst ic
mind. T he sh in ing seven W.B. cal ls them.
Gl ittereyed h is rufous skul l close to h is greencapped desk lamp sought the
face bearded amid darkgreener shadow, an ol lav, holyeyed. He laughed low:
a sizar‘s laugh of Trin it y: unanswered.
ORCHEST R A L SATA N, W EEPING M A N Y A ROOD
T E A R S SUCH AS A NGELS W EEP.
ED EGLI AV EA DEL CUL FAT TO T ROM BET TA.
He holds my fol l ies hostage.
Cranly‘s eleven true Wick lowmen to free their sireland. Gaptoothed
K athleen, her four beaut iful green f ields, the stranger in her house. And
one more to hai l h im: AV E , R A BBI: the Tinahely t welve. In the shadow of
the glen he cooees for them. My soul ‘s youth I gave h im, n ight by n ight.
God speed. Good hunt ing.
Mu l l igan has my telegram.
Fol ly. Persist.
--Our young Irish bards, John Egl inton censured, have yet to create a
f ig ure wh ich the world wi l l set beside Saxon Shakespeare‘s Hamlet though
I admire h im, as old Ben d id, on th is side idolatr y.
--A l l these quest ions are purely academic, Russel l oracled out of h is
shadow. I mean, whether Hamlet is Shakespeare or James I or Essex.
Clerg ymen‘s d iscussions of the h istoricit y of Jesus. Art has to reveal to
us ideas, formless spiritual essences. The supreme quest ion about a work
of art is out of how deep a
He came out into clearer air and turned back towards Grafton street.
Eat or be eaten. K i l l! K i l l!
Suppose that communal k itchen years to come perhaps. A l l trott ing
down with porringers and tommycans to be f i l led. Devour contents in the
street. John Howard Parnel l example the provost of Trin it y ever y mother‘s
son don‘t talk of your provosts and provost of Trin it y women and ch i ldren
cabmen priests parsons f ieldmarshals archbishops. From A i lesbur y road,
Clyde road, art isans‘ dwel l ings, north Dubl in un ion, lord mayor in h is
g ingerbread coach, old queen in a bathchair. My plate‘s empt y. After you
with our incorporated drink ingcup. L ike sir Ph i l ip Crampton‘s fountain.
Rub off the microbes with your handkerch ief. Next chap r ubs on a new
batch with h is. Father O‘Flynn wou ld make hares of them al l. Have rows
al l the same. A l l for number one. Ch i ldren f ight ing for the scrapings of
the pot. Want a souppot as big as the Phoen ix park. Harpoon ing f l itches
and h indquarters out of it. Hate people al l round you. Cit y A rms hotel
TA BLE D‘HOTE she cal led it. Soup, joint and sweet. Never k now whose
thoughts you‘re chewing. Then who‘ d wash up al l the plates and forks?
M ight be al l feed ing on tabloids that t ime. Teeth gett ing worse and worse.
After al l there‘s a lot in that vegetarian f ine f lavour of th ings from the
earth garl ic of course it st inks after Ital ian organgrinders crisp of
on ions mushrooms truff les. Pain to the an imal too. Pluck and draw fowl.
Wretched brutes there at the catt lemarket wait ing for the poleaxe to spl it
their skul ls open. Moo. Poor trembl ing calves. Meh. Staggering bob. Bubble
and squeak. Butchers‘ buckets wobbly l ights. Give us that brisket off the
hook. Plup. Rawhead and bloody bones. Flayed glasseyed sheep hung from
their haunches, sheepsnouts bloody papered sn ivel l ing nosejam on sawdust.
Top and lashers going out. Don‘t mau l them pieces, young one.
Hot fresh blood they prescribe for decl ine. Blood always needed.
Insid ious. L ick it up smok inghot, th ick sugar y. Famished ghosts.
A h, I‘m hungr y.
He entered Dav y Byrne‘s. Moral pub. He doesn‘t chat. Stands a
drink now and then. But in leapyear once in four. Cashed a cheque for me
once.
W hat wi l l I take now? He drew h is watch. Let me see now. Shandygaff ?
--Hel lo, Bloom, Nosey Flynn said from h is nook.
--Hel lo, Flynn.
--How‘s th ings?
--Tiptop ... Let me see. I‘ l l take a glass of burg undy and ... let
me see.
Sard ines on the shelves. A lmost taste them by look ing. Sandwich?
Ham and h is descendants musterred and bred there. Potted meats. W hat is
home without Plumtree‘s potted meat? Incomplete. W hat a stupid ad!
Under the obituar y not ices they stuck it. A l l up a plumtree. Dignam‘s
potted meat. Cann ibals would with lemon and rice. W h ite missionar y too
salt y. L ike pick led pork. Expect the ch ief consumes the parts of honour.
Ought to be tough from exercise. H is wives in a row to watch the effect.
THER E WAS A R IGHT ROYA L OL D NIGGER. W HO AT E OR SOM ETHING THE SOM ETHINGS OF
THE R EV ER END M R M ACT R IGGER. With it an abode of bl iss. Lord k nows what
concoct ion. Cauls mouldy tripes windpipes faked and minced up. Puzzle
f ind the meat. Kosher. No meat and mi lk together. Hyg iene that was what
they cal l now. Yom K ippur fast spring clean ing of inside. Peace and war
depend on some fel low‘s d igest ion. Rel ig ions. Christmas turkeys and geese.
Slaughter of innocents. Eat drink and be merr y. T hen casual wards fu l l
after. Heads bandaged. Cheese d igests al l but itself. M it y cheese.
--Have you a cheese sandwich?
--Yes, sir.
L ike a few ol ives too if they had them. Ital ian I prefer. Good glass of
burg undy take away that. Lubricate. A n ice salad, cool as a cucumber, Tom
Kernan can dress. Puts g usto into it. Pure ol ive oi l. M i l ly ser ved me that
cut let with a sprig of parsley. Take one Span ish on ion. God made food, the
devi l the cooks. Devi l led crab.
--Wife wel l?
--Qu ite wel l, thanks ... A cheese sandwich, then. Gorgonzola, have you?
--Yes, sir.
Nosey Flynn sipped h is grog.
--Doing any singing those t imes?
Look at h is mouth. Could wh ist le in h is own ear. Flap ears to match.
Music. K nows as much about it as my coachman. St i l l better tel l h im. Does
no harm. Free ad.
--She‘s engaged for a big tour end of th is month. You may have heard
perhaps.
--No. O, that‘s the st yle. W ho‘s gett ing it up?
The curate ser ved.
--How much is that?
--Seven d., sir ... Thank you, sir.
M r Bloom cut h is sandwich into slender strips. M R M ACT R IGGER. Easier
than the dreamy creamy stuff. HIS FI V E HUNDR ED W I V ES. H A D THE T I M E OF
THEIR LI V ES.
--Mustard, sir?
--T hank you.
He studded under each l ifted strip yel low blobs. THEIR LI V ES. I have it.
IT GR EW BIGGER A ND BIGGER A ND BIGGER.
--Gett ing it up? he said. Wel l, it‘s l ike a company idea, you see. Part
shares and part prof its.
--Ay, now I remember, Nosey Flynn said, putt ing h is hand in h is pocket to
scratch h is groin. W ho is th is was tel l ing me ? Isn‘t Blazes Boylan mixed
up in it?
A warm shock of air heat of mustard hanched on M r Bloom‘s heart.
He raised h is eyes and met the stare of a bi l ious clock. Two. Pub clock
f ive minutes fast. Time going on. Hands moving. Two. Not yet.
H is midriff yearned then upward, sank with in h im, yearned more longly,
long ingly.
Wine.
He smel lsipped the cord ial ju ice and, bidd ing h is throat strongly to
speed it, set h is wineglass del icately down.
--Yes, he said. He‘s the organ iser in point of fact.
No fear: no brains.
Nosey Flynn snuff led and scratched. Flea having a good square meal.
--He had a good sl ice of luck, Jack Mooney was tel l ing me, over that
box ingmatch Myler Keogh won again that sold ier in the Portobel lo
barracks. By God, he had the l itt le k ipper down in the count y Carlow he
was tel l ing me ...
Hope that dewdrop doesn‘t come down into h is glass. No, snuff led it
up.
--For near a month, man, before it came off. Suck ing duck eggs by God t i l l
further orders. Keep h im off the boose, see ? O, by God, Blazes is a hair y
chap.
Dav y Byrne came for ward from the h indbar in tuckst itched
sh irtsleeves, clean ing h is l ips with t wo wipes of h is napk in. Herring‘s
blush. W hose smi le upon each feature plays with such and such replete.
Too much fat on the parsn ips.
--A nd here‘s h imself and pepper on h im, Nosey Flynn said. Can you g ive
us a good one for the Gold cup?
--I‘m off that, M r Flynn, Dav y Byrne answered. I never put anyth ing on a
horse.
--You‘re right there, Nosey Flynn said.
M r Bloom ate h is strips of sandwich, fresh clean bread, with rel ish of
d isg ust pungent mustard, the feet y savour of green cheese. Sips of h is
wine soothed h is palate. Not log wood that. Tastes fu l ler th is weather with
the ch i l l off.
Nice qu iet bar. Nice piece of wood in that counter. Nicely planed.
L ike the way it cur ves there.
--I wou ldn‘t do anyth ing at al l in that l ine, Dav y Byrne said. It r u ined
many a man, the same horses.
Vintners‘ sweepstake. L icensed for the sale of beer, wine and spirits
for consumpt ion on the premises. Heads I win tai ls you lose.
--Tr ue for you, Nosey Flynn said. Unless you‘re in the k now. T here‘s no
straight sport going now. Lenehan gets some good ones. He‘s g iving
Sceptre today. Zinfandel ‘s the favourite, lord Howard de Walden‘s, won at
Epsom. Morny Cannon is rid ing h im. I cou ld have got seven to one against
Saint A mant a fortn ight before.
--T hat so? Dav y Byrne said ...
He went towards the window and, tak ing up the pett ycash book, scanned
its pages.
--I cou ld, faith, Nosey Flynn said, snuff l ing. T hat was a rare bit of
horsef lesh. Saint Frusqu in was her sire. She won in a thunderstorm,
Rothsch i ld ‘s f i l ly, with wadd ing in her ears. Blue jacket and yel low cap.
Bad luck to big Ben Dol lard and h is John O‘Gaunt. He put me off it. Ay.
He drank resignedly from h is tumbler, r unn ing h is f ingers down the f lutes.
--Ay, he said, sigh ing.
M r Bloom, champing, stand ing, looked upon h is sigh. Nosey
numbskul l. Wi l l I tel l h im that horse Lenehan? He k nows already. Better
let h im forget. Go and lose more. Fool and h is money. Dewdrop coming down
again. Cold nose he‘ d have k issing a woman. St i l l they might l ike. Prick ly
beards they l ike. Dogs‘ cold noses. Old M rs R iordan with the r umbl ing
stomach ‘s Skye terrier in the Cit y A rms hotel. Mol ly fond l ing h im in her
lap. O, the big dogg ybow wowsy wowsy!
Wine soaked and softened rol led pith of bread mustard a moment
mawk ish cheese. Nice wine it is. Taste it better because I‘m not th irst y.
Bath of course does that. Just a bite or t wo. T hen about six o‘clock I can.
Six. Six. Time wi l l be gone then. She ...
M i ld f ire of wine k indled h is veins. I wanted that bad ly. Felt so off
colour. H is eyes unhungri ly saw shelves of t ins: sard ines, gaudy
lobsters‘ claws. A l l the odd th ings people pick up for food. Out of
shel ls, periwink les with a pin, off trees, snai ls out of the ground the
French eat, out of the sea with bait on a hook. Si l ly f ish learn noth ing
in a thousand years. If you d idn‘t k now risky putt ing anyth ing into your
mouth. Poisonous berries. Johnny Magories. Roundness you th ink good.
Gaudy colour warns you off. One fel low told another and so on. Tr y it on
the dog f irst. Led on by the smel l or the look. Tempt ing fr u it. Ice
cones. Cream. Inst inct. Orangegroves for instance. Need art if icial
irrigat ion. Bleibtreustrasse. Yes but what about oysters. Unsight ly l ike
a clot of phlegm. Fi lthy shel ls. Devi l to open them too. W ho found them
out? Garbage, sewage they feed on. Fizz and Red bank oysters. Effect on
the sexual. Aphrod is. He was in the Red Bank th is morn ing. Was he oysters
old f ish at table perhaps he young f lesh in bed no June has no ar no
oysters. But there are people l ike th ings h igh. Tainted game. Jugged
hare. First catch your hare. Ch inese eat ing eggs f ift y years old, blue
and green again. Dinner of th irt y courses. Each d ish harmless might mix
inside. Idea for a poison myster y. T hat archduke Leopold was it no yes or
was it Otto one of those Habsburgs? Or who was it used to eat the scr uff
off h is own head? Cheapest lunch in town. Of course aristocrats, then the
others copy to be in the fash ion. M i l ly too rock oi l and f lour. Raw
pastr y I l ike myself. Half the catch of oysters they throw back in the
sea to keep up the price. Cheap no-one wou ld buy. Caviare. Do the grand.
Hock in green glasses. Swel l blowout. Lady th is. Powdered bosom pearls.
The ELITE . CR EM E DE L A CR EM E . T hey want special d ishes to pretend
they‘re. Hermit with a platter of pulse keep down the st ings of the
f lesh. K now me come eat with me. Royal sturgeon h igh sheriff, Coffey, the
butcher, right to ven isons of the forest from h is ex. Send h im back the
half of a cow. Spread I saw down in the Master of the Rol ls‘ k itchen
area. W h itehatted CHEF l ike a rabbi. Combust ible duck. Curly cabbage A L A
DUCHESSE DE PA R M E . Just as wel l to write it on the bi l l of fare so you
can k now what you‘ve eaten. Too many dr ugs spoi l the broth. I k now it
myself. Dosing it with Edwards‘ desiccated soup. Geese stuffed si l ly for
them. Lobsters boi led al ive. Do ptake some ptarmigan. Wou ldn‘t mind being
a waiter in a swel l hotel. Tips, even ing dress, halfnaked lad ies. May I
tempt you to a l itt le more f i l leted lemon sole, miss Dubedat? Yes, do
bedad. And she d id bedad. Hug uenot name I expect that. A miss Dubedat
l ived in K i l l iney, I remember. DU, DE L A French. St i l l it‘s the same f ish
perhaps old M icky Hanlon of Moore street ripped the g uts out of mak ing
money hand over f ist f inger in f ishes‘ g i l ls can‘t write h is name on a
cheque th ink he was paint ing the landscape with h is mouth t wisted.
Moooik i l l A A itcha Ha ignorant as a k ish of brog ues, worth f ift y thousand
pounds.
Stuck on the pane t wo f l ies buzzed, stuck.
Glowing wine on h is palate l ingered swal lowed. Cr ush ing in the winepress
grapes of Burg undy. Sun‘s heat it is. Seems to a secret touch tel l ing me
memor y. Touched h is sense moistened remembered. H idden under wi ld ferns
on Howth below us bay sleeping: sky. No sound. T he sky. T he bay purple by
the L ion‘s head. Green by Drumleck. Yel lowgreen towards Sutton. Fields of
undersea, the l ines faint brown in grass, buried cit ies. Pi l lowed on my
coat she had her hair, ear wigs in the heather scr ub my hand under her
nape, you‘ l l toss me al l. O wonder! Coolsoft with ointments her hand
touched me, caressed: her eyes upon me d id not turn away. Ravished over
her I lay, ful l l ips ful l open, k issed her mouth. Yum. Soft ly she gave me
in my mouth the seedcake warm and chewed. Mawk ish pu lp her mouth had
mumbled sweetsour of her spitt le. Joy: I ate it: joy. Young l ife, her
l ips that gave me pout ing. Soft warm st icky g umjel ly l ips. Flowers her
eyes were, take me, wi l l ing eyes. Pebbles fel l. She lay st i l l. A goat.
No-one. H igh on Ben Howth rhododendrons a nannygoat walk ing surefooted,
dropping currants. Screened under ferns she laughed warmfolded. Wi ld ly I
lay on her, k issed her: eyes, her l ips, her stretched neck beat ing,
woman‘s breasts ful l in her blouse of nun‘s vei l ing, fat n ipples upright.
Hot I tong ued her. She k issed me. I was k issed. A l l y ield ing she tossed
my hair. K issed, she k issed me.
Me. A nd me now.
Stuck, the f l ies buzzed.
H is downcast eyes fol lowed the si lent vein ing of the oaken slab. Beaut y:
it cur ves: cur ves are beaut y. Shapely goddesses, Venus, Juno: cur ves the
world admires. Can see them l ibrar y museum stand ing in the round hal l,
naked goddesses. A ids to d igest ion. T hey don‘t care what man looks. A l l
to see. Never speak ing. I mean to say to fel lows l ike Flynn. Suppose she
d id Pygmal ion and Galatea what wou ld she say f irst? Mortal ! Put you in
your proper place. Quaff ing nectar at mess with gods golden d ishes, al l
ambrosial. Not l ike a tanner lunch we have, boi led mutton, carrots and
turn ips, bott le of A l lsop. Nectar imag ine it drink ing electricit y: gods‘
food. Lovely forms of women sculped Junon ian. Immortal lovely. A nd we
stuff ing food in one hole and out beh ind: food, chyle, blood, dung,
earth, food: have to feed it l ike stok ing an eng ine. T hey have no. Never
looked. I‘ l l look today. Keeper won‘t see. Bend down let someth ing drop
see if she.
Dribbl ing a qu iet message from h is bladder came to go to do not to do
there to do. A man and ready he drained h is glass to the lees and walked,
to men too they gave themselves, manly conscious, lay with men lovers, a
youth enjoyed her, to the yard.
W hen the sound of h is boots had ceased Dav y Byrne said from h is book:
--W hat is th is he is? Isn‘t he in the insurance l ine ?
--He‘s out of that long ago, Nosey Flynn said. He does canvassing for the
FR EEM A N.
--I k now h im wel l to see, Dav y Byrne said. Is he in trouble ?
--Trouble? Nosey Flynn said. Not that I heard of. W hy?
--I not iced he was in mourn ing.
--Was he ? Nosey Flynn said. So he was, faith. I asked h im how was al l at
home. You‘re right, by God. So he was.
--I never broach the subject, Dav y Byrne said humanely, if I see a
gent leman is in trouble that way. It only brings it up fresh in their
minds.
--It‘s not the wife anyhow, Nosey Flynn said. I met h im the day before
yesterday and he coming out of that Irish farm dair y John Wyse Nolan‘s
wife has in Henr y street with a jar of cream in h is hand tak ing it home
to h is better half. She‘s wel l nourished, I tel l you. Plovers on toast.
--A nd is he doing for the FR EEM A N? Dav y Byrne said.
Nosey Flynn pursed h is l ips.
---He doesn‘t buy cream on the ads he picks up. You can make bacon of
that.
--How so? Dav y Byrne asked, coming from h is book.
Nosey Flynn made swift passes in the air with juggl ing f ingers. He
winked.
--He‘s in the craft, he said.
---Do you tel l me so? Dav y Byrne said.
--Ver y much so, Nosey Flynn said. A ncient free and accepted order. He‘s
an excel lent brother. L ight, l ife and love, by God. T hey g ive h im a leg
up. I was told that by a--wel l, I won‘t say who.
--Is that a fact?
--O, it‘s a f ine order, Nosey Flynn said. T hey st ick to you when you‘re
down. I k now a fel low was tr y ing to get into it. But they‘re as close as
damn it. By God they d id right to keep the women out of it.
Dav y Byrne smi ledyawnednodded al l in one:
23
the boose is cheaper.
--I thought so, says Joe. I saw h im up at that meet ing now with Wi l l iam
Field, M. P., the catt le traders.
--Wel l, says J. J. We have Edward the peacemaker now.
--Hair y Iopas, says the cit izen, that exploded volcano, the darl ing of al l
countries and the idol of h is own.
--Tel l that to a fool, says the cit izen. There‘s a bloody sight more pox
than pax about that boyo. Edward Guelph-Wett in!
So Joe starts tel l ing the cit izen about the foot and mouth d isease and
the catt le traders and tak ing act ion in the matter and the cit izen send ing
them al l to the rightabout and Bloom coming out with h is sheepd ip for the
scab and a hoose drench for cough ing calves and the g uaranteed remedy
for t imber tong ue. Because he was up one t ime in a k nacker‘s yard.
Walk ing about with h is book and penci l here‘s my head and my heels are
coming t i l l Joe Cuffe gave h im the order of the boot for g iving l ip to a
grazier. M ister K nowal l. Teach your grandmother how to mi lk ducks.
Pisser Burke was tel l ing me in the hotel the wife used to be in rivers of
tears some t imes with M rs O‘Dowd cr y ing her eyes out with her eight inches
of fat al l over her. Couldn‘t loosen her fart ing strings but old cod ‘s eye
was waltzing around her showing her how to do it. W hat‘s your programme
today? Ay. Humane methods. Because the poor an imals suffer and experts
say and the best k nown remedy that doesn‘t cause pain to the an imal and
on the sore spot admin ister gent ly. Gob, he‘ d have a soft hand under a
hen.
--A nd what do you th ink, says Joe, of the holy boys, the priests and
bishops of Ireland doing up h is room in Maynooth in H is Satan ic Majest y‘s
racing colours and st ick ing up pictures of al l the horses h is jockeys
rode. T he earl of Dubl in, no less.
Ga Ga Gara. K look K look K look. Black L iz is our hen. She lays eggs
for us. W hen she lays her egg she is so glad. Gara. K look K look K look.
Then comes good uncle Leo. He puts h is hand under black L iz and takes
her fresh egg. Ga ga ga ga Gara. K look K look K look.
--T hey ought to have stuck up al l the women he rode h imself, says l itt le
A lf.
A nd says J. J.:
-- Considerat ions of space inf luenced their lordsh ips‘ decision.
--Wi l l you tr y another, cit izen? says Joe.
--Yes, sir, says he. I wi l l.
--You? says Joe.
--Beholden to you, Joe, says I. May your shadow never grow less.
--Repeat that dose, says Joe.
--A nyhow, says Joe, Field and Nannett i are going over ton ight to London
to ask about it on the f loor of the house of commons.
Bloom was talk ing and talk ing with John Wyse and he qu ite excited with
h is dunducket ymudcoloured mug on h im and h is old plumeyes rol l ing about.
--A re you sure, says Bloom, the counci l lor is going? I wanted to see h im,
as it happens.
--Persecut ion, says he, al l the h istor y of the world is ful l of it.
Perpetuat ing nat ional hatred among nat ions.
--Wel l, he‘s going off by the mai lboat, says Joe, ton ight.
--But do you k now what a nat ion means? says John Wyse.
--T hat‘s too bad, says Bloom. I wanted part icu larly. Perhaps only M r Field
is going. I couldn‘t phone. No. You‘re sure ?
--Yes, says Bloom.
--Nannan‘s going too, says Joe. The leag ue told h im to ask a quest ion
tomorrow about the commissioner of pol ice forbidd ing Irish games in the
park. W hat do you th ink of that, cit izen? THE SLUAGH NA H-EIR E A NN.
M r Cowe Conacre ( Mult ifarnham. Nat.): A rising out of the quest ion of my
honourable friend, the member for Sh i l lelagh, may I ask the right
honourable gent leman whether the government has issued orders that these
an imals shal l be slaughtered though no med ical evidence is forthcoming as
to their pathological cond it ion?
M r A l lfours ( Tamoshant. Con.): Honourable members are already in
possession of the evidence produced before a committee of the whole house.
I feel I cannot useful ly add anyth ing to that. T he answer to the
honourable member‘s quest ion is in the aff irmat ive.
M r Orel l i O‘Rei l ly ( Montenotte. Nat.): Have simi lar orders been issued for
the slaughter of human an imals who dare to play Irish games in the
Phoen ix park?
--W hat is it? says John Wyse.
--A nat ion? says Bloom. A nat ion is the same people l iving in the same
place.
--By God, then, says Ned, laugh ing, if that‘s so I‘m a nat ion for I‘m
l iving in the same place for the past f ive years.
So of course ever yone had the laugh at Bloom and says he, tr y ing to
muck out of it:
--Or also l iving in d ifferent places.
--T hat covers my case, says Joe.
--W hat is your nat ion if I may ask? says the cit izen.
--Ireland, says Bloom. I was born here. Ireland.
M r A l lfours: The answer is in the negat ive.
T he cit izen said noth ing only cleared the spit out of h is g ul let and,
gob, he spat a Red bank oyster out of h im right in the corner.
M r Cowe Conacre: Has the right honourable gent leman‘s famous
M itchelstown telegram inspired the pol icy of gent lemen on the Treasur y
bench? (O ! O !)
--After you with the push, Joe, says he, tak ing out h is handkerch ief to
swab h imself dr y.
--Here you are, cit izen, says Joe. Take that in your right hand and repeat
after me the fol lowing words.
M r A l lfours: I must have not ice of that quest ion.
M r Staylewit ( Buncombe. Ind.): Don‘t hesitate to shoot.
( Iron ical opposit ion cheers.)
The speaker: Order! Order!
( T he house rises. Cheers.)
--T here‘s the man, says Joe, that made the Gael ic sports revival. T here he
is sitt ing there. The man that got away James Stephens. T he champion of
al l Ireland at putt ing the sixteen pound shot. W hat was your best throw,
cit izen?
--NA BACLEIS, says the cit izen, lett ing on to be modest. T here was a t ime
I was as good as the next fel low anyhow.
--Put it there, cit izen, says Joe. You were and a bloody sight better.
--Is that real ly a fact? says A lf.
--Yes, says Bloom. That‘s wel l k nown. Did you not k now that?
So off they started about Irish sports and shoneen games the l ike of lawn
tenn is and about hurley and putt ing the stone and racy of the soi l and
bu i ld ing up a nat ion once again and al l to that. A nd of course Bloom had
to have h is say too about if a fel low had a rower‘s heart violent
exercise was bad. I declare to my ant imacassar if you took up a
straw from the bloody f loor and if you said to Bloom: LOOK AT, BLOOM.
DO YOU SEE TH AT ST R AW ? TH AT‘S A ST R AW. Declare to my aunt he‘ d talk
about it for an hour so he would and talk steady.
A most interest ing d iscussion took place in the ancient hal l of BR I A N
O‘CI A R NA IN‘S in SR A ID NA BR ETA INE BHE AG, under the auspices of SLUAGH NA
H-EIR E A NN, on the revival of ancient Gael ic sports and the importance of
physical culture, as understood in ancient Greece and ancient Rome and
ancient Ireland, for the development of the race. T he venerable president
of the noble order was in the chair and the attendance was of large
d imensions. After an instruct ive d iscourse by the chairman, a magn if icent
orat ion eloquent ly and forcibly expressed, a most interest ing and
instr uct ive d iscussion of the usual h igh standard of excel lence
ensued as to the desirabi l it y of the revivabi l it y of the ancient
games and sports of our ancient Pancelt ic forefathers. T he
wel lk nown and h ighly respected worker in the cause of our old
tong ue, M r Joseph M‘Carthy Hynes, made an eloquent appeal for
the resuscitat ion of the ancient Gael ic sports and past imes,
pract ised morn ing and even ing by Finn MacCool, as calcu lated to revive the
best trad it ions of manly strength and prowess handed down to us from
ancient ages. L . Bloom, who met with a mixed recept ion of applause and
h isses, having espoused the negat ive the vocal ist chairman brought the
d iscussion to a close, in response to repeated requests and heart y
plaud its from al l parts of a bumper house, by a remarkably noteworthy
rendering of the immortal Thomas Osborne Davis‘ evergreen verses ( happi ly
too fami l iar to need recal l ing here) A NAT ION ONCE AGA IN in the execut ion
of wh ich the veteran patriot champion may be said without fear of
contrad ict ion to have fairly excel led h imself. T he Irish Car uso-Garibald i
was in superlat ive form and h is stentorian notes were heard to the
greatest advantage in the t imehonoured anthem sung as only our cit izen
can sing it. H is superb h ighclass vocal ism, wh ich by its superqual it y
great ly enhanced h is already internat ional reputat ion, was vociferously
applauded by the large aud ience among wh ich were to be not iced many
prominent members of the clerg y as wel l as representat ives of the press
and the bar and the other learned professions. T he proceed ings then
terminated.
Amongst the clerg y present were the ver y rev. Wi l l iam Delany, S. J.,
L . L . D.; the rt rev. Gerald Mol loy, D. D.; the rev. P. J. K avanagh,
C. S. Sp.; the rev. T. Waters, C. C.; the rev. John M. Ivers, P. P.; the
rev. P. J. Clear y, O. S. F.; the rev. L . J. H ickey, O. P.; the ver y rev.
Fr. Nicholas, O. S. F. C.; the ver y rev. B. Gorman, O. D. C.; the rev. T.
Maher, S. J.; the ver y rev. James Murphy, S. J.; the rev. John Laver y,
V. F.; the ver y rev. Wi l l iam Dohert y, D. D.; the rev. Peter Fagan, O. M.;
the rev. T. Brangan, O. S. A.; the rev. J. Flavin, C. C.; the rev. M. A.
Hackett, C. C.; the rev. W. Hurley, C. C.; the rt rev. Mgr M‘Manus,
V. G.; the rev. B. R. Slatter y, O. M. I.; the ver y rev. M. D. Scal ly, P.
P.; the rev. F. T. Purcel l, O. P.; the ver y rev. Timothy canon Gorman,
P. P.; the rev. J. Flanagan, C. C. The lait y included P. Fay, T. Qu irke,
etc., etc.
T he muchtreasured and intricately embroidered ancient Irish
facecloth attributed to Solomon of Droma and Manus Tomaltach og
MacDonogh, authors of the Book of Bal lymote, was then careful ly
produced and cal led forth prolonged admirat ion. No need to dwel l on the
legendar y beaut y of the cornerpieces, the acme of art, wherein one can
d ist inct ly d iscern each of the four evangel ists in turn present ing to each
of the four masters h is evangel ical symbol, a bogoak sceptre, a North
A merican puma (a far nobler k ing of beasts than the Brit ish art icle, be it
said in passing), a Kerr y calf and a golden eagle from Carrantuoh i l l. The
scenes depicted on the emunctor y f ield, showing our ancient duns and raths
and cromlechs and grianauns and seats of learn ing and maled ict ive stones,
are as wonderfu l ly beaut iful and the pigments as del icate as when the
Sl igo i l luminators gave free rein to their art ist ic fantasy long long ago
in the t ime of the Barmecides. Glendalough, the lovely lakes of K i l larney,
the r u ins of Clonmacnois, Cong Abbey, Glen Inagh and the Twelve Pins,
Ireland ‘s Eye, the Green H i l ls of Tal laght, Croagh Patrick, the brewer y of
Messrs A rthur Gu inness, Son and Company ( L imited), Lough Neagh ‘s banks,
the vale of Ovoca, Isolde‘s tower, the Mapas obel isk, Sir Patrick Dun‘s
hospital, Cape Clear, the glen of A herlow, Lynch ‘s cast le, the Scotch
house, Rathdown Un ion Work house at Loughl instown, Tul lamore jai l,
Cast leconnel rapids, K i lbal lymacshonak i l l, the cross at Monasterboice,
Jur y‘s Hotel, S. Patrick ‘s Purgator y, the Salmon Leap, Maynooth col lege
refector y, Curley‘s hole, the three birthplaces of the f irst duke of
Wel l ing ton, the rock of Cashel, the bog of A l len, the Henr y Street
Warehouse, Fingal ‘s Cave--al l these moving scenes are st i l l there for us
today rendered more beaut iful st i l l by the waters of sorrow wh ich have
passed over them and by the rich incrustat ions of t ime.
--Show us over the drink, says I. W h ich is wh ich?
--T hat‘s mine, says Joe, as the devi l said to the dead pol iceman.
--A nd I belong to a race too, says Bloom, that is hated and persecuted.
A lso now. T h is ver y moment. Th is ver y instant.
Gob, he near burnt h is f ingers with the butt of h is old cigar.
--Robbed, says he. Plundered. Insulted. Persecuted. Tak ing what belongs
to us by right. At th is ver y moment, says he, putt ing up h is f ist, sold by
auct ion in Morocco l ike slaves or catt le.
--A re you talk ing about the new Jerusalem? says the cit izen.
--I‘m talk ing about injust ice, says Bloom.
--R ight, says John Wyse. Stand up to it then with force l ike men.
T hat‘s an almanac picture for you. Mark for a softnosed bul let. Old
lardyface stand ing up to the business end of a g un. Gob, he‘ d adorn a
sweepingbr ush, so he would, if he only had a nurse‘s apron on h im. And
then he col lapses al l of a sudden, t wist ing around al l the opposite, as
l imp as a wet rag.
--But it‘s no use, says he. Force, hatred, h istor y, al l that. That‘s not
l ife for men and women, insult and hatred. And ever ybody k nows that it‘s
the ver y opposite of that that is real ly l ife.
--W hat? says A lf.
--Love, says Bloom. I mean the opposite of hatred. I must go now, says he
to John Wyse. Just round to the court a moment to see if Mart in is there.
If he comes just say I‘ l l be back in a second. Just a moment.
W ho‘s h indering you? And off he pops l ike greased l ightn ing.
--A new apost le to the gent i les, says the cit izen. Un iversal love.
--Wel l, says John Wyse. Isn‘t that what we‘re told. Love your neighbour.
--T hat chap? says the cit izen. Beggar my neighbour is h is motto. Love,
moya ! He‘s a n ice pattern of a Romeo and Jul iet.
Love loves to love love. Nurse loves the new chemist. Constable 14A
loves Mar y Kel ly. Gert y MacDowel l loves the boy that has the bicycle.
M. B. loves a fair gent leman. L i Ch i Han lovey up k issy Cha Pu Chow.
Jumbo, the elephant, loves A l ice, the elephant. Old M r Verschoyle with the
ear tr umpet loves old M rs Verschoyle with the turned in eye. The man in the
brown macintosh loves a lady who is dead. H is Majest y the K ing loves Her
Majest y the Queen. M rs Norman W. Tupper loves off icer Taylor. You love
a certain person. And th is person loves that other person because
ever ybody loves somebody but God loves ever ybody.
--Talk ing about violent exercise, says A lf, were you at that Keogh-Bennett
match?
--No, says Joe.
--Wel l, Joe, says I, your ver y good health and song. More power, cit izen.
--I heard So and So made a cool hundred qu id over it, says A lf.
--Hurrah, there, says Joe.
--W ho? Blazes? says Joe.
--T he blessing of God and Mar y and Patrick on you, says the cit izen.
And says Bloom:
A nd he ups with h is pint to wet h is wh ist le.
--W hat I meant about tenn is, for example, is the ag i l it y and train ing the
eye.
--We k now those canters, says he, preach ing and pick ing your pocket.
W hat about sanct imon ious Cromwel l and h is ironsides that put the women
and ch i ldren of Drogheda to the sword with the bible text GOD IS LOV E
pasted round the mouth of h is cannon? The bible ! Did you read that sk it in
the UNIT ED IR ISH M A N today about that Zulu ch ief that‘s visit ing England?
--Ay, Blazes, says A lf. He let out that Myler was on the beer to r un up
the odds and he swatt ing al l the t ime.
--We k now h im, says the cit izen. The traitor‘s son. We k now what put
Engl ish gold in h is pocket.
--W hat‘s that? says Joe.
---Tr ue for you, says Joe.
So the cit izen takes up one of h is paraphernal ia papers and he starts
read ing out:
And Bloom cuts in again about lawn tenn is and the circu lat ion of the
blood, ask ing A lf:
--Now, don‘t you th ink, Bergan?
--Myler dusted the f loor with h im, says A lf. Heenan and Sayers was only a
bloody fool to it. Handed h im the father and mother of a beat ing. See the
l itt le k ipper not up to h is navel and the big fel low swiping. God, he gave
h im one last puck in the wind, Queensberr y r u les and al l, made h im puke
what he never ate.
It was a h istoric and a heft y batt le when Myler and Percy were
schedu led to don the gloves for the purse of f ift y sovereigns. Hand icapped
as he was by lack of poundage, Dubl in‘s pet lamb made up for it by
superlat ive sk i l l in ringcraft. The f inal bout of f ireworks was a
gruel l ing for both champions. The welter weight sergeantmajor had
tapped some l ively claret in the previous mixup during wh ich Keogh
had been receivergeneral of rights and lefts, the art i l ler yman
putt ing in some neat work on the pet‘s nose, and Myler came on
look ing grogg y. The sold ier got to business, lead ing off with a
powerfu l left jab to wh ich the Irish glad iator retal iated by shoot ing
out a st iff one f lush to the point of Bennett‘s jaw. T he redcoat
ducked but the Dubl iner l ifted h im with a left hook, the body punch being
a f ine one. The men came to hand igrips. Myler qu ick ly became busy and got
h is man under, the bout end ing with the bu lk ier man on the ropes, Myler
pun ish ing h im. The Engl ishman, whose right eye was nearly closed, took
h is corner where he was l iberal ly drenched with water and when the bel l
went came on gamey and brimful of pluck, conf ident of k nock ing out the
f ist ic Eblan ite in jigt ime. It was a f ight to a f in ish and the best man
for it. T he t wo fought l ike t igers and excitement ran fever h igh. T he
referee t wice caut ioned Puck ing Percy for hold ing but the pet was tricky
and h is foot work a treat to watch. After a brisk exchange of courtesies
during wh ich a smart upper cut of the mi l itar y man brought blood freely
from h is opponent‘s mouth the lamb suddenly waded in al l over h is man and
landed a terrif ic left to Batt l ing Bennett‘s stomach, f looring h im f lat.
It was a k nockout clean and clever. A mid tense expectat ion the Portobel lo
br u iser was being counted out when Bennett‘s second Ole Pfotts Wettstein
threw in the towel and the Santr y boy was declared victor to the frenzied
cheers of the publ ic who broke through the ringropes and fairly mobbed h im
with del ight.
--He k nows wh ich side h is bread is buttered, says A lf. I hear he‘s r unn ing
a concert tour now up in the north.
--A delegat ion of the ch ief cotton magnates of Manchester was presented
yesterday to H is Majest y the A lak i of Abeakuta by Gold St ick in Wait ing,
Lord Walkup of Walkup on Eggs, to tender to H is Majest y the heartfelt
thanks of Brit ish traders for the faci l it ies afforded them in h is
domin ions. T he delegat ion partook of luncheon at the conclusion
of wh ich the dusky potentate, in the course of a happy speech,
freely translated by the Brit ish chaplain, the reverend Anan ias
Praisegod Barebones, tendered h is best thanks to Massa Walkup and
emphasised the cord ial relat ions ex ist ing bet ween Abeakuta and the
Brit ish empire, stat ing that he treasured as one of h is dearest
possessions an i l luminated bible, the volume of the word of God
and the secret of England ‘s greatness, graciously presented to h im by
the wh ite ch ief woman, the great squaw Victoria, with a personal
ded icat ion from the aug ust hand of the Royal Donor. The A lak i then drank a
lovingcup of f irstshot usquebaugh to the toast BL ACK A ND WHITE from the
sku l l of h is immed iate predecessor in the dynast y Kakachakachak,
surnamed Fort y Warts, after wh ich he visited the ch ief factor y of
Cottonopol is and signed h is mark in the visitors‘ book, subsequent ly
execut ing a charming old Abeakut ic wardance, in the course of wh ich he
swal lowed several k n ives and forks, amid h i larious applause from the girl
hands.
--Widow woman, says Ned. I wouldn‘t doubt her. Wonder d id he put that
bible to the same use as I would.
--Same only more so, says Lenehan. And thereafter in that fru itful land
the broad leaved mango f lourished exceed ingly.
--Is that by Griff ith? says John Wyse.
--No, says the cit izen. It‘s not signed Shanganagh. It‘s only
in it ial led: P.
--A nd a ver y good in it ial too, says Joe.
--T hat‘s how it‘s worked, says the cit izen. Trade fol lows the f lag.
--Wel l, says J. J., if they‘re any worse than those Belgians in the Congo
Free State they must be bad. Did you read that report by a man what‘s th is
h is name is?
-- Casement, says the cit izen. He‘s an Irishman.
--He is, says Joe. Isn‘t he?
--Yes, that‘s the man, says J. J. Raping the women and girls and f logging
the nat ives on the bel ly to squeeze al l the red rubber they can out of
them.
--W ho? says Bloom. A h, yes. That‘s qu ite tr ue. Yes, a k ind of summer tour,
you see. Just a hol iday.
--I k now where he‘s gone, says Lenehan, crack ing h is f ingers.
--M rs B. is the bright part icular star, isn‘t she ? says Joe.
--W ho? says I.
--My wife? says Bloom. She‘s singing, yes. I th ink it wi l l be a success
too.
--Bloom, says he. The courthouse is a bl ind. He had a few bob on
THROWAWAY and he‘s gone to gather in the shekels.
He‘s an excel lent man to organ ise. Excel lent.
--Is it that wh iteeyed kaff ir? says the cit izen, that never backed a horse
in anger in h is l ife?
Hoho begob says I to myself says I. T hat explains the mi lk in the cocoanut
and absence of hair on the an imal ‘s chest. Blazes doing the toot le on the
f lute. Concert tour. Dirt y Dan the dodger‘s son off Island bridge that
sold the same horses t wice over to the government to f ight the Boers. Old
W hat what. I cal led about the poor and water rate, M r Boylan. You what?
The water rate, M r Boylan. You what what? T hat‘s the bucko that‘ l l
organ ise her, take my t ip. ‚Twixt me and you Caddareesh.
--T hat‘s where he‘s gone, says Lenehan. I met Bantam Lyons going to back
that horse only I put h im off it and he told me Bloom gave h im the t ip.
Bet you what you l ike he has a hundred sh i l l ings to f ive on. He‘s the only
man in Dubl in has it. A dark horse.
--He‘s a bloody dark horse h imself, says Joe.
Pride of Calpe‘s rocky mount, the ravenhaired daughter of Tweedy.
There grew she to peerless beaut y where loquat and almond scent the air.
The gardens of A lameda k new her step: the garths of ol ives k new and
bowed. The chaste spouse of Leopold is she: Marion of the bount ifu l
bosoms.
--M ind, Joe, says I. Show us the entrance out.
--T here you are, says Terr y.
Goodbye Ireland I‘m going to Gort. So I just went round the back of
the yard to pumpsh ip and begob ( hundred sh i l l ings to f ive) wh i le I was
lett ing off my ( THROWAWAY t went y to) lett ing off my load gob says I to
myself I k new he was uneasy in h is (t wo pints off of Joe and one in
Slatter y‘s off ) in h is mind to get off the mark to ( hundred sh i l l ings is
f ive qu id) and when they were in the (dark horse) pisser Burke
was tel l ing me card part y and lett ing on the ch i ld was sick ( gob, must
have done about a gal lon) f labbyarse of a wife speak ing down the tube
SHE‘S BET T ER or SHE‘S (ow!) al l a plan so he could vamoose with the
pool if he won or ( Jesus, ful l up I was) trad ing without a l icence (ow!)
Ireland my nat ion says he ( hoik! phthook!) never be up to those
bloody (there‘s the last of it) Jerusalem (ah!) cuckoos.
And lo, there entered one of the clan of the O‘Mol loy‘s, a comely hero
of wh ite face yet withal somewhat r uddy, h is majest y‘s counsel learned in
the law, and with h im the prince and heir of the noble l ine of Lambert.
--Hel lo, Ned.
--Hel lo, A lf.
--Hel lo, Jack.
--Hel lo, Joe.
--God save you, says the cit izen.
So anyhow when I got back they were at it d ingdong, John Wyse
say ing it was Bloom gave the ideas for Sinn Fein to Griff ith to put in h is
paper al l k inds of jerr ymandering, packed juries and swindl ing the taxes
off of the government and appoint ing consuls al l over the world to walk
about sel l ing Irish industries. Robbing Peter to pay Paul. Gob, that puts
the bloody kybosh on it if old sloppy eyes is muck ing up the show. Give us
a bloody chance. God save Ireland from the l ikes of that bloody
mouseabout. M r Bloom with h is argol bargol. And h is old fel low before h im
perpetrat ing frauds, old Methusalem Bloom, the robbing bagman, that
poisoned h imself with the prussic acid after he swamping the countr y with
h is baubles and h is penny d iamonds. Loans by post on easy terms. Any
amount of money advanced on note of hand. Distance no object. No securit y.
Gob, he‘s l ike Lant y MacHale‘s goat that‘ d go a piece of the road with
ever y one.
--Save you k indly, says J. J. W hat‘ l l it be, Ned?
--Half one, says Ned.
So J. J. ordered the drinks.
--Were you round at the court? says Joe.
--Yes, says J. J. He‘ l l square that, Ned, says he.
--Hope so, says Ned.
Now what were those t wo at? J. J. gett ing h im off the grand jur y l ist
and the other give h im a leg over the st i le. With h is name in Stubbs‘s.
Play ing cards, hobnobbing with f lash toffs with a swank glass in their
eye, adrink ing f izz and he half smothered in writs and garn ishee orders.
Pawn ing h is gold watch in Cummins of Francis street where no-one wou ld
k now h im in the private off ice when I was there with Pisser releasing h is
boots out of the pop. W hat‘s your name, sir? Dunne, says he. Ay, and done
says I. Gob, he‘ l l come home by weeping cross one of those days, I‘m
th ink ing.
--Wel l, it‘s a fact, says John Wyse. And there‘s the man now that‘ l l tel l
you al l about it, Mart in Cunn ingham.
Sure enough the cast le car drove up with Mart in on it and Jack Power
with h im and a fel low named Crofter or Crofton, pensioner out of the
col lector general ‘s, an orangeman Blackburn does have on the registrat ion
and he drawing h is pay or Crawford gal l ivant ing around the countr y at the
k ing‘s expense.
--Did you see that bloody lunat ic Breen round there ? says A lf. U. p: up.
Our travel lers reached the rust ic hostelr y and al ighted from their
palfreys.
--Yes, says J. J. Look ing for a private detect ive.
--Ay, says Ned. And he wanted right go wrong to address the court only
Corny Kel leher got round h im tel l ing h im to get the handwrit ing examined
f irst.
--Ten thousand pounds, says A lf, laugh ing. God, I‘ d g ive anyth ing to hear
h im before a judge and jur y.
--Ho, varlet! cried he, who by h is mien seemed the leader of the part y.
Saucy k nave ! To us!
So say ing he k nocked loudly with h is swordh i lt upon the open latt ice.
M ine host came forth at the summons, gird ing h im with h is tabard.
--Give you good den, my masters, said he with an obsequ ious bow.
--Was it you d id it, A lf ? says Joe. The tr uth, the whole tr uth and noth ing
but the truth, so help you Jimmy Johnson.
--Best ir thyself, sirrah! cried he who had k nocked. Look to our steeds.
A nd for ourselves give us of your best for ifaith we need it.
--Me ? says A lf. Don‘t cast your nasturt iums on my character.
--Lackaday, good masters, said the host, my poor house has but a bare
larder. I k now not what to offer your lordsh ips.
--W hatever statement you make, says Joe, wi l l be taken down in evidence
against you.
--How now, fel low? cried the second of the part y, a man of pleasant
countenance, So ser vest thou the k ing‘s messengers, master Taptun?
--Of course an act ion would l ie, says J. J. It impl ies that he is not
COM POS M ENT IS. U. p: up.
--COM POS your eye ! says A lf, laugh ing. Do you k now that he‘s balmy?
Look at h is head. Do you k now that some morn ings he has to get h is hat on
with a shoehorn.
--Yes, says J. J., but the truth of a l ibel is no defence to an ind ictment
for publ ish ing it in the eyes of the law.
A n instantaneous change overspread the landlord ‘s visage.
-- Cr y you mercy, gent lemen, he said humbly. An you be the k ing‘s
messengers (God sh ield H is Majest y!) you shal l not want for aught. The
k ing‘s friends (God bless H is Majest y!) shal l not go afast ing in my house
I warrant me.
--T hen about! cried the travel ler who had not spoken, a lust y trencherman
by h is aspect. Hast aught to give us?
--Ha ha, A lf, says Joe.
--St i l l, says Bloom, on account of the poor woman, I mean h is wife.
M ine host bowed again as he made answer:
--Pit y about her, says the cit izen. Or any other woman marries a half and
half.
--W hat say you, good masters, to a squab pigeon past y, some col lops of
ven ison, a sadd le of veal, widgeon with crisp hog‘s bacon, a boar‘s head
with pistach ios, a bason of jol ly custard, a medlar tansy and a f lagon of
old R hen ish?
--How half and half ? says Bloom. Do you mean he ...
--Half and half I mean, says the cit izen. A fel low that‘s neither f ish nor
f lesh.
--Gadzooks! cried the last speaker. That l ikes me wel l. Pistach ios!
--A ha ! cried he of the pleasant countenance. A poor house and a bare
larder, quotha ! ‚Tis a merr y rog ue.
--Nor good red herring, says Joe.
--T hat what‘s I mean, says the cit izen. A pishog ue, if you k now what that
is.
So in comes Mart in ask ing where was Bloom.
Begob I saw there was trouble coming. A nd Bloom explain ing he meant on
account of it being cruel for the wife having to go round after the
old stuttering fool. Cruelt y to an imals so it is to let that bloody
povert ystricken Breen out on grass with h is beard out tripping h im,
bring ing down the rain. And she with her nose cockahoop after she married
h im because a cousin of h is old fel low‘s was pewopener to the pope.
Picture of h im on the wal l with h is Smashal l Sweeney‘s moustaches, the
sign ior Brin i from Summerh i l l, the eyetal lyano, papal Zouave to the Holy
Father, has left the quay and gone to Moss street. A nd who was he, tel l
us? A nobody, t wo pair back and passages, at seven sh i l l ings a week, and
he covered with al l k inds of breastplates bidd ing def iance to the world.
--A nd moreover, says J. J., a postcard is publ icat ion. It was held to be
suff icient evidence of mal ice in the testcase Sadgrove v. Hole. In my
opin ion an act ion might l ie.
--W here is he ? says Lenehan. Defraud ing widows and orphans.
--Isn‘t that a fact, says John Wyse, what I was tel l ing the cit izen about
Bloom and the Sinn Fein?
--T hat‘s so, says Mart in. Or so they al lege.
--W ho made those al legat ions? says A lf.
--I, says Joe. I‘m the al l igator.
--A nd after al l, says John Wyse, why can‘t a jew love h is countr y l ike the
next fel low?
--W hy not? says J. J., when he‘s qu ite sure wh ich countr y it is.
--Is he a jew or a gent i le or a holy Roman or a swaddler or what the hel l
is he ? says Ned. Or who is he? No offence, Crofton.
Six and eightpence, please. W ho wants your opin ion? Let us drink
our pints in peace. Gob, we won‘t be let even do that much itself.
--W ho is Jun ius? says J. J.
--Wel l, good health, Jack, says Ned.
--We don‘t want h im, says Crofter the Orangeman or presbyterian.
--Good health, Ned, says J. J.
--He‘s a per verted jew, says Mart in, from a place in Hungar y and it was he
drew up al l the plans accord ing to the Hungarian system. We k now that in
the cast le.
---T here he is again, says Joe.
--W here ? says A lf.
--Isn‘t he a cousin of Bloom the dent ist? says Jack Power.
And begob there he was passing the door with h is books under h is
oxter and the wife beside h im and Corny Kel leher with h is wal l eye look ing
in as they went past, talk ing to h im l ike a father, tr y ing to sel l h im a
secondhand coff in.
--Not at al l, says Mart in. Only namesakes. H is name was Virag, the
father‘s name that poisoned h imself. He changed it by deedpol l, the father
d id.
--How d id that Canada swindle case go off ? says Joe.
--T hat‘s the new Messiah for Ireland! says the cit izen. Island of saints
and sages!
--Remanded, says J. J.
--Wel l, they‘re st i l l wait ing for their redeemer, says Mart in. For that
matter so are we.
One of the bott lenosed fratern it y it was went by the name of James
Wought al ias Saph iro al ias Spark and Spiro, put an ad in the papers say ing
he‘ d g ive a passage to Canada for t went y bob. W hat? Do you see any green
in the wh ite of my eye? Course it was a bloody barney. W hat? Swind led
them al l, sk iv vies and badhachs from the count y Meath, ay, and h is own
k idney too. J. J. was tel l ing us there was an ancient Hebrew Zaretsky or
someth ing weeping in the witnessbox with h is hat on h im, swearing by the
holy Moses he was stuck for t wo qu id.
--Yes, says J. J., and ever y male that‘s born they th ink it may be their
Messiah. A nd ever y jew is in a tal l state of excitement, I bel ieve, t i l l
he k nows if he‘s a father or a mother.
--Expect ing ever y moment wi l l be h is next, says Lenehan.
--O, by God, says Ned, you should have seen Bloom before that son of h is
that d ied was born. I met h im one day in the south cit y markets buy ing a
t in of Neave‘s food six weeks before the wife was del ivered.
--W ho tried the case? says Joe.
--Recorder, says Ned.
--EN V ENT R E SA M ER E , says J. J.
--Poor old sir Frederick, says A lf, you can cod h im up to the t wo eyes.
--Do you cal l that a man? says the cit izen.
--Heart as big as a l ion, says Ned. Tel l h im a tale of woe about arrears
of rent and a sick wife and a squad of k ids and, faith, he‘ l l d issolve in
tears on the bench.
--I wonder d id he ever put it out of sight, says Joe.
--Ay, says A lf. Reuben J was bloody lucky he d idn‘t clap h im in the dock
the other day for su ing poor l itt le Gumley that‘s mind ing stones, for the
corporat ion there near Butt bridge.
--A nd who does he suspect? says the cit izen.
--Wel l, there were t wo ch i ldren born anyhow, says Jack Power.
Gob, there‘s many a true word spoken in jest. One of those mixed
midd l ings he is. Ly ing up in the hotel Pisser was tel l ing me once a month
with headache l ike a tott y with her courses. Do you k now what I‘m tel l ing
you? It‘ d be an act of God to take a hold of a fel low the l ike of that and
throw h im in the bloody sea. Just if iable homici
And he starts tak ing off the old recorder lett ing on to cr y:
--A most scandalous th ing! Th is poor hardwork ing man! How many
ch i ldren? Ten, d id you say?
--Yes, your worsh ip. And my wife has the t y phoid.
--A nd the wife with t y phoid fever! Scandalous! Leave the court
immed iately, sir. No, sir, I‘ l l make no order for payment. How dare you,
sir, come up before me and ask me to make an order! A poor hardwork ing
industrious man! I d ismiss the case.
And whereas on the sixteenth day of the month of the oxeyed goddess and in
the th ird week after the feastday of the Holy and Und ivided Trin it y,
the daughter of the sk ies, the virgin moon being then in her f irst
quarter, it came to pass that those learned judges repaired them to the
hal ls of law. There master Courtenay, sitt ing in h is own chamber,
gave h is rede and master Just ice Andrews, sitt ing without a jur y
in the probate court, weighed wel l and pondered the claim of the
f irst chargeant upon the propert y in the matter of the wi l l
propounded and f inal testamentar y d isposit ion IN R E the real and
personal estate of the late lamented Jacob Hal l iday, vintner, deceased,
versus L ivingstone, an infant, of unsound mind, and another. A nd to the
solemn court of Green street there came sir Frederick the Falconer. A nd he
sat h im there about the hour of f ive o‘clock to admin ister the law of the
brehons at the commission for al l that and those parts to be holden in
and for the count y of the cit y of Dubl in. A nd there sat with h im the h igh
sinhedrim of the t welve tribes of Iar, for ever y tribe one man, of the
tribe of Patrick and of the tribe of Hugh and of the tribe of Owen and of
the tribe of Conn and of the tribe of Oscar and of the tribe of
Ferg us and of the tribe of Finn and of the tribe of Dermot and of
the tribe of Cormac and of the tribe of Kevin and of the tribe of
Caolte and of the tribe of Ossian, there being in al l t welve good
men and true. And he conjured them by H im who d ied on rood that
they should wel l and truly tr y and tr ue del iverance make in the
issue joined bet ween their sovereign lord the k ing and the prisoner at
the bar and true verd ict give accord ing to the evidence so help them God
and k iss the book. And they rose in their seats, those t welve of Iar, and
they swore by the name of H im W ho is from everlast ing that they wou ld do
H is right wiseness. And straight way the min ions of the law led forth from
their donjon keep one whom the sleuthhounds of just ice had apprehended in
consequence of informat ion received. A nd they shack led h im hand and foot
and wou ld take of h im ne bai l ne mainprise but preferred a charge against
h im for he was a malefactor.
--T hose are n ice th ings, says the cit izen, coming over here to Ireland
f i l l ing the countr y with bugs.
So Bloom lets on he heard noth ing and he starts talk ing with Joe, tel l ing
h im he needn‘t trouble about that l itt le matter t i l l the f irst but if he
wou ld just say a word to M r Crawford. A nd so Joe swore h igh and holy by
th is and by that he‘ d do the devi l and al l.
--Because, you see, says Bloom, for an advert isement you must have
repet it ion. That‘s the whole secret.
--Rely on me, says Joe.
--Swind l ing the peasants, says the cit izen, and the poor of Ireland. We
want no more strangers in our house.
--O, I‘m sure that wi l l be al l right, Hynes, says Bloom. It‘s just that
Keyes, you see.
--Consider that done, says Joe.
--Ver y k ind of you, says Bloom.
--T he strangers, says the cit izen. Our own fau lt. We let them come in. We
brought them in. The adulteress and her paramour brought the Saxon
robbers here.
--Decree NISI, says J. J.
And Bloom lett ing on to be awful ly deeply interested in noth ing, a
spider‘s web in the corner beh ind the barrel, and the cit izen scowl ing
after h im and the old dog at h is feet look ing up to k now who to bite and
when.
--A d ishonoured wife, says the cit izen, that‘s what‘s the cause of al l our
misfortunes.
--A nd here she is, says A lf, that was g iggl ing over the POLICE GAZET T E
with Terr y on the counter, in al l her warpaint.
--Give us a squ int at her, says I.
And what was it only one of the smutt y yankee pictures Terr y
borrows off of Corny Kel leher. Secrets for enlarg ing your private parts.
M isconduct of societ y bel le. Norman W. Tupper, wealthy Ch icago
contractor, f inds prett y but faithless wife in lap of off icer Taylor.
Bel le in her bloomers misconduct ing herself, and her fancyman feel ing for
her t ick les and Norman W. Tupper bouncing in with h is peashooter just in
t ime to be late after she doing the trick of the loop with off icer Taylor.
--O jakers, Jenny, says Joe, how short your sh irt is!
--T here‘s hair, Joe, says I. Get a queer old tai lend of corned beef off of
that one, what?
So anyhow in came John Wyse Nolan and Lenehan with h im with a
face on h im as long as a late breakfast.
--Wel l, says the cit izen, what‘s the latest from the scene of act ion? W hat
d id those t inkers in the cit y hal l at their caucus meet ing decide about
the Irish lang uage?
O‘ Nolan, clad in sh in ing armour, low bend ing made obeisance to the
pu issant and h igh and might y ch ief of al l Erin and d id h im to wit of that
wh ich had befal len, how that the grave elders of the most obed ient cit y,
second of the realm, had met them in the tholsel, and there, after due
prayers to the gods who dwel l in ether supernal, had taken solemn counsel
whereby they might, if so be it might be, bring once more into honour
among mortal men the winged speech of the sead ivided Gael.
--It‘s on the march, says the cit izen. To hel l with the bloody br utal
Sassenachs and their PATOIS.
So J. J. puts in a word, doing the toff about one stor y was good t i l l
you heard another and bl ink ing facts and the Nelson pol icy, putt ing your
bl ind eye to the telescope and drawing up a bi l l of attainder to impeach a
nat ion, and Bloom tr y ing to back h im up moderat ion and botherat ion and
their colon ies and their civi l isat ion.
--T heir sy ph i l isat ion, you mean, says the cit izen. To hel l with them! T he
curse of a goodfornoth ing God l ight sideways on the bloody th ick lugged
sons of whores‘ gets! No music and no art and no l iterature worthy of the
name. A ny civi l isat ion they have they stole from us. Tong uet ied sons of
bastards‘ ghosts.
--T he European fami ly, says J. J. ...
--T hey‘re not European, says the cit izen. I was in Europe with Kevin Egan
of Paris. You wouldn‘t see a trace of them or their lang uage any where in
Europe except in a CA BINET D‘A ISA NCE .
And says John Wyse:
--Fu l l many a f lower is born to blush unseen.
And says Lenehan that k nows a bit of the l ingo:
--CONSPUEZ LES A NGL A IS ! PER FIDE A LBION!
He said and then l ifted he in h is rude great brawny streng thy hands
the medher of dark strong foamy ale and, uttering h is tribal slogan L A M H
DE A RG A BU, he drank to the undoing of h is foes, a race of might y valorous
heroes, r ulers of the waves, who sit on thrones of alabaster si lent as the
deathless gods.
--W hat‘s up with you, says I to Lenehan. You look l ike a fel low that had
lost a bob and found a tanner.
--Gold cup, says he.
--W ho won, M r Lenehan? says Terr y.
--THROWAWAY, says he, at t went y to one. A rank outsider. A nd the rest
nowhere.
--A nd Bass‘s mare? says Terr y.
--St i l l r unn ing, says he. We‘re al l in a cart. Boylan plunged t wo qu id on
my t ip SCEP T R E for h imself and a lady friend.
--I had half a crown myself, says Terr y, on ZINFA NDEL that M r Flynn gave
me. Lord Howard de Walden‘s.
--Twent y to one, says Lenehan. Such is l ife in an outhouse. THROWAWAY,
says he. Takes the biscu it, and talk ing about bun ions. Frai lt y, thy name
is SCEP T R E .
So he went over to the biscu it t in Bob Doran left to see if there was
anyth ing he could l ift on the nod, the old cur after h im back ing h is luck
with h is mang y snout up. Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard.
--Not there, my ch i ld, says he.
--Keep your pecker up, says Joe. She‘ d have won the money only for the
other dog.
And J. J. and the cit izen arg u ing about law and h istor y with Bloom
st ick ing in an odd word.
--Some people, says Bloom, can see the mote in others‘ eyes but they can‘t
see the beam in their own.
--R A I M EIS, says the cit izen. There‘s no-one as bl ind as the fel low that
won‘t see, if you k now what that means. W here are our missing
t went y mi l l ions of Irish should be here today instead of four,
our lost tribes? And our potteries and text i les, the f inest in
the whole world! And our wool that was sold in Rome in the t ime
of Juvenal and our f lax and our damask from the looms of A ntrim
and our L imerick lace, our tanneries and our wh ite f l int glass
down there by Bal lybough and our Hug uenot popl in that we have since
Jacquard de Lyon and our woven si lk and our Foxford t weeds and ivor y
raised point from the Carmel ite convent in New Ross, noth ing l ike it in
the whole wide world. W here are the Greek merchants that came through the
pi l lars of Hercules, the Gibraltar now grabbed by the foe of mank ind, with
gold and Tyrian purple to sel l in Wexford at the fair of Carmen? Read
Tacitus and Ptolemy, even Giraldus Cambrensis. Wine, peltries,
Connemara marble, si lver from Tipperar y, second to none, our farfamed
horses even today, the Irish hobbies, with k ing Ph i l ip of Spain offering
to pay customs dut ies for the right to f ish in our waters. W hat do the
yel lowjohns of Angl ia owe us for our r u ined trade and our r u ined hearths?
And the beds of the Barrow and Shannon they won‘t deepen with mi l l ions
of acres of marsh and bog to make us al l d ie of consumpt ion?
--As treeless as Portugal we‘ l l be soon, says John Wyse, or Hel igoland
with its one tree if someth ing is not done to reafforest the land.
Larches, f irs, al l the trees of the con ifer fami ly are going fast. I was
read ing a report of lord Cast letown‘s ...
--Save them, says the cit izen, the giant ash of Galway and the ch ieftain
elm of K i ldare with a fort yfoot bole and an acre of fol iage. Save the
trees of Ireland for the future men of Ireland on the fair h i l ls of
Eire, O.
--Europe has its eyes on you, says Lenehan.
The fash ionable internat ional world attended EN M ASSE th is afternoon
at the wedd ing of the cheval ier Jean Wyse de Neau lan, grand h igh ch ief
ranger of the Irish Nat ional Foresters, with M iss Fir Con ifer of Pine
Val ley. Lady Sylvester Elmshade, M rs Barbara Lovebirch, M rs Pol l Ash,
M rs Hol ly Hazeleyes, M iss Daphne Bays, M iss Dorothy Canebrake, M rs
Clyde Twelvetrees, M rs Rowan Greene, M rs Helen Vinegadd ing, M iss
Virgin ia Creeper, M iss Gladys Beech, M iss Ol ive Garth, M iss Blanche
Maple, M rs Maud Mahogany, M iss Myra Myrt le, M iss Prisci l la
Elderf lower, M iss Bee Honeysuck le, M iss Grace Poplar, M iss O M imosa
San, M iss Rachel Cedarfrond, the M isses L i l ian and Viola L i lac, M iss
Timid it y Aspenal l, M rs K itt y Dewey-Mosse, M iss May Hawthorne, M rs
Gloriana Palme, M rs L iana Forrest, M rs A rabel la Black wood and M rs
Norma Holyoake of Oak holme Regis graced the ceremony by their
presence. The bride who was given away by her father, the M‘Con ifer of
the Glands, looked exqu isitely charming in a creat ion carried out in green
mercerised si lk, moulded on an undersl ip of gloaming grey, sashed with a
yoke of broad emerald and f in ished with a triple f lounce of darkerhued
fringe, the scheme being rel ieved by bretel les and h ip insert ions of acorn
bronze. The maids of honour, M iss Larch Con ifer and M iss Spr uce Con ifer,
sisters of the bride, wore ver y becoming costumes in the same tone, a
daint y MOT IF of plume rose being worked into the pleats in a pinstripe and
repeated capriciously in the jadegreen toques in the form of heron
feathers of palet inted coral. Senhor Enrique Flor presided at the
organ with h is wel lk nown abi l it y and, in add it ion to the prescribed
numbers of the nupt ial mass, played a new and strik ing arrangement
of WOODM A N, SPA R E TH AT T R EE at the conclusion of the ser vice. On
leaving the church of Saint Fiacre IN HORTO after the papal
blessing the happy pair were subjected to a playfu l crossf ire
of hazelnuts, beechmast, bayleaves, catk ins of wi l low, iv ytod,
hol lyberries, mist letoe sprigs and qu icken shoots. M r and M rs Wyse
Con ifer Neaulan wi l l spend a qu iet honeymoon in the Black Forest.
--A nd our eyes are on Europe, says the cit izen. We had our trade with
Spain and the French and with the Flemings before those mongrels were
pupped, Span ish ale in Galway, the winebark on the winedark water way.
--A nd wi l l again, says Joe.
--A nd with the help of the holy mother of God we wi l l again, says the
cit izen, clapping h is th igh. our harbours that are empt y wi l l be fu l l
again, Queenstown, K insale, Galway, Blacksod Bay, Ventr y in the k ingdom of
Kerr y, K i l lybegs, the th ird largest harbour in the wide world with a f leet
of masts of the Galway Lynches and the Cavan O‘Rei l lys and the
O‘Kennedys of Dubl in when the earl of Desmond cou ld make a treat y with
the emperor Charles the Fifth h imself. A nd wi l l again, says he, when the
f irst Irish batt lesh ip is seen breast ing the waves with our own f lag to
the fore, none of your Henr y Tudor‘s harps, no, the oldest f lag af loat,
the f lag of the province of Desmond and T homond, three crowns on a blue
f ield, the three sons of M i lesius.
And he took the last swig out of the pint. Moya. A l l wind and piss l ike
a tanyard cat. Cows in Connacht have long horns. As much as h is bloody
l ife is worth to go down and address h is tal l talk to the assembled
mu lt itude in Shanagolden where he daren‘t show h is nose with the Mol ly
Mag u ires look ing for h im to let dayl ight through h im for grabbing the
hold ing of an evicted tenant.
--Hear, hear to that, says John Wyse. W hat wi l l you have ?
--A n imperial yeomanr y, says Lenehan, to celebrate the occasion.
--Half one, Terr y, says John Wyse, and a hands up. Terr y! A re you asleep?
--Yes, sir, says Terr y. Smal l wh isky and bott le of A l lsop. R ight, sir.
Hang ing over the bloody paper with A lf look ing for spicy bits instead
of attend ing to the general publ ic. Picture of a butt ing match, tr y ing to
crack their bloody skul ls, one chap going for the other with h is head down
l ike a bu l l at a gate. And another one: BL ACK BE AST BUR NED IN OM A H A, GA.
A lot of Deadwood Dicks in slouch hats and they f iring at a Sambo str ung
up in a tree with h is tong ue out and a bonf ire under h im. Gob, they ought
to drown h im in the sea after and electrocute and cr ucify h im to make sure
of their job.
--But what about the f ight ing nav y, says Ned, that keeps our foes at bay?
--I‘ l l tel l you what about it, says the cit izen. Hel l upon earth it is.
Read the revelat ions that‘s going on in the papers about f logg ing on the
train ing sh ips at Portsmouth. A fel low writes that cal ls h imself DISGUST ED
ONE .
So he starts tel l ing us about corporal pun ishment and about the crew
of tars and off icers and rearadmirals drawn up in cocked hats and the
parson with h is protestant bible to witness pun ishment and a young lad
brought out, howl ing for h is ma, and they t ie h im down on the buttend of a
g un.
--A r ump and dozen, says the cit izen, was what that old r uff ian sir John
Beresford cal led it but the modern God ‘s Engl ishman cal ls it can ing on the
breech.
And says John Wyse:
--‘ Tis a custom more honoured in the breach than in the obser vance.
Then he was tel l ing us the master at arms comes along with a long
cane and he draws out and he f logs the bloody backside off of the poor lad
t i l l he yel ls mei la murder.
--T hat‘s your glorious Brit ish nav y, says the cit izen, that bosses the
earth.
The fel lows that never wi l l be slaves, with the only hered itar y chamber on
the face of God ‘s earth and their land in the hands of a dozen gamehogs
and cottonbal l barons. That‘s the great empire they boast about of dr udges
and wh ipped serfs.
--On wh ich the sun never rises, says Joe.
--A nd the tragedy of it is, says the cit izen, they bel ieve it. T he
unfortunate yahoos bel ieve it.
They bel ieve in rod, the scourger almight y, creator of hel l upon earth,
and in Jacky Tar, the son of a g un, who was conceived of unholy boast,
born of the f ight ing nav y, suffered under r ump and dozen, was scarif ied,
f layed and curried, yel led l ike bloody hel l, the th ird day he arose again
from the bed, steered into haven, sitteth on h is beamend t i l l further
orders whence he shal l come to drudge for a l iving and be paid.
24
--But, says Bloom, isn‘t d iscipl ine the same ever y where. I mean wou ldn‘t
it be the same here if you put force against force ?
Didn‘t I tel l you? As true as I‘m drink ing th is porter if he was at h is
last gasp he‘ d tr y to downface you that dy ing was l iving.
--We‘ l l put force against force, says the cit izen. We have our greater
Ireland beyond the sea. They were driven out of house and home in the
black 47. Their mudcabins and their sh iel ings by the roadside were laid
low by the batteringram and the T I M ES r ubbed its hands and told the
wh itel ivered Saxons there would soon be as few Irish in Ireland as
redsk ins in America. Even the Grand Turk sent us h is piastres. But the
Sassenach tried to star ve the nat ion at home wh i le the land was fu l l of
crops that the Brit ish hyenas bought and sold in R io de Janeiro. Ay, they
drove out the peasants in hordes. Twent y thousand of them d ied in the
coff insh ips. But those that came to the land of the free remember the
land of bondage. And they wi l l come again and with a vengeance, no
cravens, the sons of Granuai le, the champions of K athleen n i Hou l ihan.
--Perfect ly true, says Bloom. But my point was ...
--We are a long t ime wait ing for that day, cit izen, says Ned. Since the
poor old woman told us that the French were on the sea and landed at
K i l lala.
--Ay, says John Wyse. We fought for the royal Stuarts that reneged us
against the Wi l l iamites and they betrayed us. Remember L imerick and the
broken treat ystone. We gave our best blood to France and Spain, the wi ld
geese. Fontenoy, eh? And Sarsf ield and O‘Donnel l, duke of Tetuan in
Spain, and Ulysses Browne of Camus that was f ieldmarshal to Maria Teresa.
But what d id we ever get for it?
--T he French! says the cit izen. Set of dancing masters! Do you k now what
it is? T hey were never worth a roasted fart to Ireland. A ren‘t they
tr y ing to make an ENTENTE COR DI A LE now at Tay Pay‘s d innerpart y with
perf id ious A lbion? Firebrands of Europe and they always were.
--CONSPUEZ LES FR A NCA IS, says Lenehan, nobbl ing h is beer.
--A nd as for the Proosh ians and the Hanoverians, says Joe, haven‘t we had
enough of those sausageeat ing bastards on the throne from George the
elector down to the German lad and the f latu lent old bitch that‘s dead?
Jesus, I had to laugh at the way he came out with that about the old one
with the winkers on her, bl ind drunk in her royal palace ever y n ight of
God, old Vic, with her jorum of mountain dew and her coachman cart ing her
up body and bones to rol l into bed and she pu l l ing h im by the wh iskers
and sing ing h im old bits of songs about EHR EN ON THE R HINE and come where
DR ESSED IN A THR EEQUA RTER I VORY GOW N, FR INGED ROUND THE HEM W ITH
TASSEL LED SELV EDGE , A ND COOLS HER SELF FLIRT ING A BL ACK HOR N FA N LIK E
M INNIE H AUCK IN Carmen. ON HER LEF T H A ND A R E W EDDING A ND K EEPER R INGS.
HER EY ES A R E DEEPLY CA R BONED. SHE H AS A SPROUT ING MOUSTACHE . HER OLI V E
FACE IS HEAV Y, SLIGHT LY SW E AT ED A ND FUL LNOSED W ITH OR A NGETA INT ED
NOST R I LS. SHE H AS L A RGE PENDA NT BERY L E A R DROPS.)
BEL L A: My word! I‘m al l of a mucksweat.
(SHE GL A NCES ROUND HER AT THE COUPLES. THEN HER EY ES R EST ON BLOOM W ITH
H A R D INSISTENCE . HER L A RGE FA N W INNOWS W IND TOWA R DS HER HE AT ED FACENECK
A ND EM BONPOINT. HER FA LCON EY ES GLIT T ER.)
THE FA N: ( FLIRT ING QUICK LY, THEN SLOW LY ) Married, I see.
BLOOM: Yes. Part ly, I have mislaid ...
THE FA N: ( H A LF OPENING, THEN CLOSING) A nd the missus is master. Pett icoat
government.
BLOOM: ( LOOK S DOW N W ITH A SHEEPISH GR IN ) T hat is so.
THE FA N: ( FOL DING TOGETHER , R ESTS AGA INST HER LEF T E A R DROP) Have you
forgotten me?
BLOOM: Yes. Yo.
THE FA N: ( FOL DED A K I M BO AGA INST HER WA IST ) Is me her was you dreamed
before ? Was then she h im you us since k new? A m al l them and the same now
we ?
( BEL L A APPROACHES, GENT LY TAPPING W ITH THE FA N.)
BLOOM: ( W INCING) Powerful being. In my eyes read that slumber wh ich women
love.
BLOOM: (COL DLY ) You have broken the spel l. The last straw. If there were
only ethereal where would you al l be, postulants and novices? Shy but
wi l l ing l ike an ass pissing.
THE Y EWS: ( THEIR SI LV ER FOI L OF LEAV ES PR ECIPITAT ING, THEIR SK INN Y A R MS
AGING A ND SWAY ING) Deciduously!
THE N Y M PH: ( her features harden ing, gropes in the folds of her habit)
Sacri lege ! To attempt my virtue ! (A L A RGE MOIST STA IN APPEA R S ON HER
ROBE) Su l ly my innocence ! You are not f it to touch the garment of a pure
woman. (SHE CLUTCHES AGA IN IN HER ROBE) Wait. Satan, you‘ l l sing no more
lovesongs. A men. Amen. Amen. Amen. (SHE DR AWS A PONI A R D A ND, CL A D IN THE
SHE ATH M A I L OF A N ELECTED K NIGHT OF NINE , ST R IK ES AT HIS LOINS) Nekum!
BLOOM: (STA RTS UP, SEIZES HER H A ND) Hoy! Nebrakada! Cat o‘ n ine l ives!
Fair play, madam. No prun ingk n ife. The fox and the grapes, is it? W hat do
you lack with your barbed wire? Crucif ix not th ick enough? ( HE CLUTCHES
HER V EI L) A holy abbot you want or Brophy, the lame gardener, or the
spout less statue of the watercarrier, or good mother A lphonsus, eh
Reynard?
THE N Y M PH: ( W ITH A CRY FLEES FROM HI M UN V EI LED, HER PL ASTER CAST
CR ACK ING, A CLOUD OF STENCH ESCAPING FROM THE CR ACK S) Pol i ... !
BLOOM: (CA L LS AF TER HER) As if you d idn‘t get it on the double
yourselves. No jerks and mult iple mucosit ies al l over you. I tried it.
Your streng th our weak ness. W hat‘s our studfee? W hat wi l l you pay on the
nai l? You fee mendancers on the R iviera, I read. ( THE FLEEING N Y M PH
R A ISES A K EEN ) Eh? I have sixteen years of black slave labour beh ind me.
A nd wou ld a jur y give me f ive sh i l l ings al imony tomorrow, eh? Fool
someone else, not me. ( HE SNIFFS) Rut. On ions. Stale. Sulphur. Grease.
( THE FIGUR E OF BEL L A COHEN STA NDS BEFOR E HI M.)
THE FA N: ( TAPPING) We have met. You are mine. It is fate.
BEL L A: You‘ l l k now me the next t ime.
BLOOM: (COW ED) Exuberant female. Enormously I desiderate your dominat ion.
I am exhausted, abandoned, no more young. I stand, so to speak, with an
unposted letter bearing the extra reg u lat ion fee before the too late box
of the general postoff ice of human l ife. T he door and window open at a
right angle cause a draught of th irt yt wo feet per second accord ing to the
law of fal l ing bod ies. I have felt th is instant a t winge of sciat ica in
my left glutear muscle. It runs in our fami ly. Poor dear papa, a widower,
was a reg ular barometer from it. He bel ieved in an imal heat. A sk in of
tabby l ined h is winter waistcoat. Near the end, remembering k ing David
and the Sunamite, he shared h is bed with Athos, faithfu l after death. A
dog‘s spitt le as you probably ... ( HE W INCES) A h!
BLOOM: (COM POSED, R EGA R DS HER) Passee. Mutton dressed as lamb. Long in
the tooth and superf luous hair. A raw on ion the last th ing at n ight would
benef it your complex ion. And take some double ch in dri l l. Your eyes are
as vapid as the glasseyes of your stuffed fox. They have the d imensions
of your other features, that‘s al l. I‘m not a triple screw propel ler.
R ICHIE GOUL DING : ( BAGW EIGHT ED, PASSES THE DOOR) Mock ing is catch. Best
value in Dub. Fit for a prince‘s. L iver and k idney.
BEL L A: (CONTEM P T UOUSLY ) You‘re not game, in fact. ( HER SOWCUNT BA R K S)
Fbhracht!
BLOOM: (CONTEM P T UOUSLY ) Clean your nai l less middle f inger f irst, your
bu l ly‘s cold spunk is dripping from your cockscomb. Take a handful of hay
and wipe yourself.
BEL L A: I k now you, canvasser! Dead cod!
THE FA N: ( TAPPING) A l l th ings end. Be mine. Now,
BLOOM: I saw h im, k ipkeeper! Pox and gleet vendor!
BLOOM: ( UNDECIDED) A l l now? I shou ld not have parted with my tal isman.
Rain, exposure at dewfal l on the searocks, a peccad i l lo at my t ime of
l ife. Ever y phenomenon has a natural cause.
BEL L A: ( T UR NS TO THE PI A NO) W h ich of you was play ing the dead march from
SAUL?
THE FA N: ( POINTS DOW N WA R DS SLOW LY ) You may.
BLOOM: ( LOOK S DOW N WA R DS A ND PERCEI V ES HER UNFAST ENED BOOT L ACE) We are
obser ved.
THE FA N: ( POINTS DOW N WA R DS QUICK LY ) You must.
BLOOM: ( W ITH DESIR E , W ITH R ELUCTA NCE) I can make a tr ue black k not.
Learned when I ser ved my t ime and worked the mai l order l ine for
Kel lett‘s. Experienced hand. Ever y k not says a lot. Let me. In courtesy.
I k nelt once before today. A h!
( BEL L A R A ISES HER GOW N SLIGHT LY A ND, ST E A DY ING HER POSE , LIF TS TO THE
EDGE OF A CH A IR A PLUM P BUSK INED HOOF A ND A FUL L PAST ER N, SI LK SOCK ED.
BLOOM, ST IFFLEGGED, AGING, BENDS OV ER HER HOOF A ND W ITH GENT LE FINGER S
DR AWS OUT A ND IN HER L ACES.)
ZOE : Me. M ind your cornf lowers. (SHE DA RTS TO THE PI A NO A ND BA NGS CHOR DS
ON IT W ITH CROSSED A R MS) The cat‘s ramble through the slag. (SHE GL A NCES
BACK ) Eh? W ho‘s mak ing love to my sweet ies? (SHE DA RTS BACK TO THE TA BLE)
W hat‘s yours is mine and what‘s mine is my own.
( K IT T Y, DISCONCERTED, COATS HER TEETH W ITH THE SI LV ER PAPER. BLOOM
APPROACHES ZOE .)
BLOOM: (GENT LY ) Give me back that potato, wi l l you?
ZOE : Forfeits, a f ine th ing and a superf ine th ing.
BLOOM: ( W ITH FEELING) It is noth ing, but st i l l, a rel ic of poor mamma.
ZOE :
Give a th ing and take it back
God ‘ l l ask you where is that
You‘ l l say you don‘t k now
God ‘ l l send you down below.
BLOOM: ( M UR M UR S LOV INGLY ) To be a shoef itter in Manf ield ‘s was my love‘s
young dream, the darl ing joys of sweet buttonhook ing, to lace up
crisscrossed to k neelength the dressy k id foot wear sat inl ined, so
incred ibly impossibly smal l, of Clyde Road lad ies. Even their wax model
Raymonde I visited dai ly to admire her cobweb hose and st ick of rhubarb
toe, as worn in Paris.
BLOOM: T here is a memor y attached to it. I should l ike to have it.
THE HOOF: Smel l my hot goath ide. Feel my royal weight.
ST EPHEN: To have or not to have that is the quest ion.
BLOOM: (CROSSL ACING) Too t ight?
ZOE : Here. (SHE H AULS UP A R EEF OF HER SLIP, R EV EA LING HER BA R E THIGH,
A ND UNROL LS THE POTATO FROM THE TOP OF HER STOCK ING) Those that h ides
k nows where to f ind.
THE HOOF: If you bungle, Handy A ndy, I‘ l l k ick your footbal l for you.
BLOOM: Not to lace the wrong eyelet as I d id the n ight of the bazaar
dance. Bad luck. Hook in wrong tache of her ... person you ment ioned.
That n ight she met ... Now!
( HE K NOTS THE L ACE . BEL L A PL ACES HER FOOT ON THE FLOOR. BLOOM R A ISES HIS
HE A D. HER HEAV Y FACE , HER EY ES ST R IK E HI M IN M IDBROW. HIS EY ES GROW DUL L ,
DA R K ER A ND POUCHED, HIS NOSE THICK ENS.)
BLOOM: ( M UM BLES) Await ing your further orders we remain, gent lemen, ...
BEL LO : ( W ITH A H A R D BASI LISK STA R E , IN A BA R ITONE VOICE) Hound of
d ishonour!
BLOOM: ( INFAT UATED) Empress!
BEL LO : ( HIS HEAV Y CHEEKCHOPS SAGGING) Adorer of the adu lterous r ump!
BLOOM: ( PL A INT I V ELY ) Hugeness!
BEL LO : Dungdevourer!
BLOOM: ( W ITH SINEWS SEM IFLEX ED) Magmagn if icence !
BEL LO : Down! ( HE TAPS HER ON THE SHOUL DER W ITH HIS FA N ) Incl ine feet
for ward! Sl ide left foot one pace back! You wi l l fal l. You are fal l ing.
On the hands down!
BEL L A: ( FROW NS) Here. Th is isn‘t a musical peepshow. And don‘t you smash
that piano. W ho‘s pay ing here?
(SHE GOES TO THE PI A NOL A. STEPHEN FUM BLES IN HIS POCK ET A ND, TA K ING OUT A
BA NK NOT E BY ITS COR NER , H A NDS IT TO HER.)
ST EPHEN: ( W ITH EX AGGER ATED POLITENESS) Th is si lken purse I made out of
the sow‘s ear of the publ ic. Madam, excuse me. If you al low me. ( HE
INDICAT ES VAGUELY LY NCH A ND BLOOM ) We are al l in the same sweepstake,
K inch and Lynch. DA NS CE BOR DEL OU TENONS NOST R E ETAT.
LY NCH: (CA L LS FROM THE HEA RTH ) Dedalus! Give her your blessing for me.
ST EPHEN: ( H A NDS BEL L A A COIN ) Gold. She has it.
BEL L A: ( LOOK S AT THE MONEY, THEN AT STEPHEN, THEN AT ZOE , FLOR RY A ND
K IT T Y ) Do you want three girls? It‘s ten sh i l l ings here.
ST EPHEN: ( DELIGHTEDLY ) A hundred thousand apologies. ( HE FUM BLES AGA IN
A ND TA K ES OUT A ND H A NDS HER T WO CROW NS) Permit, BR EV I M A NU, my sight is
somewhat troubled.
( BEL L A GOES TO THE TA BLE TO COUNT THE MONEY WHI LE STEPHEN TA LK S TO
HI MSELF IN MONOSY L L A BLES. ZOE BENDS OV ER THE TA BLE . K IT T Y LEA NS OV ER
ZOE‘S NECK. LY NCH GETS UP, R IGHTS HIS CAP A ND, CL ASPING K IT T Y‘S WA IST,
A DDS HIS HE A D TO THE GROUP.)
BLOOM: ( HER EY ES UP T UR NED IN THE SIGN OF A DM IR AT ION, CLOSING, YAPS)
Tr uff les!
FLOR RY: (ST R I V ES HEAV I LY TO R ISE) Ow! My foot‘s asleep. (SHE LI M PS OV ER
TO THE TA BLE . BLOOM APPROACHES.)
( W ITH A PIERCING EPI LEP T IC CRY SHE SINK S ON A L L FOUR S, GRUNT ING,
SNUFFLING, ROOT ING AT HIS FEET: THEN LIES, SH A M M ING DE A D, W ITH EY ES SHUT
T IGHT, T R EM BLING EY ELIDS, BOW ED UPON THE GROUND IN THE AT T IT UDE OF MOST
EXCEL LENT M ASTER.)
BEL L A, ZOE , K IT T Y, LY NCH, BLOOM: (CH AT TER ING A ND SQUA BBLING) The
gent leman ... ten sh i l l ings ... pay ing for the three ... al low me a
moment ... th is gent leman pays separate ... who‘s touch ing it? ... ow!
... mind who you‘re pinch ing ... are you stay ing the n ight or a short
t ime ?... who d id?... you‘re a l iar, excuse me ... the gent leman paid down
l ike a gent leman ... drink ... it‘s long after eleven.
BEL LO : ( W ITH BOBBED H A IR , PUR PLE GI L LS, FIT MOUSTACHE R INGS ROUND HIS
SH AV EN MOUTH, IN MOUNTA INEER‘S PUT T EES, GR EEN SI LV ER BUT TONED COAT, SPORT
SK IRT A ND A LPINE H AT W ITH MOORCOCK‘S FE ATHER , HIS H A NDS ST UCK DEEP IN HIS
BR EECHES POCK ETS, PL ACES HIS HEEL ON HER NECK A ND GR INDS IT IN )
Footstool! Feel my ent ire weight. Bow, bondslave, before the throne of
your despot‘s glorious heels so gl isten ing in their proud erectness.
BLOOM: ( ENTHR A L LED, BLEATS) I promise never to d isobey.
BEL LO : ( L AUGHS LOUDLY ) Holy smoke ! You l itt le k now what‘s in store for
you. I‘m the Tartar to sett le your l itt le lot and break you in! I‘ l l bet
Kentucky cocktai ls al l round I shame it out of you, old son. Cheek me, I
dare you. If you do tremble in ant icipat ion of heel d iscipl ine to be
inf l icted in g ym costume.
ST EPHEN: (AT THE PI A NOL A, M A K ING A GEST UR E OF A BHOR R ENCE) No bott les!
W hat, eleven? A riddle !
ZOE : ( LIF T ING UP HER PET T IGOW N A ND FOL DING A H A LF SOV ER EIGN INTO THE TOP
OF HER STOCK ING) Hard earned on the f lat of my back.
LY NCH: ( LIF T ING K IT T Y FROM THE TA BLE) Come !
K IT T Y: Wait. (SHE CLUTCHES THE T WO CROW NS)
FLOR RY: A nd me?
( BLOOM CR EEPS UNDER THE SOFA A ND PEER S OUT THROUGH THE FR INGE .)
LY NCH: Hoopla! ( HE LIF TS HER , CA R R IES HER A ND BUM PS HER DOW N ON THE
SOFA.)
ZOE : ( W IDENING HER SLIP TO SCR EEN HER) She‘s not here.
ST EPHEN:
BLOOM: (CLOSING HER EY ES) She‘s not here.
FLOR RY: ( HIDING HER W ITH HER GOW N ) She d idn‘t mean it, M r Bel lo. She‘ l l
be good, sir.
K IT T Y: Don‘t be too hard on her, M r Bel lo. Sure you won‘t, ma‘amsir.
T he fox crew, the cocks f lew,
T he bel ls in heaven
Were strik ing eleven.
‚Tis t ime for her poor soul
To get out of heaven.
BEL LO : (COA X INGLY ) Come, ducky dear, I want a word with you, darl ing,
just to admin ister correct ion. Just a l itt le heart to heart talk, sweet y.
( BLOOM PUTS OUT HER T I M ID HE A D) T here‘s a good g irly now. ( BEL LO GR A BS
HER H A IR V IOLENT LY A ND DR AGS HER FORWA R D) I only want to correct you for
your own good on a soft safe spot. How‘s that tender beh ind? O, ever so
gent ly, pet. Begin to get ready.
BLOOM: (QUIET LY L AYS A H A LF SOV ER EIGN ON THE TA BLE BET W EEN BEL L A A ND
FLOR RY ) So. A l low me. ( HE TA K ES UP THE POUNDNOTE) Three t imes ten. We‘re
square.
BLOOM: ( FA INT ING) Don‘t tear my ...
ZOE : ( POINTS) H im? Deep as a draw wel l. ( LY NCH BENDS K IT T Y BACK OV ER THE
SOFA A ND K ISSES HER. BLOOM GOES W ITH THE POUNDNOTE TO STEPHEN.)
BEL LO : (SAVAGELY ) The nosering, the pl iers, the bast inado, the hang ing
hook, the k nout I‘ l l make you k iss wh i le the f lutes play l ike the Nubian
slave of old. You‘re in for it th is t ime ! I‘ l l make you remember me for
the balance of your natural l ife. ( HIS FOR EHE A D V EINS SWOL LEN, HIS FACE
CONGESTED) I shal l sit on your ottoman sadd leback ever y morn ing after my
thumping good breakfast of Matterson‘s fat hamrashers and a bott le of
Gu inness‘s porter. ( HE BELCHES) A nd suck my thumping good Stock Exchange
cigar wh i le I read the LICENSED V ICT UA L LER‘S GAZET T E . Ver y possibly I
shal l have you slaughtered and skewered in my stables and enjoy a sl ice
of you with crisp crack l ing from the bak ing t in basted and baked l ike
suck ing pig with rice and lemon or currant sauce. It wi l l hurt you. ( HE
T W ISTS HER A R M. BLOOM SQUE A LS, T UR NING T URT LE .)
BLOOM: Don‘t be cruel, nurse ! Don‘t!
BEL LO : ( T W IST ING) Another!
BLOOM: (SCR EA MS) O, it‘s hel l itself ! Ever y ner ve in my body aches l ike
mad!
BEL LO : (SHOUTS) Good, by the r umping jumping general ! T hat‘s the best bit
of news I heard these six weeks. Here, don‘t keep me wait ing, damn you !
( HE SL APS HER FACE)
BLOOM: ( WHI M PER S) You‘re after h itt ing me. I‘ l l tel l ...
BEL LO : Hold h im down, girls, t i l l I squat on h im.
ZOE : Yes. Walk on h im! I wi l l.
FLOR RY: I wi l l. Don‘t be greedy.
K IT T Y: No, me. Lend h im to me.
( THE BROTHEL COOK , M R S K EOGH, W R INK LED, GR EY BE A R DED, IN A GR E ASY BIB,
M EN‘S GR EY A ND GR EEN SOCK S A ND BROGUES, FLOUR SM E A R ED, A ROL LINGPIN ST UCK
W ITH R AW PAST RY IN HER BA R E R ED A R M A ND H A ND, APPE A R S AT THE DOOR.)
M R S K EOGH: ( FEROCIOUSLY ) Can I help? ( THEY HOL D A ND PINION BLOOM.)
BEL LO : (SQUATS W ITH A GRUNT ON BLOOM‘S UP T UR NED FACE , PUFFING CIGA R SMOK E ,
NUR SING A FAT LEG) I see Keat ing Clay is elected vicechairman of the
R ichmond asylum and by the by Gu inness‘s preference shares are at sixteen
three quaffers. Curse me for a fool that d idn‘t buy that lot Craig and
Gardner told me about. Just my infernal luck, curse it. A nd that
Goddamned outsider THROWAWAY at t went y to one. ( HE QUENCHES HIS CIGA R
A NGR I LY ON BLOOM‘S EA R) W here‘s that Goddamned cursed ashtray?
BLOOM: (GOA DED, BUT TOCK SMOTHER ED) O ! O ! Monsters! Cr uel one !
BEL LO : Ask for that ever y ten minutes. Beg. Pray for it as you never
prayed before. ( HE THRUSTS OUT A FIGGED FIST A ND FOUL CIGA R) Here, k iss
that. Both. K iss. ( HE THROWS A LEG AST R IDE A ND, PR ESSING W ITH HOR SEM A N‘S
K NEES, CA L LS IN A H A R D VOICE) Gee up! A cock horse to Banbur y cross. I‘ l l
ride h im for the Ecl ipse stakes. ( HE BENDS SIDEWAYS A ND SQUEEZES HIS
MOUNT‘S TEST ICLES ROUGH LY, SHOUT ING) Ho ! Off we pop! I‘ l l nurse you in
proper fash ion. ( HE HOR SER IDES COCK HOR SE , LE APING IN THE SA DDLE) T he lady
goes a pace a pace and the coachman goes a trot a trot and the gent leman
goes a gal lop a gal lop a gal lop a gal lop.
FLOR RY: ( PUL LS AT BEL LO) Let me on h im now. You had enough. I asked
before you.
ZOE : ( PUL LING AT FLOR RY ) Me. Me. A re you not f in ished with h im yet,
suckeress?
BLOOM: (ST IFLING) Can‘t.
BEL LO : Wel l, I‘m not. Wait. ( HE HOL DS IN HIS BR E ATH ) Curse it. Here. T h is
bung‘s about burst. ( HE UNCOR K S HI MSELF BEHIND : THEN, CONTORT ING HIS
FE AT UR ES, FA RTS LOUDLY ) Take that! ( HE R ECOR K S HI MSELF ) Yes, by Jingo,
sixteen three quarters.
BLOOM: (A SW EAT BR EA K ING OUT OV ER HI M ) Not man. ( HE SNIFFS) Woman.
BEL LO : (STA NDS UP) No more blow hot and cold. W hat you longed for has
come to pass. Henceforth you are unmanned and mine in earnest, a th ing
under the yoke. Now for your pun ishment frock. You wi l l shed your male
garments, you understand, Ruby Cohen? and don the shot si lk luxuriously
r ust l ing over head and shoulders. A nd qu ick ly too !
BLOOM: (SHR INK S) Si lk, mistress said! O crink ly! scrapy! Must I t iptouch
it with my nai ls?
BEL LO : ( POINTS TO HIS WHOR ES) As they are now so wi l l you be, wigged,
singed, perfumesprayed, ricepowdered, with smoothshaven armpits. Tape
measurements wi l l be taken next your sk in. You wi l l be laced with cr uel
force into vicel ike corsets of soft dove cout i l le with whalebone busk to
the d iamondtrimmed pelvis, the absolute outside edge, wh i le your f ig ure,
plumper than when at large, wi l l be restrained in nett ight frocks, prett y
t wo ounce pett icoats and fringes and th ings stamped, of course, with my
housef lag, creat ions of lovely l ingerie for A l ice and n ice scent for
A l ice. A l ice wi l l feel the pul lpul l. Martha and Mar y wi l l be a l itt le
ch i l ly at f irst in such del icate th ighcasing but the fri l ly f l imsiness of
lace round your bare k nees wi l l remind you ...
BLOOM: (A CH A R M ING SOUBR ET T E W ITH DAUBY CHEEK S, M USTA R D H A IR A ND L A RGE
M A LE H A NDS A ND NOSE , LEER ING MOUTH ) I tried her th ings on only t wice, a
smal l prank, in Hol les street. W hen we were hard up I washed them to save
the laundr y bi l l. My own sh irts I turned. It was the purest thrift.
BEL LO : ( JEER S) L itt le jobs that make mother pleased, eh? A nd showed off
coquett ishly in your domino at the mirror beh ind closedrawn bl inds your
unsk irted th ighs and hegoat‘s udders in various poses of surrender, eh?
Ho ! ho ! I have to laugh! That secondhand black operatop sh ift and short
trunk leg naught ies al l spl it up the st itches at her last rape that M rs
M iriam Dandrade sold you from the Shelbourne hotel, eh?
BLOOM: M iriam. Black. Demimondaine.
BEL LO : (GUFFAWS) Christ A lmight y it‘s too t ick l ing, th is! You were a
n icelook ing M iriam when you cl ipped off your backgate hairs and lay
swoon ing in the th ing across the bed as M rs Dandrade about to be violated
by l ieutenant Smythe-Smythe, M r Ph i l ip Aug ustus Block wel l M. P., signor
Laci Daremo, the robust tenor, blueeyed Bert, the l iftboy, Henri Fleur y
of Gordon Bennett fame, Sheridan, the quadroon Croesus, the varsit y
wetbob eight from old Trin it y, Ponto, her splend id Newfound land and Bobs,
dowager duchess of Manorhami lton. ( HE GUFFAWS AGA IN ) Christ, wou ldn‘t it
make a Siamese cat laugh?
BLOOM: ( HER H A NDS A ND FEAT UR ES WOR K ING) It was Gerald converted me to be
a tr ue corset lover when I was female impersonator in the H igh School play
V ICE V ER SA. It was dear Gerald. He got that k ink, fascinated by sister‘s
stays. Now dearest Gerald uses pinky greasepaint and g i lds h is eyel ids.
Cu lt of the beaut iful.
BEL LO : ( W ITH W ICK ED GLEE) Beaut ifu l ! Give us a breather! W hen you took
your seat with woman ish care, l ift ing your bi l low y f lounces, on the
smoothworn throne.
BLOOM: Science. To compare the various joys we each enjoy. ( E A R NEST LY )
And real ly it‘s better the posit ion ... because often I used to wet ...
BEL LO : (STER NLY ) No insubord inat ion! T he sawdust is there in the corner
for you. I gave you strict instruct ions, d idn‘t I? Do it stand ing, sir!
I‘ l l teach you to behave l ike a jink leman! If I catch a trace on your
swadd les. A ha! By the ass of the Dorans you‘ l l f ind I‘m a mart inet. T he
sins of your past are rising against you. Many. Hundreds.
THE SINS OF THE PAST: ( IN A M EDLEY OF VOICES) He went through a form of
clandest ine marriage with at least one woman in the shadow of the Black
church. Unspeakable messages he telephoned mental ly to M iss Dunn at an
address in D‘Ol ier street wh i le he presented h imself indecent ly to the
instr ument in the cal lbox. By word and deed he frank ly encouraged a
nocturnal strumpet to deposit fecal and other matter in an unsan itar y
outhouse attached to empt y premises. In f ive publ ic conven iences he wrote
penci l led messages offering h is nupt ial partner to al l strongmembered
males. A nd by the offensively smel l ing vitriol works d id he not pass
n ight after n ight by loving court ing couples to see if and what and how
much he could see? Did he not l ie in bed, the gross boar, gloat ing over a
nauseous fragment of wel lused toi let paper presented to h im by a nast y
harlot, st imulated by gingerbread and a postal order?
BEL LO : ( WHIST LES LOUDLY ) Say! W hat was the most revolt ing piece of
obscen it y in al l your career of crime ? Go the whole hog. Puke it out! Be
cand id for once.
( M UT E INHUM A N FACES THRONG FORWA R D, LEER ING, VA NISHING, GIBBER ING,
BOOLOOHOOM. POL DY KOCK , BOOT L ACES A PENN Y CASSIDY‘S H AG, BLIND ST R IPLING,
L A R RY R HINOCEROS, THE GIR L , THE WOM A N, THE W HOR E , THE OTHER , THE ...)
BLOOM: Don‘t ask me ! Our mutual faith. Pleasants street. I only thought
the half of the ... I swear on my sacred oath ...
BEL LO : ( PER EM P TOR I LY ) Answer. Repugnant wretch! I insist on k nowing. Tel l
me someth ing to amuse me, smut or a bloody good ghoststor y or a l ine of
poetr y, qu ick, qu ick, qu ick! W here? How? W hat t ime ? With how many? I g ive
you just three seconds. One ! Two! T hr ...
BLOOM: ( DOCI LE , GURGLES) I rererepugnosed in rerererepugnant
BEL LO : ( I M PER IOUSLY ) O, get out, you skunk! Hold your tong ue ! Speak when
you‘re spoken to.
BEL L A: (A DM IR INGLY ) You‘re such a slyboots, old cocky. I could k iss you.
BLOOM: T h is is yours.
ST EPHEN: How is that? LES DIST R A IT or absentminded beggar. ( HE FUM BLES
AGA IN IN HIS POCK ET A ND DR AWS OUT A H A NDFUL OF COINS. A N OBJECT FI L LS.)
T hat fel l.
BLOOM: (STOOPING, PICK S UP A ND H A NDS A BOX OF M ATCHES) Th is.
ST EPHEN: Lucifer. Thanks.
BLOOM: (QUIET LY ) You had better hand over that cash to me to take care
of. W hy pay more?
ST EPHEN: ( H A NDS HI M A L L HIS COINS) Be just before you are generous.
BLOOM: I wi l l but is it wise? ( HE COUNTS) One, seven, eleven, and f ive.
Six. Eleven. I don‘t answer for what you may have lost.
ST EPHEN: W hy strik ing eleven? Proparoxyton. Moment before the next
Lessing says. T h irst y fox. ( HE L AUGHS LOUDLY ) Bur y ing h is grandmother.
Probably he k i l led her.
BLOOM: T hat is one pound six and eleven. One pound seven, say.
ST EPHEN: Doesn‘t matter a rambl ing damn.
BLOOM: No, but ...
ST EPHEN: (COM ES TO THE TA BLE) Cigarette, please. ( LY NCH TOSSES A
CIGA R ET T E FROM THE SOFA TO THE TA BLE) And so Georgina Johnson is dead and
married. (A CIGA R ET TE APPEA R S ON THE TA BLE . STEPHEN LOOK S AT IT ) Wonder.
Parlour mag ic. Married. Hm. ( HE ST R IK ES A M ATCH A ND PROCEEDS TO LIGHT THE
CIGA R ET T E W ITH ENIGM AT IC M EL A NCHOLY )
LY NCH: ( WATCHING HI M ) You would have a better chance of l ight ing it if
you held the match nearer.
ST EPHEN: ( BR INGS THE M ATCH NEA R HIS EY E) Lynx eye. Must get glasses.
Broke them yesterday. Sixteen years ago. Distance. The eye sees al l f lat.
( HE DR AWS THE M ATCH AWAY. IT GOES OUT.) Brain th inks. Near: far.
Ineluctable modal it y of the visible. ( HE FROW NS M YSTER IOUSLY ) Hm. Sph inx.
T he beast that has t wobacks at midn ight. Married.
ZOE : It was a commercial travel ler married her and took her away with
h im.
FLOR RY: ( NODS) M r Lambe from London.
ST EPHEN: Lamb of London, who takest away the sins of our world.
LY NCH: ( EM BR ACING K IT T Y ON THE SOFA, CH A NTS DEEPLY ) DONA NOBIS PACEM.
( THE CIGA R ET TE SLIPS FROM STEPHEN ‚ S FINGER S. BLOOM PICK S IT UP A ND
THROWS IT IN THE GR ATE .)
BLOOM: Don‘t smoke. You ought to eat. Cursed dog I met. ( TO ZOE) You have
noth ing?
ZOE : Is he hungr y?
ST EPHEN: ( EXTENDS HIS H A ND TO HER SM I LING A ND CH A NTS TO THE A IR OF THE
BLOODOATH IN THE Dusk of the Gods)
Hangende Hunger,
Fragende Frau,
Macht uns al le kaputt.
ZOE : ( T R AGICA L LY ) Hamlet, I am thy father‘s gimlet! (SHE TA K ES HIS H A ND)
Blue eyes beaut y I‘ l l read your hand. (SHE POINTS TO HIS FOR EHEA D) No
wit, no wrink les. (SHE COUNTS) Two, three, Mars, that‘s courage. (STEPHEN
SH A K ES HIS HEA D) No k id.
LY NCH: Sheet l ightn ing courage. The youth who could not sh iver and shake.
( TO ZOE) W ho taught you palmistr y?
ZOE : ( T UR NS) Ask my bal locks that I haven‘t got. ( TO STEPHEN ) I see it in
your face. T he eye, l ike that. (SHE FROW NS W ITH LOW ER ED HEA D)
LY NCH: ( L AUGHING, SL APS K IT T Y BEHIND T W ICE) L ike that. Pandybat.
( T W ICE LOUDLY A PA NDY BAT CR ACK S, THE COFFIN OF THE PI A NOL A FLIES OPEN,
THE BA L D LIT T LE ROUND JACK-IN-THE-BOX HEA D OF FATHER DOL A N SPR INGS UP.)
FATHER DOL A N: Any boy want f logging? Broke h is glasses? Lazy idle l itt le
schemer. See it in your eye.
( M I L D, BENIGN, R ECTOR I A L , R EPROV ING, THE HEA D OF DON JOHN CONM EE R ISES
FROM THE PI A NOL A COFFIN.)
DON JOHN CONM EE : Now, Father Dolan! Now. I‘m sure that Stephen is a ver y
good l itt le boy!
ZOE : ( EX A M INING STEPHEN‘S PA L M ) Woman‘s hand.
ST EPHEN: ( M UR M UR S) Cont inue. L ie. Hold me. Caress. I never could read H is
handwrit ing except H is criminal thumbprint on the haddock.
ZOE : W hat day were you born?
ST EPHEN: T hursday. Today.
ZOE : T hursday‘s ch i ld has far to go. (SHE T R ACES LINES ON HIS H A ND) L ine
of fate. Inf luent ial friends.
FLOR RY: ( POINT ING) Imaginat ion.
ZOE : Mount of the moon. You‘ l l meet with a ... (SHE PEER S AT HIS H A NDS
A BRUP T LY ) I won‘t tel l you what‘s not good for you. Or do you want to
k now?
BLOOM: ( DETACHES HER FINGER S A ND OFFER S HIS PA L M ) More harm than good.
Here. Read mine.
BEL L A: Show. (SHE T UR NS UP BLOOM‘S H A ND) I thought so. K nobby k nuck les
for the women.
ZOE : ( PEER ING AT BLOOM‘S PA L M ) Grid iron. Travels beyond the sea and marr y
money.
BLOOM: Wrong.
ZOE : (QUICK LY ) O, I see. Short l itt le f inger. Henpecked husband. That
wrong?
( BL ACK LIZ , A HUGE ROOSTER H ATCHING IN A CH A LK ED CIRCLE , R ISES, ST R ETCHES
HER W INGS A ND CLUCK S.)
BL ACK LIZ: Gara. K look. K look. K look.
(SHE SIDLES FROM HER NEW L A ID EGG A ND WA DDLES OFF )
BLOOM: ( POINTS TO HIS H A ND) That weal there is an accident. Fel l and cut
it t went yt wo years ago. I was sixteen.
ZOE : I see, says the bl ind man. Tel l us news.
ST EPHEN: See ? Moves to one great goal. I am t went yt wo. Sixteen years ago
he was t went yt wo too. Sixteen years ago I t went yt wo tumbled. Twent yt wo
years ago he sixteen fel l off h is hobbyhorse. ( HE W INCES) Hurt my hand
somewhere. Must see a dent ist. Money?
(ZOE W HISPER S TO FLOR RY. THEY GIGGLE . BLOOM R ELEASES HIS H A ND A ND W R ITES
IDLY ON THE TA BLE IN BACK H A ND, PENCI L LING SLOW CURV ES.)
FLOR RY: W hat?
(A H ACK NEYCA R , NUM BER THR EE HUNDR ED A ND T W ENT Y FOUR , W ITH A
GA L L A NT BUT TOCK ED M A R E , DR I V EN BY JA M ES BA RTON, H A R MON Y AV ENUE ,
DONN Y BROOK , T ROTS PAST. BL AZES BOY L A N A ND LENEH A N SPR AW L SWAY ING ON THE
SIDESE ATS. THE OR MOND BOOTS CROUCHES BEHIND ON THE A X LE . SA DLY OV ER THE
CROSSBLIND LY DI A DOUCE A ND M INA K ENNEDY GAZE .)
THE BOOTS: ( JOGGING, MOCK S THEM W ITH THUM B A ND W R IGGLING WOR M FINGER S) Haw
haw have you the horn?
( BRONZE BY GOL D THEY WHISPER.)
ZOE : ( TO FLOR RY ) W h isper.
( THEY W HISPER AGA IN )
(OV ER THE W EL L OF THE CA R BL AZES BOY L A N LEA NS, HIS BOATER ST R AW SET
SIDEWAYS, A R ED FLOW ER IN HIS MOUTH. LENEH A N IN YACHTSM A N‘S CAP A ND WHITE
SHOES OFFICIOUSLY DETACHES A LONG H A IR FROM BL AZES BOY L A N‘S COAT
SHOUL DER.)
LENEH A N: Ho! W hat do I here behold? Were you brush ing the cobwebs off a
few qu ims?
BOY L A N: (SE ATED, SM I LES) Pluck ing a turkey.
BLOOM: ( BOWS) Master! M istress! Mantamer!
LENEH A N: A good n ight‘s work.
( HE LIF TS HIS A R MS. HIS BA NGLE BR ACELETS FI L L .)
BOY L A N: ( HOL DING UP FOUR THICK BLUNT UNGUL ATED FINGER S, W INK S) Blazes
K ate ! Up to sample or your money back. ( HE HOL DS OUT A FOR EFINGER) Smel l
that.
BEL LO : (SAT IR ICA L LY ) By day you wi l l souse and bat our smel l ing
underclothes also when we lad ies are unwel l, and swab out our latrines
with dress pinned up and a d ishclout t ied to your tai l. Won‘t that be
n ice ? ( HE PL ACES A RUBY R ING ON HER FINGER) A nd there now! With th is ring
I thee own. Say, thank you, mistress.
BLOOM: Thank you, mistress.
BEL LO : You wi l l make the beds, get my tub ready, empt y the pisspots in
the d ifferent rooms, includ ing old M rs Keogh ‘s the cook ‘s, a sandy one.
Ay, and rinse the seven of them wel l, mind, or lap it up l ike champagne.
Drink me piping hot. Hop! You wi l l dance attendance or I‘ l l lecture you
on your misdeeds, M iss Ruby, and spank your bare bot right wel l, miss,
with the hairbrush. You‘ l l be taught the error of your ways. At n ight
your wel lcreamed braceletted hands wi l l wear fort ythreebutton gloves
new powdered with talc and having del icately scented f ingert ips. For such
favours k n ights of old laid down their l ives. ( HE CHUCK LES) My boys wi l l
be no end charmed to see you so ladyl ike, the colonel, above al l, when
they come here the n ight before the wedd ing to fond le my new attract ion
in g i lded heels. First I‘ l l have a go at you myself. A man I k now on the
turf named Charles A lberta Marsh ( I was in bed with h im just now and
another gent leman out of the Hanaper and Pett y Bag off ice) is on the
lookout for a maid of al l work at a short k nock. Swel l the bust. Smi le.
Droop shoulders. W hat offers? ( HE POINTS) For that lot. Trained by owner
to fetch and carr y, basket in mouth. ( HE BA R ES HIS A R M A ND PLUNGES IT
ELBOW DEEP IN BLOOM‘S V ULVA) T here‘s f ine depth for you ! W hat, boys? T hat
g ive you a hardon? ( HE SHOV ES HIS A R M IN A BIDDER‘S FACE) Here wet the
deck and wipe it round!
A BIDDER: A f lorin.
( DI L LON‘S L ACQUEY R INGS HIS H A NDBEL L .)
THE L ACQUEY: Barang!
A VOICE : One and eightpence too much.
CH A R LES A LBERTA M A R SH: Must be virg in. Good breath. Clean.
BEL LO : (GI V ES A R AP W ITH HIS GAV EL) Two bar. Rockbottom f ig ure and cheap
at the price. Fourteen hands h igh. Touch and examine h is points. Hand le
h im. T h is downy sk in, these soft muscles, th is tender f lesh. If I had
only my gold piercer here ! And qu ite easy to mi lk. T hree newlaid gal lons
a day. A pure stockgetter, due to lay with in the hour. H is sire‘s mi lk
record was a thousand gal lons of whole mi lk in fort y weeks. W hoa my
jewel ! Beg up! W hoa! ( HE BR A NDS HIS INIT I A L C ON BLOOM‘S CROUP) So !
Warranted Cohen! W hat advance on t wo bob, gent lemen?
A DA R K V ISAGED M A N: ( IN DISGUISED ACCENT ) Hoondert punt sterl ink.
VOICES: (SUBDUED) For the Cal iph. Haroun A l Rasch id.
BEL LO : (GA I LY ) R ight. Let them al l come. T he scant y, daringly short
sk irt, rid ing up at the k nee to show a peep of wh ite pantalette, is a
potent weapon and transparent stock ings, emeraldgartered, with the long
straight seam trai l ing up beyond the k nee, appeal to the better inst incts
of the BL ASE man about town. Learn the smooth mincing walk on four inch
Lou is Qu inze heels, the Grecian bend with provok ing croup, the th ighs
f luescent, k nees modest ly k issing. Bring al l your powers of fascinat ion
to bear on them. Pander to their Gomorrahan vices.
BLOOM: ( BENDS HIS BLUSHING FACE INTO HIS A R M PIT A ND SI M PER S W ITH
FOR EFINGER IN MOUTH ) O, I k now what you‘re h int ing at now!
BEL LO : W hat else are you good for, an impotent th ing l ike you? ( HE STOOPS
A ND, PEER ING, POK ES W ITH HIS FA N RUDELY UNDER THE FAT SUET FOL DS OF
BLOOM‘S H AUNCHES) Up! Up! Manx cat! W hat have we here ? W here‘s your curly
teapot gone to or who docked it on you, cockyol ly? Sing, birdy, sing.
It‘s as l imp as a boy of six‘s doing h is pooly beh ind a cart. Buy a
bucket or sel l your pump. ( LOUDLY ) Can you do a man‘s job?
LENEH A N: (SM EL LS GLEEFUL LY ) A h! Lobster and mayonnaise. A h!
ZOE A ND FLOR RY: ( L AUGH TOGETHER) Ha ha ha ha.
BOY L A N: ( JUM PS SUR ELY FROM THE CA R A ND CA L LS LOUDLY FOR A L L TO HEA R)
Hel lo, Bloom! M rs Bloom dressed yet?
BLOOM: ( IN FLUNK EY‘S PRUNE PLUSH COAT A ND K NEEBR EECHES, BUFF STOCK INGS
A ND POW DER ED W IG) I‘m afraid not, sir. The last art icles ...
BOY L A N: ( TOSSES HI M SI X PENCE) Here, to buy yourself a gin and splash. ( HE
H A NGS HIS H AT SM A RT LY ON A PEG OF BLOOM‘S A NT LER ED HEA D) Show me in. I
have a l itt le private business with your wife, you understand?
BLOOM: T hank you, sir. Yes, sir. Madam Tweedy is in her bath, sir.
M A R ION: He ought to feel h imself h ighly honoured. (SHE PLOPS SPL ASHING
OUT OF THE WATER) Raoul darl ing, come and dr y me. I‘m in my pelt. Only my
new hat and a carriage sponge.
BOY L A N: (A M ER RY T W INK LE IN HIS EY E) Topping!
BEL L A: W hat? W hat is it?
(ZOE W HISPER S TO HER.)
M A R ION: Let h im look, the pishog ue ! Pimp! And scourge h imself ! I‘ l l write
to a powerfu l prost itute or Bartholomona, the bearded woman, to raise
weals out on h im an inch th ick and make h im bring me back a signed and
stamped receipt.
BOY L A N: (clasps h imself ) Here, I can‘t hold th is l itt le lot much longer.
( he strides off on st iff cavalr y legs)
BEL L A: ( L AUGHING) Ho ho ho ho.
BOY L A N: ( TO BLOOM, OV ER HIS SHOUL DER) You can apply your eye to the
keyhole and play with yourself wh i le I just go through her a few t imes.
BLOOM: T hank you, sir. I wi l l, sir. May I bring t wo men chums to witness
the deed and take a snapshot? ( HE HOL DS OUT A N OINT M ENT JA R) Vasel ine,
sir? Orangef lower ... ? Lukewarm water ... ?
K IT T Y: ( FROM THE SOFA) Tel l us, Florr y. Tel l us. W hat.
( FLOR RY W HISPER S TO HER. WHISPER ING LOV EWOR DS M UR M UR , LIPL APPING LOUDLY,
POPPYSM IC PLOPSLOP.)
M INA K ENNEDY: ( HER EY ES UP T UR NED) O, it must be l ike the scent of
geran iums and lovely peaches! O, he simply idol ises ever y bit of her!
Stuck together! Covered with k isses!
LY DI A DOUCE : ( HER MOUTH OPENING) Yumy um. O, he‘s carr y ing her round the
room doing it! R ide a cock horse. You could hear them in Paris and New
York. L ike mouthfuls of strawberries and cream.
K IT T Y: ( L AUGHING) Hee hee hee.
BOY L A N‘S VOICE : (SW EET LY, HOA R SELY, IN THE PIT OF HIS STOM ACH ) A h!
Gooblazqr uk br ukarchk rasht!
M A R ION‘S VOICE : ( HOA R SELY, SW EET LY, R ISING TO HER THROAT ) O !
Weeshwashtk issinapooisthnapoohuck?
BLOOM: ( HIS EY ES W I L DLY DI L ATED, CL ASPS HI MSELF ) Show! H ide ! Show! Plough
her! More ! Shoot!
BEL L A, ZOE , FLOR RY, K IT T Y: Ho ho! Ha ha! Hee hee !
BLOOM: Eccles street ...
LY NCH: ( POINTS) The mirror up to nature. ( HE L AUGHS) Hu hu hu hu hu !
BEL LO : (SA RCAST ICA L LY ) I wou ldn‘t hurt your feel ings for the world but
there‘s a man of brawn in possession there. T he tables are turned, my gay
young fel low! He is someth ing l ike a fu l lgrown outdoor man. Wel l for you,
you muff, if you had that weapon with k nobs and lumps and warts al l over
it. He shot h is bolt, I can tel l you ! Foot to foot, k nee to k nee, bel ly
to bel ly, bubs to breast! He‘s no eunuch. A shock of red hair he has
st ick ing out of h im beh ind l ike a furzebush! Wait for n ine months, my
lad! Holy ginger, it‘s k ick ing and cough ing up and down in her g uts
already! That makes you wi ld, don‘t it? Touches the spot? ( HE SPITS IN
CONT EM P T ) Spittoon!
(ST EPHEN A ND BLOOM GAZE IN THE M IR ROR. THE FACE OF W I L LI A M SH A K ESPEA R E ,
BE A R DLESS, APPEA R S THER E , R IGID IN FACI A L PA R A LYSIS, CROW NED BY THE
R EFLECT ION OF THE R EINDEER A NT LER ED H AT R ACK IN THE H A L L .)
BLOOM: I was indecent ly treated, I ... Inform the pol ice. Hundred pounds.
Unment ionable. I ...
BEL LO : Would if you could, lame duck. A downpour we want not your
drizzle.
BLOOM: To drive me mad! Mol l! I forgot! Forg ive ! Mol l ... We ... St i l l
...
BEL LO : ( RUTH LESSLY ) No, Leopold Bloom, al l is changed by woman‘s wi l l
since you slept horizontal in Sleepy Hol low your n ight of t went y years.
Return and see.
(OL D SLEEPY HOL LOW CA L LS OV ER THE WOL D.)
SLEEPY HOL LOW: R ip van Wink! R ip van Wink le !
BLOOM: ( IN TAT TER ED MOCASSINS W ITH A RUST Y FOW LINGPIECE , T IP TOEING,
FINGERT IPPING, HIS H AGGA R D BON Y BE A R DED FACE PEER ING THROUGH THE DI A MOND
PA NES, CR IES OUT ) I see her! It‘s she ! T he f irst n ight at Mat Di l lon‘s!
But that dress, the green! And her hair is dyed gold and he ...
BEL LO : ( L AUGHS MOCK INGLY ) T hat‘s your daughter, you owl, with a Mu l l ingar
student.
( M I L LY BLOOM, FA IR H A IR ED, GR EEN V EST ED, SLI MSA NDA L LED, HER BLUE SCA R F IN
THE SE AW IND SI M PLY SW IR LING, BR E A K S FROM THE A R MS OF HER LOV ER A ND CA L LS,
HER YOUNG EY ES WONDERW IDE .)
M I L LY: My! It‘s Papl i! But, O Papl i, how old you‘ve grown!
BEL LO : Changed, eh? Our whatnot, our writ ing table where we never wrote,
aunt Hegart y‘s armchair, our classic reprints of old masters. A man and
h is menfriends are l iving there in clover. T he CUCKOOS‘ R EST! W hy not?
How many women had you, eh, fol lowing them up dark streets, f latfoot,
excit ing them by your smothered gr unts, what, you male prost itute ?
Blameless dames with parcels of groceries. Turn about. Sauce for the
goose, my gander O.
BLOOM: They ... I ...
BEL LO : (CUT T INGLY ) Their heelmarks wi l l stamp the Br usselette carpet you
bought at Wren‘s auct ion. In their horseplay with Mol l the romp to f ind
the buck f lea in her breeches they wi l l deface the l itt le statue you
carried home in the rain for art for art‘ sake. T hey wi l l violate the
secrets of your bottom drawer. Pages wi l l be torn from your handbook of
astronomy to make them pipespi l ls. A nd they wi l l spit in your ten
sh i l l ing brass fender from Hampton Leedom‘s.
BLOOM: Ten and six. The act of low scoundrels. Let me go. I wi l l return.
I wi l l prove ...
A VOICE : Swear!
( BLOOM CLENCHES HIS FISTS A ND CR AW LS FORWA R D, A BOW IEK NIFE BET W EEN HIS
TEETH.)
BEL LO : As a pay ing g uest or a kept man? Too late. You have made your
secondbest bed and others must l ie in it. Your epitaph is written. You
are down and out and don‘t you forget it, old bean.
BLOOM: Just ice ! A l l Ireland versus one ! Has nobody ... ? ( HE BIT ES HIS
THUM B)
BEL LO : Die and be damned to you if you have any sense of decency or grace
about you. I can give you a rare old wine that‘ l l send you sk ipping to
hel l and back. Sign a wi l l and leave us any coin you have ! If you have
none see you damn wel l get it, steal it, rob it! We‘ l l bur y you in our
shr ubber y jakes where you‘ l l be dead and d irt y with old Cuck Cohen, my
stepnephew I married, the bloody old gout y procurator and sodomite with a
crick in h is neck, and my other ten or eleven husbands, whatever the
buggers‘ names were, suffocated in the one cesspool. ( HE EX PLODES IN A
LOUD PH LEGM Y L AUGH ) We‘ l l manure you, M r Flower! ( HE PIPES SCOFFINGLY )
Byby, Poldy! Byby, Papl i!
BLOOM: (CL ASPS HIS HEA D) My wi l lpower! Memor y! I have sinned! I have suff
...
SH A K ESPE A R E : ( IN DIGNIFIED V ENT R I LOQU Y ) ‚Tis the loud laugh bespeaks the
vacant mind. ( TO BLOOM ) Thou thoughtest as how thou wastest invisible.
Gaze. ( HE CROWS W ITH A BL ACK CAPON‘S L AUGH ) Iagogo! How my Oldfel low
chok it h is T hursdaymornun. Iagogogo!
BLOOM: (SM I LES Y EL LOW LY AT THE THR EE WHOR ES) W hen wi l l I hear the joke?
ZOE : Before you‘re t wice married and once a widower.
BLOOM: Lapses are condoned. Even the great Napoleon when measurements
were taken next the sk in after h is death ...
( M R S DIGNA M, W IDOW WOM A N, HER SNUBNOSE A ND CHEEK S FLUSHED W ITH DEATHTA LK ,
T E A R S A ND T UNNEY‘S TAW N Y SHER RY, HUR R IES BY IN HER W EEDS, HER BONNET
AW RY, ROUGING A ND POW DER ING HER CHEEK S, LIPS A ND NOSE , A PEN CHI V V Y ING
HER BROOD OF CYGNETS. BENEATH HER SK IRT APPEA R HER L ATE HUSBA ND‘S
EV ERY DAY T ROUSER S A ND T UR NEDUP BOOTS, L A RGE EIGHTS. SHE HOL DS A SCOT T ISH
W IDOWS‘ INSUR A NCE POLICY A ND A L A RGE M A RQUEE UM BR EL L A UNDER WHICH HER
BROOD RUN W ITH HER , PATSY HOPPING ON ONE SHOD FOOT, HIS COL L A R LOOSE , A
H A NK OF POR K STEA K S DA NGLING, FR EDDY WHI M PER ING, SUSY W ITH A CRY ING COD‘S
MOUTH, A LICE ST RUGGLING W ITH THE BA BY. SHE CUFFS THEM ON, HER ST R EA M ER S
FL AUNT ING A LOF T.)
FR EDDY: A h, ma, you‘re dragging me along!
SUSY: Mamma, the beeftea is f izzing over!
SH A K ESPE A R E : ( W ITH PA R A LY T IC R AGE) Weda seca whok i l la farst.
( THE FACE OF M A RT IN CUNNINGH A M, BEA R DED, R EFEAT UR ES SH A K ESPEA R E‘S
BE A R DLESS FACE . THE M A RQUEE UM BR EL L A SWAYS DRUNK ENLY, THE CHI L DR EN RUN
ASIDE . UNDER THE UM BR EL L A APPEA R S M R S CUNNINGH A M IN M ER RY W IDOW H AT A ND
K I MONO GOW N. SHE GLIDES SIDLING A ND BOW ING, T W IR LING JAPA NESI LY.)
M R S CUNNINGH A M: (SINGS)
A nd they cal l me the jewel of Asia!
M A RT IN CUNNINGH A M: (GAZES ON HER , I M PASSI V E) Immense ! Most bloody awful
demirep!
ST EPHEN: ET EX A LTA BUNT UR COR NUA IUST I. Queens lay with prize bul ls.
Remember Pasiphae for whose lust my grandoldgrossfather made the f irst
confessionbox. Forget not Madam Grissel Steevens nor the su ine scions of
the house of Lambert. And Noah was drunk with wine. And h is ark was open.
BEL L A: None of that here. Come to the wrong shop.
LY NCH: Let h im alone. He‘s back from Paris.
ZOE : ( RUNS TO STEPHEN A ND LINK S HI M ) O go on! Give us some parley voo.
(ST EPHEN CL APS H AT ON HEA D A ND LEAPS OV ER TO THE FIR EPL ACE WHER E HE
STA NDS W ITH SHRUGGED SHOUL DER S, FINN Y H A NDS OUTSPR EA D, A PA INTED SM I LE ON
HIS FACE .)
LY NCH: ( POM M EL LING ON THE SOFA) R mm R mm R mm R rrrrrmmmm.
ST EPHEN: (GA BBLES W ITH M A R IONET TE JER K S) Thousand places of entertainment
to expense your even ings with lovely lad ies sal ing gloves and other
th ings perhaps hers heart beerchops perfect fash ionable house ver y
eccentric where lots cocottes beaut iful dressed much about princesses
l ike are dancing cancan and walk ing there parisian clowneries extra
fool ish for bachelors foreigns the same if talk ing a poor engl ish how
much smart they are on th ings love and sensat ions voluptuous. M isters
ver y selects for is pleasure must to visit heaven and hel l show with
mortuar y cand les and they tears si lver wh ich occur ever y n ight. Perfect ly
shock ing terrif ic of rel igion‘s th ings mocker y seen in un iversal world.
A l l ch ic womans wh ich arrive ful l of modest y then d isrobe and squeal loud
to see vampire man debauch nun ver y fresh young with DESSOUS T ROUBL A NTS.
( HE CL ACK S HIS TONGUE LOUDLY ) HO, L A L A! CE PIF QU‘I L A!
LY NCH: V I V E LE VA M PIR E !
THE W HOR ES: Bravo! Parley voo!
ST EPHEN: (GR I M ACING W ITH HEA D BACK , L AUGHS LOUDLY, CL APPING HI MSELF )
Great success of laugh ing. Angels much prost itutes l ike and holy apost les
big damn r uff ians. DEM I MONDA INES n icely handsome spark l ing of d iamonds
ver y
( HE W EEPS TEA R LESSLY )
BEL LO : (SNEER S) Cr ybabby! Crocod i le tears!
( BLOOM, BROK EN, CLOSELY V EI LED FOR THE SACR IFICE , SOBS, HIS FACE TO THE
EA RTH. THE PASSING BEL L IS HE A R D. DA R K SH AW LED FIGUR ES OF THE CIRCUMCISED,
IN SACKCLOTH A ND ASHES, STA ND BY THE WA I LING WA L L . M. SHULOMOW ITZ , JOSEPH
GOL DWATER , MOSES HER ZOG, H A R R IS ROSENBERG, M. MOISEL , J. CIT RON, M INNIE
WATCH M A N, P. M AST I A NSK Y, THE R EV ER END LEOPOL D A BR A MOV ITZ , CH AZEN. W ITH
SWAY ING A R MS THEY WA I L IN PNEUM A OV ER THE R ECR E A NT BLOOM.)
THE CIRCUMCISED: ( IN DA R K GUT T UR A L CH A NT AS THEY CAST DE A D SE A FRUIT UPON
HI M, NO FLOW ER S) SHEM A ISR A EL A DONA I ELOHENU A DONA I ECH A D.
VOICES: (SIGHING) So he‘s gone. A h yes. Yes, indeed. Bloom? Never heard
of h im. No? Queer k ind of chap. There‘s the widow. T hat so? A h, yes.
( FROM THE SUT TEE PY R E THE FL A M E OF GUM CA M PHIR E ASCENDS. THE PA L L OF
INCENSE SMOK E SCR EENS A ND DISPER SES. OUT OF HER OA K FR A M E A N Y M PH W ITH
H A IR UNBOUND, LIGHT LY CL A D IN T E A BROW N A RTCOLOUR S, DESCENDS FROM HER
GROT TO A ND PASSING UNDER INT ER L ACING Y EWS STA NDS OV ER BLOOM.)
THE Y EWS: ( THEIR LEAV ES WHISPER ING) Sister. Our sister. Ssh!
THE N Y M PH: (SOF T LY ) Mortal! ( K INDLY ) Nay, dost not weepest!
BLOOM: (CR AW LS JEL LI LY FORWA R D UNDER THE BOUGHS, ST R E A K ED BY SUNLIGHT,
W ITH DIGNIT Y ) Th is posit ion. I felt it was expected of me. Force of
habit.
THE N Y M PH: Mortal! You found me in evi l company, h ighk ickers, coster
picn icmakers, pugi l ists, popular generals, immoral panto boys in
f lesht ights and the n ift y sh immy dancers, La Aurora and K arin i, musical
act, the h it of the centur y. I was h idden in cheap pink paper that smelt
of rock oi l. I was surrounded by the stale smut of clubmen, stories to
d isturb cal low youth, ads for transparencies, tr uedup d ice and bustpads,
proprietar y art icles and why wear a tr uss with test imon ial from r uptured
gent leman. Useful h ints to the married.
BLOOM: ( LIF TS A T URT LE HEA D TOWA R DS HER L AP) We have met before. On
another star.
THE N Y M PH: (SA DLY ) Rubber goods. Neverrip brand as suppl ied to the
aristocracy. Corsets for men. I cure f its or money refunded. Unsol icited
test imon ials for Professor Waldmann‘s wonderfu l chest exuber. My bust
developed four inches in three weeks, reports M rs Gus Rubl in with photo.
BLOOM: You mean PHOTO BITS?
THE N Y M PH: I do. You bore me away, framed me in oak and t insel, set me
above your marriage couch. Unseen, one summer eve, you k issed me in four
places. And with loving penci l you shaded my eyes, my bosom and my shame.
BLOOM: ( HUM BLY K ISSES HER LONG H A IR) Your classic cur ves, beaut ifu l
immortal, I was glad to look on you, to praise you, a th ing of beaut y,
almost to pray.
THE N Y M PH: During dark n ights I heard your praise.
BLOOM: (QUICK LY ) Yes, yes. You mean that I ... Sleep reveals the worst
side of ever yone, ch i ldren perhaps excepted. I k now I fel l out of bed or
rather was pushed. Steel wine is said to cure snoring. For the rest there
is that Engl ish invent ion, pamphlet of wh ich I received some days ago,
incorrect ly addressed. It claims to afford a noiseless, inoffensive vent.
( HE SIGHS) ‚Twas ever thus. Frai lt y, thy name is marriage.
THE N Y M PH: ( HER FINGER S IN HER E A R S) A nd words. T hey are not in my
d ict ionar y.
BLOOM: You understood them?
THE Y EWS: Ssh!
THE N Y M PH: (COV ER S HER FACE W ITH HER H A NDS) W hat have I not seen in that
chamber? W hat must my eyes look down on?
BLOOM: (APOLOGET ICA L LY ) I k now. Soi led personal l inen, wrong side up with
care. T he quoits are loose. From Gibraltar by long sea long ago.
THE N Y M PH: ( BENDS HER HEA D) Worse, worse !
BLOOM: ( R EFLECTS PR ECAUT IOUSLY ) T hat ant iquated commode. It wasn‘t her
weight. She scaled just eleven stone n ine. She put on n ine pounds after
wean ing. It was a crack and want of glue. Eh? A nd that absurd orangekeyed
utensi l wh ich has only one handle.
( THE SOUND OF A WATER FA L L IS HE A R D IN BR IGHT CASCA DE .)
THE WATER FA L L :
Pou laphouca Poulaphouca
Pou laphouca Poulaphouca.
THE Y EWS: ( M INGLING THEIR BOUGHS) L isten. W h isper. She is right, our
sister. We grew by Poulaphouca waterfal l. We gave shade on lang uorous
summer days.
JOHN W YSE NOL A N: ( IN THE BACKGROUND, IN IR ISH NAT IONA L FOR EST ER‘S
UNIFOR M, DOFFS HIS PLUM ED H AT ) Prosper! Give shade on lang uorous days,
trees of Ireland!
THE Y EWS: ( M UR M UR ING) W ho came to Pou laphouca with the H igh School
excursion? W ho left h is nutquest ing classmates to seek our shade ?
BLOOM: (SCA R ED) H igh School of Pou la? M nemo? Not in fu l l possession of
facu lt ies. Concussion. Run over by tram.
THE ECHO : Sham!
BLOOM: ( PIGEONBR EASTED, BOT T LESHOUL DER ED, PA DDED, IN NONDESCR IP T JU V ENI LE
GR EY A ND BL ACK ST R IPED SUIT, TOO SM A L L FOR HI M, W HIT E T ENNIS SHOES,
BOR DER ED STOCK INGS W ITH T UR NOV ER TOPS A ND A R ED SCHOOLCAP W ITH BA DGE) I
was in my teens, a growing boy. A l itt le then suff iced, a jolt ing car,
the mingl ing odours of the lad ies‘ cloak room and lavator y, the throng
penned t ight on the old Royal stairs (for they love cr ushes, inst inct of
the herd, and the dark sexsmel l ing theatre unbrid les vice), even a
pricel ist of their hosier y. And then the heat. T here were sunspots that
summer. End of school. And t ipsycake. Halcyon days.
( H A LCYON DAYS, HIGH SCHOOL BOYS IN BLUE A ND W HIT E FOOT BA L L JER SEYS A ND
SHORTS, M ASTER DONA L D T UR NBUL L , M AST ER A BR A H A M CH AT T ERTON, M AST ER OW EN
GOL DBERG, M ASTER JACK M ER EDITH, M AST ER PERCY APJOHN, STA ND IN A CLE A R ING
OF THE T R EES A ND SHOUT TO M AST ER LEOPOL D BLOOM.)
THE H A LCYON DAYS: Mackerel! L ive us again. Hurray! ( THEY CHEER)
BLOOM: ( HOBBLEDEHOY, WA R MGLOV ED, M A M M A M UFFLER ED, STA R R ED W ITH SPENT
SNOW BA L LS, ST RUGGLES TO R ISE) Again! I feel sixteen! W hat a lark! Let‘s
ring al l the bel ls in Montag ue street. ( HE CHEER S FEEBLY ) Hurray for the
H igh School!
THE ECHO : Fool!
THE Y EWS: ( RUST LING) She is right, our sister. W h isper. ( W HISPER ED K ISSES
A R E HEA R D IN A L L THE WOOD. FACES OF H A M A DRYA DS PEEP OUT FROM THE BOLES
A ND A MONG THE LEAV ES A ND BR E A K , BLOSSOM ING INTO BLOOM.) W ho profaned our
si lent shade?
THE N Y M PH: (COY LY, THROUGH PA RT ING FINGER S) T here ? In the open air?
THE Y EWS: (SW EEPING DOW N WA R D) Sister, yes. A nd on our virg in sward.
THE WATER FA L L :
Pou laphouca Poulaphouca
Phoucaphouca Phoucaphouca.
THE N Y M PH: ( W ITH W IDE FINGER S) O, infamy!
BLOOM: I was precocious. Youth. T he fauna. I sacrif iced to the god of the
forest. T he f lowers that bloom in the spring. It was pairing t ime.
Capi l lar y attract ion is a natural phenomenon. Lott y Clarke, f laxenhaired,
I saw at her n ight toi lette through i l lclosed curtains with poor papa‘s
operaglasses: The wanton ate grass wi ld ly. She rol led downh i l l at R ialto
bridge to tempt me with her f low of an imal spirits. She cl imbed their
crooked tree and I ... A saint couldn‘t resist it. T he demon possessed
me. Besides, who saw?
(STAGGER ING BOB, A WHITEPOL LED CA LF, THRUSTS A RUM INAT ING HE A D W ITH HUM ID
NOST R I LS THROUGH THE FOLI AGE .)
STAGGER ING BOB: ( L A RGE TE A R DROPS ROL LING FROM HIS PROM INENT EY ES,
SNI V ELS) Me. Me see.
BLOOM: Simply sat isfy ing a need I ... ( W ITH PATHOS) No g irl wou ld when I
went g irl ing. Too ugly. They wouldn‘t play ...
( HIGH ON BEN HOW TH THROUGH R HODODENDRONS A NA NN YGOAT PASSES,
PLUM PUDDER ED, BUT T Y TA I LED, DROPPING CUR R A NTS.)
THE NA NN YGOAT: ( BLEATS) Megeggaggegg! Nannannanny!
BLOOM: ( H AT LESS, FLUSHED, COV ER ED W ITH BUR R S OF THIST LEDOW N A ND
GOR SESPINE) Reg ularly engaged. Circumstances alter cases. ( HE GAZES
INT ENT LY DOW N WA R DS ON THE WAT ER) T h irt yt wo head over heels per second.
Press n ightmare. Giddy El ijah. Fal l from cl iff. Sad end of government
printer‘s clerk. ( THROUGH SI LV ER SI LENT SUM M ER A IR THE DUM M Y OF BLOOM,
ROL LED IN A M UM M Y, ROL LS ROT E AT INGLY FROM THE LION‘S HE A D CLIFF INTO THE
PUR PLE WA IT ING WATER S.)
THE DUM M Y M UM M Y: Bbbbbl l l l lblblblblobschbg!
( FA R OUT IN THE BAY BET W EEN BA I LEY A ND K ISH LIGHTS THE Erin‘s K ing SA I LS,
SENDING A BROA DENING PLUM E OF COA LSMOK E FROM HER FUNNEL TOWA R DS THE
L A ND.)
COUNCI L LOR NA NNET II: (A LONE ON DECK , IN DA R K A LPACA, Y EL LOW K IT EFACED, HIS
H A ND IN HIS WA ISTCOAT OPENING, DECL A I MS) W hen my countr y takes her place
among the nat ions of the earth, then, and not t i l l then, let my epitaph
be written. I have ...
BLOOM: Done. Prff !
THE N Y M PH: ( LOF T I LY ) We immortals, as you saw today, have not such a
place and no hair there either. We are stonecold and pure. We eat
electric l ight. (SHE A RCHES HER BODY IN L ASCI V IOUS CR ISPAT ION, PL ACING
HER FOR EFINGER IN HER MOUTH ) Spoke to me. Heard from beh ind. How then
cou ld you ... ?
BLOOM: ( PAW ING THE HEATHER A BJECT LY ) O, I have been a perfect pig. Enemas
too I have admin istered. One th ird of a pint of quassia to wh ich add a
tablespoonful of rocksalt. Up the fundament. With Hami lton Long‘s
syringe, the lad ies‘ friend.
THE N Y M PH: In my presence. The powderpuff. (SHE BLUSHES A ND M A K ES A K NEE)
And the rest!
BLOOM: ( DEJECTED) Yes. PECCAV I! I have paid homage on that l iving altar
where the back changes name. ( W ITH SUDDEN FERVOUR) For why shou ld the
daint y scented jewel led hand, the hand that r u les ... ?
( FIGUR ES W IND SER PENT ING IN SLOW WOODL A ND PAT T ER N A ROUND THE T R EEST EMS,
COOEEING)
THE VOICE OF K IT T Y: ( IN THE THICK ET ) Show us one of them cush ions.
THE VOICE OF FLOR RY: Here.
(A GROUSE W INGS CLUMSI LY THROUGH THE UNDERWOOD.)
THE VOICE OF LY NCH: ( IN THE THICK ET ) W hew! Piping hot!
THE VOICE OF ZOE : ( FROM THE THICK ET ) Came from a hot place.
THE VOICE OF V IR AG : (A BIR DCHIEF, BLUEST R E A K ED A ND FE ATHER ED IN WA R
PA NOPLY W ITH HIS ASSEGA I, ST R IDING THROUGH A CR ACK LING CA NEBR A K E OV ER
BEECH M AST A ND ACOR NS) Hot! Hot! Ware Sitt ing Bu l l !
BLOOM: It overpowers me. The warm impress of her warm form. Even to sit
where a woman has sat, especial ly with d ivaricated th ighs, as though to
grant the last favours, most especial ly with previously wel l upl ifted
wh ite sateen coatpans. So womanly, fu l l. It f i l ls me fu l l.
THE WATER FA L L :
Ph i l laphul la Poulaphouca
Pou laphouca Poulaphouca.
THE Y EWS: Ssh! Sister, speak!
THE N Y M PH: ( EY ELESS, IN NUN‘S W HIT E H A BIT, COIF A ND HUGEW INGED W I M PLE ,
SOF T LY, W ITH R EMOTE EY ES) Tranqu i l la convent. Sister Agatha. Mount
Carmel. The apparit ions of K nock and Lourdes. No more desire. (SHE
R ECLINES HER HEA D, SIGHING) Only the ethereal. W here dreamy creamy g u l l
waves o‘er the waters dul l.
( BLOOM H A LF R ISES. HIS BACK T ROUSER BUT TON SNAPS.)
THE BUT TON: Bip!
( T WO SLUTS OF THE COOM BE DA NCE R A INI LY BY, SH AW LED, Y EL LING FL AT LY.)
THE SLUTS:
O, Leopold lost the pin of h is drawers
He d idn‘t k now what to do,
To keep it up,
To keep it up.
25
Somnolent invocat ion, less somnolent recogn it ion, incipient excitat ion,
catechet ical interrogat ion.
With what mod if icat ions d id the narrator reply to th is interrogat ion?
Negat ive: he omitted to ment ion the clandest ine correspondence bet ween
Martha Cl ifford and Henr y Flower, the publ ic altercat ion at, in and in
the vicin it y of the l icensed premises of Bernard K iernan and Co, L imited,
8, 9 and 10 L itt le Britain street, the erot ic provocat ion and response
thereto caused by the exh ibit ion ism of Gertr ude (Gert y), surname unk nown.
Posit ive: he included ment ion of a performance by M rs Bandmann Palmer of
LE A H at the Gaiet y Theatre, 46, 47, 48, 49 South K ing street, an
invitat ion to supper at Wynn‘s ( Murphy‘s) Hotel, 35, 36 and 37 Lower
Abbey street, a volume of peccaminous pornograph ical tendency ent itu led
SW EETS OF SIN, anonymous author a gent leman of fash ion, a temporar y
concussion caused by a falsely calcu lated movement in the course of a
postcenal g ymnast ic d isplay, the vict im (since completely recovered)
being Stephen Dedalus, professor and author, eldest sur viving son of
Simon Dedalus, of no f ixed occupat ion, an aeronaut ical feat executed by
h im (narrator) in the presence of a witness, the professor and author
aforesaid, with prompt itude of decision and g ymnast ic f lex ibi l it y.
Was the narrat ion other wise unaltered by mod if icat ions?
Absolutely.
W h ich event or person emerged as the sal ient point of h is narrat ion?
Stephen Dedalus, professor and author.
W hat l imitat ions of act ivit y and inh ibit ions of conjugal rights were
perceived by l istener and narrator concern ing themselves during the
course of th is intermittent and increasingly more lacon ic narrat ion?
By the l istener a l imitat ion of fert i l it y inasmuch as marriage had been
celebrated 1 calendar month after the 18th ann iversar y of her birth (8
September 1870 ), viz. 8 October, and consummated on the same date with
female issue born 15 June 1889, having been ant icipatori ly consummated on
the lo September of the same year and complete carnal intercourse, with
ejacu lat ion of semen with in the natural female organ, having last taken
place 5 weeks previous, viz. 27 November 1893, to the birth on 29
December 1893 of second (and only male) issue, deceased 9 Januar y 1894,
aged 11 days, there remained a period of 10 years, 5 months and 18 days
during wh ich carnal intercourse had been incomplete, without ejacu lat ion
of semen with in the natural female organ. By the narrator a l imitat ion of
act ivit y, mental and corporal, inasmuch as complete mental intercourse
bet ween h imself and the l istener had not taken place since the
consummat ion of pubert y, ind icated by catamen ic hemorrhage, of the female
issue of narrator and l istener, 15 September 1903, there remained a
period of 9 months and 1 day during wh ich, in consequence of a
preestabl ished natural comprehension in incomprehension bet ween the
consummated females ( l istener and issue), complete corporal l ibert y of
act ion had been circumscribed.
How?
By various reiterated femin ine interrogat ion concern ing the mascu l ine
dest inat ion wh ither, the place where, the t ime at wh ich, the durat ion for
wh ich, the object with wh ich in the case of temporar y absences, projected
or effected.
W hat moved visibly above the l istener‘s and the narrator‘s invisible
thoughts?
The upcast ref lect ion of a lamp and shade, an inconstant series of
concentric circles of var y ing gradat ions of l ight and shadow.
In what d irect ions d id l istener and narrator l ie ?
L istener, S. E . by E .: Narrator, N. W. by W.: on the 53rd paral lel of
lat itude, N., and 6th merid ian of long itude, W.: at an angle of 45
degrees to the terrestrial equator.
In what state of rest or mot ion?
At rest relat ively to themselves and to each other. In mot ion being each
and both carried west ward, for ward and rereward respect ively, by the
proper perpetual mot ion of the earth through everchang ing tracks of
neverchanging space.
In what posture?
L istener: recl ined semi lateral ly, left, left hand under head, right leg
extended in a straight l ine and rest ing on left leg, f lexed, in the
att itude of Gea-Tel lus, fulf i l led, recumbent, big with seed. Narrator:
recl ined lateral ly, left, with right and left legs f lexed, the index
f inger and thumb of the right hand rest ing on the bridge of the nose, in
the att itude depicted in a snapshot photograph made by Percy Apjohn, the
ch i ldman wear y, the manch i ld in the womb.
Womb? Wear y?
He rests. He has travel led.
With?
Sinbad the Sai lor and Tinbad the Tai lor and Jinbad the Jai ler and W h inbad
the W haler and Ninbad the Nai ler and Finbad the Fai ler and Binbad the
Bai ler and Pinbad the Pai ler and M inbad the Mai ler and H inbad the Hai ler
and R inbad the Rai ler and Dinbad the K ai ler and Vinbad the Quai ler and
L inbad the Yai ler and X inbad the Phthai ler.
W hen?
Going to dark bed there was a square round Sinbad the Sai lor roc‘s auk ‘s
egg in the n ight of the bed of al l the auks of the rocs of Dark inbad the
Brightdayler.
W here ?
*******
K AP18
Yes because he never d id a th ing l ike that before as ask to get h is
breakfast in bed with a couple of eggs since the CIT Y A R MS hotel when he
used to be pretend ing to be laid up with a sick voice doing h is h ighness
to make h imself interest ing for that old faggot M rs R iordan that he
thought he had a great leg of and she never left us a farth ing al l for
masses for herself and her soul greatest miser ever was actual ly afraid
to lay out 4d for her methylated spirit tel l ing me al l her ai lments she
had too much old chat in her about pol it ics and earthquakes and the end
of the world let us have a bit of fun f irst God help the world if al l the
women were her sort down on bath ingsu its and lownecks of course nobody
wanted her to wear them I suppose she was pious because no man wou ld look
at her t wice I hope Il l never be l ike her a wonder she d idnt want us to
cover our faces but she was a wel leducated woman certainly and her gabby
talk about M r R iordan here and M r R iordan there I suppose he was glad to
get shut of her and her dog smel l ing my fur and always edg ing to get up
under my pett icoats especial ly then st i l l I l ike that in h im pol ite to
old women l ike that and waiters and beggars too hes not proud out of
noth ing but not always if ever he got anyth ing real ly serious the matter
with h im its much better for them to go into a hospital where ever yth ing
is clean but I suppose Id have to dring it into h im for a month yes and
then wed have a hospital nurse next th ing on the carpet have h im stay ing
there t i l l they throw h im out or a nun maybe l ike the smutt y photo he has
shes as much a nun as Im not yes because theyre so weak and pu l ing when
theyre sick they want a woman to get wel l if h is nose bleeds youd th ink
it was O tragic and that dy inglook ing one off the south circu lar when he
sprained h is foot at the choir part y at the sugarloaf Mountain the day I
wore that dress M iss Stack bringing h im f lowers the worst old ones she
cou ld f ind at the bottom of the basket anyth ing at al l to get into a mans
bedroom with her old maids voice tr y ing to imag ine he was dy ing on
account of her to never see thy face again though he looked more l ike a
man with h is beard a bit grown in the bed father was the same besides I
hate bandaging and dosing when he cut h is toe with the razor paring h is
corns afraid hed get bloodpoison ing but if it was a th ing I was sick then
wed see what attent ion only of course the woman h ides it not to g ive al l
the trouble they do yes he came somewhere Im sure by h is appet ite any way
love its not or hed be off h is feed th ink ing of her so either it was one
of those n ight women if it was down there he was real ly and the hotel
stor y he made up a pack of l ies to h ide it plann ing it Hynes kept me who
d id I meet ah yes I met do you remember Menton and who else who let me
see that big babbyface I saw h im and he not long married f l irt ing with a
young g irl at Pooles Myriorama and turned my back on h im when he sl inked
out look ing qu ite conscious what harm but he had the impudence to make up
to me one t ime wel l done to h im mouth almight y and h is boi led eyes of al l
the big stupoes I ever met and thats cal led a sol icitor only for I hate
having a long wrangle in bed or else if its not that its some l itt le
bitch or other he got in with somewhere or picked up on the sly if they
only k new h im as wel l as I do yes because the day before yesterday he was
scribbl ing someth ing a letter when I came into the front room to show h im
Dignams death in the paper as if someth ing told me and he covered it up
with the blott ing paper pretend ing to be th ink ing about business so ver y
probably that was it to somebody who th inks she has a soft y in h im
because al l men get a bit l ike that at h is age especial ly gett ing on to
fort y he is now so as to wheedle any money she can out of h im no fool
l ike an old fool and then the usual k issing my bottom was to h ide it not
that I care t wo straws now who he does it with or k new before that way
though Id l ike to f ind out so long as I dont have the t wo of them under
my nose al l the t ime l ike that slut that Mar y we had in Ontario terrace
padd ing out her false bottom to excite h im bad enough to get the smel l of
those painted women off h im once or t wice I had a suspicion by gett ing
h im to come near me when I found the long hair on h is coat without that
one when I went into the k itchen pretend ing he was drink ing water 1 woman
is not enough for them it was al l h is fau lt of course r u in ing ser vants
then proposing that she could eat at our table on Christmas day if you
please O no thank you not in my house steal ing my potatoes and the
oysters 2/6 per doz going out to see her aunt if you please common
robber y so it was but I was sure he had someth ing on with that one it
takes me to f ind out a th ing l ike that he said you have no proof it was
her proof O yes her aunt was ver y fond of oysters but I told her what I
thought of her suggest ing me to go out to be alone with her I wou ldnt
lower myself to spy on them the garters I found in her room the Friday
she was out that was enough for me a l itt le bit too much her face swel led
up on her with temper when I gave her her weeks not ice I saw to that
better do without them altogether do out the rooms myself qu icker only
for the damn cook ing and throwing out the d irt I gave it to h im anyhow
either she or me leaves the house I cou ldnt even touch h im if I thought
he was with a d irt y barefaced l iar and sloven l ike that one deny ing it up
to my face and singing about the place in the W C too because she k new
she was too wel l off yes because he cou ldnt possibly do without it that
long so he must do it somewhere and the last t ime he came on my bottom
when was it the n ight Boylan gave my hand a great squeeze going along by
the Tolka in my hand there steals another I just pressed the back of h is
l ike that with my thumb to squeeze back sing ing the young May moon shes
beaming love because he has an idea about h im and me hes not such a fool
he said Im d in ing out and going to the Gaiet y though Im not going to g ive
h im the sat isfact ion in any case God k nows hes a change in a way not to
be always and ever wearing the same old hat unless I paid some
n icelook ing boy to do it since I cant do it myself a young boy wou ld l ike
me Id confuse h im a l itt le alone with h im if we were Id let h im see my
garters the new ones and make h im turn red look ing at h im seduce h im I
k now what boys feel with that down on their cheek doing that frigg ing
drawing out the th ing by the hour quest ion and answer wou ld you do th is
that and the other with the coalman yes with a bishop yes I wou ld because
I told h im about some dean or bishop was sitt ing beside me in the jews
temples gardens when I was k n itt ing that wool len th ing a stranger to
Dubl in what place was it and so on about the monuments and he t ired me
out with statues encouraging h im mak ing h im worse than he is who is in
your mind now tel l me who are you th ink ing of who is it tel l me h is name
who tel l me who the german Emperor is it yes imag ine Im h im th ink of h im
can you feel h im tr y ing to make a whore of me what he never wi l l he ought
to g ive it up now at th is age of h is l ife simply r u inat ion for any woman
and no sat isfact ion in it pretend ing to l ike it t i l l he comes and then
f in ish it off myself any way and it makes your l ips pale anyhow its done
now once and for al l with al l the talk of the world about it people make
its only the f irst t ime after that its just the ord inar y do it and th ink
no more about it why cant you k iss a man without going and marr y ing h im
f irst you somet imes love to wi ldly when you feel that way so n ice al l
over you you cant help yourself I wish some man or other wou ld take me
somet ime when hes there and k iss me in h is arms theres noth ing l ike a
k iss long and hot down to your soul almost paralyses you then I hate that
confession when I used to go to Father Corrigan he touched me father and
what harm if he d id where and I said on the canal bank l ike a fool but
whereabouts on your person my ch i ld on the leg beh ind h igh up was it yes
rather h igh up was it where you sit down yes O Lord cou ldnt he say bottom
right out and have done with it what has that got to do with it and d id
you whatever way he put it I forget no father and I always th ink of the
real father what d id he want to k now for when I already confessed it to
God he had a n ice fat hand the palm moist always I wou ldnt mind feel ing
it neither would he Id say by the bul lneck in h is horsecol lar I wonder
d id he k now me in the box I could see h is face he cou ldnt see mine of
course hed never turn or let on st i l l h is eyes were red when h is father
d ied theyre lost for a woman of course must be terrible when a man cries
let alone them Id l ike to be embraced by one in h is vestments and the
smel l of incense off h im l ike the pope besides theres no danger with a
priest if youre married hes too carefu l about h imself then g ive someth ing
to H H the pope for a penance I wonder was he sat isf ied with me one th ing
I d idnt l ike h is slapping me beh ind going away so fami l iarly in the hal l
though I laughed Im not a horse or an ass am I I suppose he was th ink ing
of h is fathers I wonder is he awake th ink ing of me or dreaming am I in it
who gave h im that f lower he said he bought he smelt of some k ind of drink
not wh isky or stout or perhaps the sweet y k ind of paste they st ick their
bi l ls up with some l iqueur Id l ike to sip those richlook ing green and
yel low expensive drinks those stagedoor johnn ies drink with the opera
hats I tasted once with my f inger d ipped out of that A merican that had
the squ irrel talk ing stamps with father he had al l he cou ld do to keep
h imself from fal l ing asleep after the last t ime after we took the port
and potted meat it had a f ine salt y taste yes because I felt lovely and
t ired myself and fel l asleep as sound as a top the moment I popped
straight into bed t i l l that thunder woke me up God be mercifu l to us I
thought the heavens were coming down about us to pun ish us when I blessed
myself and said a Hai l Mar y l ike those awfu l thunderbolts in Gibraltar as
if the world was coming to an end and then they come and tel l you theres
no God what could you do if it was r unn ing and r ush ing about noth ing only
make an act of contrit ion the candle I l it that even ing in W h itefriars
street chapel for the month of May see it brought its luck though hed
scoff if he heard because he never goes to church mass or meet ing he says
your sou l you have no soul inside only grey matter because he doesnt k now
what it is to have one yes when I l it the lamp because he must have come
3 or 4 t imes with that tremendous big red br ute of a th ing he has I
thought the vein or whatever the d ickens they cal l it was going to burst
though h is nose is not so big after I took off al l my th ings with the
bl inds down after my hours dressing and perfuming and combing it l ike
iron or some k ind of a th ick crowbar stand ing al l the t ime he must have
eaten oysters I th ink a few dozen he was in great sing ing voice no I
never in al l my l ife felt anyone had one the size of that to make you
feel fu l l up he must have eaten a whole sheep after whats the idea mak ing
us l ike that with a big hole in the midd le of us or l ike a Stal l ion
driving it up into you because thats al l they want out of you with that
determined vicious look in h is eye I had to halfshut my eyes st i l l he
hasnt such a tremendous amount of spunk in h im when I made h im pu l l out
and do it on me considering how big it is so much the better in case any
of it wasnt washed out properly the last t ime I let h im f in ish it in me
n ice invent ion they made for women for h im to get al l the pleasure but if
someone gave them a touch of it themselves theyd k now what I went through
with M i l ly nobody would bel ieve cutt ing her teeth too and M ina Purefoys
husband give us a swing out of your wh iskers f i l l ing her up with a ch i ld
or t wins once a year as reg ular as the clock always with a smel l of
ch i ldren off her the one they cal led budgers or someth ing l ike a n igger
with a shock of hair on it Jesusjack the ch i ld is a black the last t ime I
was there a squad of them fal l ing over one another and bawl ing you
cou ldnt hear your ears supposed to be healthy not sat isf ied t i l l they
have us swol len out l ike elephants or I dont k now what supposing I risked
having another not off h im though st i l l if he was married Im sure hed
have a f ine strong ch i ld but I dont k now Poldy has more spunk in h im yes
thatd be awful ly jol ly I suppose it was meet ing Josie Powel l and the
funeral and th ink ing about me and Boylan set h im off wel l he can th ink
what he l ikes now if that l l do h im any good I k now they were spoon ing a
bit when I came on the scene he was dancing and sitt ing out with her the
n ight of Georgina Simpsons housewarming and then he wanted to ram it down
my neck it was on account of not l ik ing to see her a wal lf lower that was
why we had the standup row over pol it ics he began it not me when he said
about Our Lord being a carpenter at last he made me cr y of course a woman
is so sensit ive about ever yth ing I was fuming with myself after for
g iving in only for I k new he was gone on me and the f irst social ist he
said He was he annoyed me so much I cou ldnt put h im into a temper st i l l
he k nows a lot of mixedup th ings especial ly about the body and the inside
I often wanted to study up that myself what we have inside us in that
fami ly physician I could always hear h is voice talk ing when the room was
crowded and watch h im after that I pretended I had a coolness on with her
over h im because he used to be a bit on the jealous side whenever he
asked who are you going to and I said over to Floey and he made me the
present of Byron‘s poems and the three pairs of gloves so that f in ished
that I could qu ite easi ly get h im to make it up any t ime I k now how Id
even supposing he got in with her again and was going out to see her
somewhere Id k now if he refused to eat the on ions I k now plent y of ways
ask h im to tuck down the col lar of my blouse or touch h im with my vei l
and gloves on going out I k iss then wou ld send them al l spinn ing however
alright wel l see then let h im go to her she of course wou ld only be too
del ighted to pretend shes mad in love with h im that I wou ldnt so much
mind Id just go to her and ask her do you love h im and look her square in
the eyes she couldnt fool me but he might imag ine he was and make a
declarat ion to her with h is plabber y k ind of a manner l ike he d id to me
though I had the devi ls own job to get it out of h im though I l iked h im
for that it showed he could hold in and wasnt to be got for the ask ing he
was on the pop of ask ing me too the n ight in the k itchen I was rol l ing
the potato cake theres someth ing I want to say to you only for I put h im
off lett ing on I was in a temper with my hands and arms fu l l of past y
f lour in any case I let out too much the n ight before talk ing of dreams
so I d idnt want to let h im k now more than was good for h im she used to be
always embracing me Josie whenever he was there mean ing h im of course
glauming me over and when I said I washed up and down as far as possible
ask ing me and d id you wash possible the women are always egg ing on to
that putt ing it on th ick when hes there they k now by h is sly eye bl ink ing
a bit putt ing on the ind ifferent when they come out with someth ing the
k ind he is what spoi ls h im I dont wonder in the least because he was ver y
handsome at that t ime tr y ing to look l ike Lord Byron I said I l iked
though he was too beaut iful for a man and he was a l itt le before we got
engaged after wards though she d idnt l ike it so much the day I was in f its
of laugh ing with the giggles I couldnt stop about al l my hairpins fal l ing
out one after another with the mass of hair I had youre always in great
humour she said yes because it grigged her because she k new what it meant
because I used to tel l her a good bit of what went on bet ween us not al l
but just enough to make her mouth water but that wasnt my fau lt she d idnt
darken the door much after we were married I wonder what shes got l ike
now after l iving with that dott y husband of hers she had her face
beg inn ing to look drawn and run down the last t ime I saw her she must
have been just after a row with h im because I saw on the moment she was
edg ing to draw down a conversat ion about husbands and talk about h im to
r un h im down what was it she told me O yes that somet imes he used to go
to bed with h is muddy boots on when the maggot takes h im just imag ine
having to get into bed with a th ing l ike that that might murder you any
moment what a man wel l its not the one way ever yone goes mad Poldy anyhow
whatever he does always wipes h is feet on the mat when he comes in wet or
sh ine and always blacks h is own boots too and he always takes off h is hat
when he comes up in the street l ike then and now hes going about in h is
sl ippers to look for 10 0 0 0 pounds for a postcard U p up O sweetheart May
wou ldnt a th ing l ike that simply bore you st iff to ext inct ion actual ly
too stupid even to take h is boots off now what cou ld you make of a man
l ike that Id rather d ie 20 t imes over than marr y another of their sex of
course hed never f ind another woman l ike me to put up with h im the way I
do k now me come sleep with me yes and he k nows that too at the bottom of
h is heart take that M rs Maybrick that poisoned her husband for what I
wonder in love with some other man yes it was found out on her wasnt she
the downright vi l lain to go and do a th ing l ike that of course some men
can be dreadful ly aggravat ing drive you mad and always the worst word in
the world what do they ask us to marr y them for if were so bad as al l
that comes to yes because they cant get on without us wh ite A rsen ic she
put in h is tea off f ly paper wasnt it I wonder why they cal l it that if I
asked h im hed say its from the Greek leave us as wise as we were before
she must have been madly in love with the other fel low to r un the chance
of being hanged O she d idnt care if that was her nature what cou ld she do
besides theyre not brutes enough to go and hang a woman surely are they
theyre al l so d ifferent Boylan talk ing about the shape of my foot he
not iced at once even before he was introduced when I was in the D B C
with Poldy laugh ing and tr y ing to l isten I was waggl ing my foot we both
ordered 2 teas and plain bread and butter I saw h im look ing with h is t wo
old maids of sisters when I stood up and asked the g irl where it was what
do I care with it dropping out of me and that black closed breeches he
made me buy takes you half an hour to let them down wett ing al l myself
always with some brandnew fad ever y other week such a long one I d id I
forgot my suede gloves on the seat beh ind that I never got after some
robber of a woman and he wanted me to put it in the Irish t imes lost in
the lad ies lavator y D B C Dame street f inder return to M rs Marion Bloom
and I saw h is eyes on my feet going out through the turn ing door he was
look ing when I looked back and I went there for tea 2 days after in the
hope but he wasnt now how d id that excite h im because I was crossing them
when we were in the other room f irst he meant the shoes that are too
t ight to walk in my hand is n ice l ike that if I only had a ring with the
stone for my month a n ice aquamarine Il l st ick h im for one and a gold
bracelet I dont l ike my foot so much st i l l I made h im spend once with my
foot the n ight after Goodwins botchup of a concert so cold and windy it
was wel l we had that rum in the house to mu l l and the f ire wasnt black
out when he asked to take off my stock ings ly ing on the hearthr ug in
Lombard street west and another t ime it was my muddy boots hed l ike me to
walk in al l the horses dung I could f ind but of course hes not natural
l ike the rest of the world that I what d id he say I cou ld g ive 9 points
in 10 to Katt y Lanner and beat her what does that mean I asked h im I
forget what he said because the stoppress ed it ion just passed and the man
with the curly hair in the Lucan dair y thats so pol ite I th ink I saw h is
face before somewhere I not iced h im when I was tast ing the butter so I
took my t ime Bartel l d Arcy too that he used to make fun of when he
commenced k issing me on the choir stairs after I sang Gounods AV E M A R I A
what are we wait ing for O my heart k iss me straight on the brow and part
wh ich is my brown part he was prett y hot for al l h is t inny voice too my
low notes he was always raving about if you can bel ieve h im I l iked the
way he used h is mouth singing then he said wasnt it terrible to do that
there in a place l ike that I dont see anyth ing so terrible about it Il l
tel l h im about that some day not now and surprise h im ay and Il l take h im
there and show h im the ver y place too we d id it so now there you are l ike
it or lump it he th inks noth ing can happen without h im k nowing he hadnt
an idea about my mother t i l l we were engaged other wise hed never have got
me so cheap as he d id he was 10 t imes worse h imself anyhow begg ing me to
g ive h im a t iny bit cut off my drawers that was the even ing coming along
Ken i lworth square he k issed me in the eye of my glove and I had to take
it off ask ing me quest ions is it permitted to enqu ire the shape of my
bedroom so I let h im keep it as if I forgot it to th ink of me when I saw
h im sl ip it into h is pocket of course hes mad on the subject of drawers
thats plain to be seen always skeezing at those brazenfaced th ings on the
bicycles with their sk irts blowing up to their navels even when M i l ly and
I were out with h im at the open air fete that one in the cream musl in
stand ing right against the sun so he cou ld see ever y atom she had on when
he saw me from beh ind fol lowing in the rain I saw h im before he saw me
however stand ing at the corner of the Harolds cross road with a new
raincoat on h im with the muff ler in the Zingari colours to show off h is
complex ion and the brown hat look ing slyboots as usual what was he doing
there where hed no business they can go and get whatever they l ike from
anyth ing at al l with a sk irt on it and were not to ask any quest ions but
they want to k now where were you where are you going I cou ld feel h im
coming along skulk ing after me h is eyes on my neck he had been keeping
away from the house he felt it was gett ing too warm for h im so I
halfturned and stopped then he pestered me to say yes t i l l I took off my
glove slowly watch ing h im he said my openwork sleeves were too cold for
the rain anyth ing for an excuse to put h is hand anear me drawers drawers
the whole blessed t ime t i l l I promised to g ive h im the pair off my dol l
to carr y about in h is waistcoat pocket O M A R I A SA NT ISI M A he d id look a
big fool dreeping in the rain splend id set of teeth he had made me hungr y
to look at them and beseeched of me to l ift the orange pett icoat I had on
with the sunray pleats that there was nobody he said hed k neel down in
the wet if I d idnt so persevering he wou ld too and r u in h is new raincoat
you never k now what freak theyd take alone with you theyre so savage for
it if anyone was passing so I l ifted them a bit and touched h is trousers
outside the way I used to Gardner after with my ring hand to keep h im
from doing worse where it was too publ ic I was dy ing to f ind out was he
circumcised he was shak ing l ike a jel ly al l over they want to do
ever yth ing too qu ick take al l the pleasure out of it and father wait ing
al l the t ime for h is d inner he told me to say I left my purse in the
butchers and had to go back for it what a Deceiver then he wrote me that
letter with al l those words in it how cou ld he have the face to any woman
after h is company manners mak ing it so awk ward after when we met ask ing
me have I offended you with my eyel ids down of course he saw I wasnt he
had a few brains not l ike that other fool Henny Doyle he was always
break ing or tearing someth ing in the charades I hate an unlucky man and
if I k new what it meant of course I had to say no for form sake dont
understand you I said and wasnt it natural so it is of course it used to
be written up with a picture of a womans on that wal l in Gibraltar with
that word I couldnt f ind any where only for ch i ldren seeing it too young
then writ ing ever y morn ing a letter somet imes t wice a day I l iked the way
he made love then he k new the way to take a woman when he sent me the 8
big poppies because mine was the 8th then I wrote the n ight he k issed my
heart at Dolph ins barn I couldnt describe it simply it makes you feel
l ike noth ing on earth but he never k new how to embrace wel l l ike Gardner
I hope hel l come on Monday as he said at the same t ime four I hate people
who come at al l hours answer the door you th ink its the vegetables then
its somebody and you al l undressed or the door of the f i lthy sloppy
k itchen blows open the day old frost yface Goodwin cal led about the
concert in Lombard street and I just after d inner al l f lushed and tossed
with boi l ing old stew dont look at me professor I had to say Im a fright
yes but he was a real old gent in h is way it was impossible to be more
respectful nobody to say youre out you have to peep out through the bl ind
l ike the messengerboy today I thought it was a putoff f irst h im send ing
the port and the peaches f irst and I was just beg inn ing to yawn with
ner ves th ink ing he was tr y ing to make a fool of me when I k new h is
tattarrattat at the door he must have been a bit late because it was l/4
after 3 when I saw the 2 Dedalus girls coming from school I never k now
the t ime even that watch he gave me never seems to go properly Id want to
get it looked after when I threw the penny to that lame sai lor for
England home and beaut y when I was wh ist l ing there is a charming g irl I
love and I hadnt even put on my clean sh ift or powdered myself or a th ing
then th is day week were to go to Belfast just as wel l he has to go to
Enn is h is fathers ann iversar y the 27th it wou ldnt be pleasant if he d id
suppose our rooms at the hotel were beside each other and any fool ing
went on in the new bed I couldnt tel l h im to stop and not bother me with
h im in the next room or perhaps some protestant clerg yman with a cough
k nock ing on the wal l then hed never bel ieve the next day we d idnt do
someth ing its al l ver y wel l a husband but you cant fool a lover after me
tel l ing h im we never d id anyth ing of course he d idnt bel ieve me no its
better hes going where he is besides someth ing always happens with h im
the t ime going to the Mal low concert at Mar yborough ordering boi l ing soup
for the t wo of us then the bel l rang out he walks down the platform with
the soup splash ing about tak ing spoonfu ls of it hadnt he the ner ve and
the waiter after h im mak ing a holy show of us screech ing and confusion
for the engine to start but he wouldnt pay t i l l he f in ished it the t wo
gent lemen in the 3rd class carriage said he was qu ite right so he was too
hes so pigheaded somet imes when he gets a th ing into h is head a good job
he was able to open the carriage door with h is k n ife or theyd have taken
us on to Cork I suppose that was done out of revenge on h im O I love
jaunt ing in a train or a car with lovely soft cush ions I wonder wi l l he
take a 1st class for me he might want to do it in the train by t ipping
the g uard wel l O I suppose therel l be the usual id iots of men gaping at
us with their eyes as stupid as ever they can possibly be that was an
except ional man that common work man that left us alone in the carriage
that day going to Howth Id l ike to f ind out someth ing about h im l or 2
tunnels perhaps then you have to look out of the window al l the n icer
then coming back suppose I never came back what wou ld they say eloped
with h im that gets you on on the stage the last concert I sang at where
its over a year ago when was it St Teresas hal l Clarendon St l itt le ch its
of missies they have now singing Kathleen Kearney and her l ike on account
of father being in the army and my sing ing the absentminded beggar and
wearing a brooch for Lord Roberts when I had the map of it al l and Poldy
not Irish enough was it h im managed it th is t ime I wou ldnt put it past
h im l ike he got me on to sing in the STA BAT M AT ER by going around say ing
he was putt ing Lead K indly L ight to music I put h im up to that t i l l the
jesu its found out he was a freemason thumping the piano lead T hou me on
copied from some old opera yes and he was going about with some of them
Sinner Fein lately or whatever they cal l themselves talk ing h is usual
trash and nonsense he says that l itt le man he showed me without the neck
is ver y intel l igent the coming man Griff iths is he wel l he doesnt look it
thats al l I can say st i l l it must have been h im he k new there was a
boycott I hate the ment ion of their pol it ics after the war that Pretoria
and Ladysmith and Bloemfontein where Gardner l ieut Stanley G 8th Bn 2nd
East Lancs Rgt of enteric fever he was a lovely fel low in k hak i and just
the right height over me Im sure he was brave too he said I was lovely
the even ing we k issed goodbye at the canal lock my Irish beaut y he was
pale with excitement about going away or wed be seen from the road he
cou ldnt stand properly and I so hot as I never felt they cou ld have made
their peace in the beginn ing or old oom Pau l and the rest of the other
old K r ugers go and f ight it out bet ween them instead of dragg ing on for
years k i l l ing any f inelook ing men there were with their fever if he was
even decent ly shot it wouldnt have been so bad I love to see a reg iment
pass in review the f irst t ime I saw the Span ish cavalr y at La Roque it
was lovely after look ing across the bay from A lgeciras al l the l ights of
the rock l ike f iref l ies or those sham batt les on the 15 acres the Black
Watch with their k i lts in t ime at the march past the 10th hussars the
prince of Wales own or the lancers O the lancers theyre grand or the
Dubl ins that won Tugela h is father made h is money over sel l ing the horses
for the cavalr y wel l he could buy me a n ice present up in Belfast after
what I gave h im they ve lovely l inen up there or one of those n ice k imono
th ings I must buy a mothbal l l ike I had before to keep in the drawer with
them it would be excit ing going round with h im shopping buy ing those
th ings in a new cit y better leave th is ring beh ind want to keep turn ing
and turn ing to get it over the k nuck le there or they might bel l it round
the town in their papers or tel l the pol ice on me but theyd th ink were
married O let them al l go and smother themselves for the fat lot I care
he has plent y of money and hes not a marr y ing man so somebody better get
it out of h im if I could f ind out whether he l ikes me I looked a bit
washy of course when I looked close in the handglass powdering a mirror
never g ives you the expression besides scrooch ing down on me l ike that
al l the t ime with h is big h ipbones hes heav y too with h is hair y chest for
th is heat always having to l ie down for them better for h im put it into
me from beh ind the way M rs Mast iansky told me her husband made her l ike
the dogs do it and st ick out her tong ue as far as ever she cou ld and he
so qu iet and mi ld with h is t ingat ing cither can you ever be up to men the
way it takes them lovely stuff in that blue su it he had on and st yl ish
t ie and socks with the skyblue si lk th ings on them hes certainly wel l off
I k now by the cut h is clothes have and h is heav y watch but he was l ike a
perfect devi l for a few minutes after he came back with the stoppress
tearing up the t ickets and swearing blazes because he lost 20 qu id he
said he lost over that outsider that won and half he put on for me on
account of Lenehans t ip cursing h im to the lowest pits that sponger he
was mak ing free with me after the Glencree d inner coming back that long
jou lt over the featherbed mountain after the lord Mayor look ing at me
with h is d irt y eyes Val Di l lon that big heathen I f irst not iced h im at
dessert when I was crack ing the nuts with my teeth I wished I cou ld have
picked ever y morsel of that ch icken out of my f ingers it was so tast y and
browned and as tender as anyth ing only for I d idnt want to eat ever yth ing
on my plate those forks and f ishsl icers were hal lmarked si lver too I wish
I had some I could easi ly have sl ipped a couple into my muff when I was
play ing with them then always hang ing out of them for money in a
restaurant for the bit you put down your throat we have to be thankfu l
for our mang y cup of tea itself as a great compl iment to be not iced the
way the world is d ivided in any case if its going to go on I want at
least t wo other good chemises for one th ing and but I dont k now what k ind
of drawers he l ikes none at al l I th ink d idnt he say yes and half the
g irls in Gibraltar never wore them either naked as God made them that
Andalusian singing her Manola she d idnt make much secret of what she
hadnt yes and the second pair of si lkette stock ings is laddered after one
days wear I could have brought them back to Lewers th is morn ing and
k icked up a row and made that one change them only not to upset myself
and r un the risk of walk ing into h im and r u in ing the whole th ing and one
of those k idf itt ing corsets Id want advert ised cheap in the Gent lewoman
with elast ic gores on the h ips he saved the one I have but thats no good
what d id they say they give a del ightfu l f ig ure l ine 11/6 obviat ing that
unsight ly broad appearance across the lower back to reduce f lesh my bel ly
is a bit too big Il l have to k nock off the stout at d inner or am I
gett ing too fond of it the last they sent from ORourkes was as f lat as a
pancake he makes h is money easy Larr y they cal l h im the old mang y parcel
he sent at X mas a cottage cake and a bott le of hog wash he tried to palm
off as claret that he couldnt get anyone to drink God spare h is spit for
fear hed d ie of the drouth or I must do a few breath ing exercises I
wonder is that ant ifat any good might overdo it the th in ones are not so
much the fash ion now garters that much I have the violet pair I wore
today thats al l he bought me out of the cheque he got on the f irst O no
there was the face lot ion I f in ished the last of yesterday that made my
sk in l ike new I told h im over and over again get that made up in the same
place and dont forget it God only k nows whether he d id after al l I said
to h im Il l k now by the bott le any way if not I suppose Il l only have to
wash in my piss l ike beeftea or ch ickensoup with some of that opoponax
and violet I thought it was beginn ing to look coarse or old a bit the
sk in underneath is much f iner where it peeled off there on my f inger
after the burn its a pit y it isnt al l l ike that and the four paltr y
handkerch iefs about 6/- in al l sure you cant get on in th is world without
st yle al l going in food and rent when I get it Il l lash it around I tel l
you in f ine st yle I always want to throw a handfu l of tea into the pot
measuring and mincing if I buy a pair of old brog ues itself do you l ike
those new shoes yes how much were they Ive no clothes at al l the brown
costume and the sk irt and jacket and the one at the cleaners 3 whats that
for any woman cutt ing up th is old hat and patch ing up the other the men
wont look at you and women tr y to walk on you because they k now youve no
man then with al l the th ings gett ing dearer ever y day for the 4 years
more I have of l ife up to 35 no Im what am I at al l Il l be 33 in
September wi l l I what O wel l look at that M rs Galbraith shes much older
than me I saw her when I was out last week her beaut ys on the wane she
was a lovely woman magn if icent head of hair on her down to her waist
tossing it back l ike that l ike K itt y OShea in Grantham street 1st th ing I
d id ever y morn ing to look across see her combing it as if she loved it
and was ful l of it pit y I only got to k now her the day before we left and
that M rs Langtr y the jersey l i ly the prince of Wales was in love with I
suppose hes l ike the f irst man going the roads only for the name of a
k ing theyre al l made the one way only a black mans Id l ike to tr y a
beaut y up to what was she 45 there was some funny stor y about the jealous
old husband what was it at al l and an oyster k n ife he went no he made her
wear a k ind of a t in th ing round her and the prince of Wales yes he had
the oyster k n ife cant be true a th ing l ike that l ike some of those books
he brings me the works of Master Francois Somebody supposed to be a
priest about a ch i ld born out of her ear because her bumg ut fel l out a
n ice word for any priest to write and her a--e as if any fool wou ldnt
k now what that meant I hate that pretend ing of al l th ings with that old
blackg uards face on h im anybody can see its not tr ue and that Ruby and
Fair Tyrants he brought me that t wice I remember when I came to page 50
the part about where she hangs h im up out of a hook with a cord
f lagel late sure theres noth ing for a woman in that al l invent ion made up
about he drink ing the champagne out of her sl ipper after the bal l was
over l ike the infant Jesus in the crib at Inch icore in the Blessed
Virgins arms sure no woman could have a ch i ld that big taken out of her
and I thought f irst it came out of her side because how cou ld she go to
the chamber when she wanted to and she a rich lady of course she felt
honoured H R H he was in Gibraltar the year I was born I bet he found
l i l ies there too where he planted the tree he planted more than that in
h is t ime he might have planted me too if hed come a bit sooner then I
wou ldnt be here as I am he ought to chuck that Freeman with the paltr y
few sh i l l ings he k nocks out of it and go into an off ice or someth ing
where hed get reg ular pay or a bank where they cou ld put h im up on a
throne to count the money al l the day of course he prefers plottering
about the house so you cant st ir with h im any side whats your programme
today I wish hed even smoke a pipe l ike father to get the smel l of a man
or pretend ing to be mooch ing about for advert isements when he cou ld have
been in M r Cuffes st i l l only for what he d id then send ing me to tr y and
patch it up I could have got h im promoted there to be the manager he gave
me a great mirada once or t wice f irst he was as st iff as the misch ief
real ly and truly M rs Bloom only I felt rotten simply with the old
r ubbishy dress that I lost the leads out of the tai ls with no cut in it
but theyre coming into fash ion again I bought it simply to please h im I
k new it was no good by the f in ish pit y I changed my mind of going to Todd
and Bums as I said and not Lees it was just l ike the shop itself r ummage
sale a lot of trash I hate those rich shops get on your ner ves noth ing
k i l ls me altogether only he th inks he k nows a great lot about a womans
dress and cook ing mathering ever yth ing he can scour off the shelves into
it if I went by h is advices ever y blessed hat I put on does that su it me
yes take that thats alright the one l ike a wedd ingcake stand ing up mi les
off my head he said su ited me or the d ishcover one coming down on my
backside on pins and needles about the shopg irl in that place in Grafton
street I had the misfortune to bring h im into and she as insolent as ever
she cou ld be with her smirk say ing Im afraid were g iving you too much
trouble what shes there for but I stared it out of her yes he was awfu l ly
st iff and no wonder but he changed the second t ime he looked Poldy
pigheaded as usual l ike the soup but I cou ld see h im look ing ver y hard at
my chest when he stood up to open the door for me it was n ice of h im to
show me out in any case Im extremely sorr y M rs Bloom bel ieve me without
mak ing it too marked the f irst t ime after h im being insu lted and me being
supposed to be h is wife I just half smi led I k now my chest was out that
way at the door when he said Im extremely sorr y and Im sure you were
yes I th ink he made them a bit f irmer suck ing them l ike that so long he
made me th irst y t itt ies he cal ls them I had to laugh yes th is one anyhow
st iff the n ipple gets for the least th ing Il l get h im to keep that up and
Il l take those eggs beaten up with marsala fatten them out for h im what
are al l those veins and th ings curious the way its made 2 the same in
case of t wins theyre supposed to represent beaut y placed up there l ike
those statues in the museum one of them pretend ing to h ide it with her
hand are they so beaut iful of course compared with what a man looks l ike
with h is t wo bags ful l and h is other th ing hang ing down out of h im or
st ick ing up at you l ike a hatrack no wonder they h ide it with a
cabbageleaf that d isg ust ing Cameron h ighlander beh ind the meat market or
that other wretch with the red head beh ind the tree where the statue of
the f ish used to be when I was passing pretend ing he was pissing stand ing
out for me to see it with h is babyclothes up to one side the Queens own
they were a n ice lot its wel l the Surreys rel ieved them theyre always
tr y ing to show it to you ever y t ime nearly I passed outside the mens
greenhouse near the Harcourt street stat ion just to tr y some fel low or
other tr y ing to catch my eye as if it was I of the 7 wonders of the world
O and the st ink of those rotten places the n ight coming home with Poldy
after the Comerfords part y oranges and lemonade to make you feel n ice and
water y I went into r of them it was so bit ing cold I cou ldnt keep it when
was that 93 the canal was frozen yes it was a few months after a pit y a
couple of the Camerons werent there to see me squatt ing in the mens place
meadero I tried to draw a picture of it before I tore it up l ike a
sausage or someth ing I wonder theyre not afraid going about of gett ing a
k ick or a bang of someth ing there the woman is beaut y of course thats
admitted when he said I could pose for a picture naked to some rich
fel low in Hol les street when he lost the job in Helys and I was sel l ing
the clothes and strumming in the coffee palace wou ld I be l ike that bath
of the nymph with my hair down yes only shes younger or Im a l itt le l ike
that d irt y bitch in that Span ish photo he has nymphs used they go about
l ike that I asked h im about her and that word met someth ing with hoses in
it and he came out with some jawbreakers about the incarnat ion he never
can explain a th ing simply the way a body can understand then he goes and
burns the bottom out of the pan al l for h is K idney th is one not so much
theres the mark of h is teeth st i l l where he tried to bite the n ipple I
had to scream out arent they fearful tr y ing to hurt you I had a great
breast of mi lk with M i l ly enough for t wo what was the reason of that he
said I could have got a pound a week as a wet nurse al l swel led out the
morn ing that del icate look ing student that stopped in no 28 with the
Citrons Penrose nearly caught me wash ing through the window only for I
snapped up the towel to my face that was h is student ing hurt me they used
to wean ing her t i l l he got doctor Brady to g ive me the bel ladonna
prescript ion I had to get h im to suck them they were so hard he said it
was sweeter and th icker than cows then he wanted to mi lk me into the tea
wel l hes beyond ever yth ing I declare somebody ought to put h im in the
budget if I only could remember the I half of the th ings and write a book
out of it the works of Master Poldy yes and its so much smoother the sk in
much an hour he was at them Im sure by the clock l ike some k ind of a big
infant I had at me they want ever yth ing in their mouth al l the pleasure
those men get out of a woman I can feel h is mouth O Lord I must stretch
myself I wished he was here or somebody to let myself go with and come
again l ike that I feel al l f ire inside me or if I cou ld dream it when he
made me spend the 2nd t ime t ick l ing me beh ind with h is f inger I was
coming for about 5 minutes with my legs round h im I had to hug h im after
O Lord I wanted to shout out al l sorts of th ings fuck or sh it or anyth ing
at al l only not to look ugly or those l ines from the strain who k nows the
way hed take it you want to feel your way with a man theyre not al l l ike
h im thank God some of them want you to be so n ice about it I not iced the
contrast he does it and doesnt talk I gave my eyes that look with my hair
a bit loose from the tumbl ing and my tong ue bet ween my l ips up to h im the
savage brute Thursday Friday one Saturday t wo Sunday three O Lord I cant
wait t i l l Monday
26
frseeeeeeeefronnnng train somewhere wh ist l ing the streng th those eng ines
have in them l ike big giants and the water rol l ing al l over and out of
them al l sides l ike the end of Loves old sweeeetsonnnng the poor men that
have to be out al l the n ight from their wives and fami l ies in those
roast ing engines st if l ing it was today Im glad I burned the half of those
old Freemans and Photo Bits leaving th ings l ike that ly ing about hes
gett ing ver y careless and threw the rest of them up in the W C Il l get
h im to cut them tomorrow for me instead of having them there for the next
year to get a few pence for them have h im ask ing wheres last Januar ys
paper and al l those old overcoats I bund led out of the hal l mak ing the
place hotter than it is that rain was lovely and refresh ing just after my
beaut y sleep I thought it was going to get l ike Gibraltar my goodness the
heat there before the levanter came on black as n ight and the glare of
the rock stand ing up in it l ike a big g iant compared with their 3 Rock
mountain they th ink is so great with the red sentries here and there the
poplars and they al l wh itehot and the smel l of the rainwater in those
tanks watch ing the sun al l the t ime weltering down on you faded al l that
lovely frock fathers friend M rs Stanhope sent me from the B Marche paris
what a shame my dearest Doggerina she wrote on it she was ver y n ice whats
th is her other name was just a p c to tel l you I sent the l itt le present
have just had a jol ly warm bath and feel a ver y clean dog now enjoyed it
wogger she cal led h im wogger wd g ive anyth ing to be back in Gib and hear
you sing Wait ing and in old Madrid Concone is the name of those exercises
he bought me one of those new some word I cou ldnt make out shawls amusing
th ings but tear for the least th ing st i l l there lovely I th ink dont you
wi l l always th ink of the lovely teas we had together sc
Au d ese und den vo gen Se en s de gesam e e ek on sche Tex des
U ysses abged uck
n d ese ged uck en Fo m s es n ch meh mög ch
d e n o ma onen zu en z e n n de d g a en Ve s on d ese D p oma be
s es dem Lese ohne we e es mög ch du ch Ve g öße ung de Tex passagen
das gesam e Buch von ames oyce zu esen
A
A
Ve g e ch zw schen dem Tex des U ysses 1p Ga amond Regu a
A be 8p F u ge 45 L gh be 80 0% Ve g öße ung
und dem F eß ex d ese
D es ze g au dass d e e ek on sche Fo m von Med en we e e Nu zungen
zu äss Du ch d e d g a e Ex s enz de n o ma onen können d ese auch
au ande e Med en anspo e we den So s es zum Be sp e ohne g oße
Ums ände mög ch d esen Tex des U ysses m H e e ne so genann en
B a e Ze e n B ndensch
auszugeben und so n o ma onen e ne b e
e en Bevö ke ungssch ch zugäng ch zu machen
Säm che heu e ged uck en Pub ka onen egen n d g a e Fo m vo
bevo d ese p oduz e we den Das Un e nehmen Amazon a s we g öß e
E nze händ e von Büche n m n e ne b e e Ve agen an h e Pub ka onen
n d g a e Fo m an Amazon zu übe agen Au de Homepage des Händ e s
können d ese Büche dann m Vo ex du chsuch we den und e nze ne Kap e
on ne m Layou des Buches ge esen we den Du ch d ese Vo gehenswe se
e hä de Lese
e e gehende n o ma onen vo dem Kau e nes Buches
und d e Ve age können h en Absa z s e ge n da be e ne S chwo suche
d e d g a en Büche eben a s du chsuch we den und n de E gebn s s e
au sche nen
P o ek Gu enbe g 20 03
w w w ah ve gnuegen com down oads ze
ch geb b o hek pd
27 10 20 0 6
DORT DRÜBEN AUF DEN SCHIENEN …
James Joyce selbst war es, der bei einem Besuch im Jahre 1932 zu seinem Freund Eugene Jolas sagte :
„Dor t drüben auf den Schienen wurde 1915 das Schicksal des Ulysses entschieden.“ ( „Over there, on
those tracks the fate of ,Ulysses“ was decided in 1915“) 24 .
Die große Tragweite obiger Aussage von James Joyce bzw. der damit verbundenen schicksalhaften Wendung in Feldkirch, wird heute von der internationalen Literaturwissenschaft allgemein anerkannt. Auch die ÖBB haben diese Wichtigkeit erkannt und bezeichnen den Bahnhof Feldkirch als
Literaturbahnhof. In der großen Eingangshalle befinden sich heute neben
dem besagten Ausspruch die Namen zahlreicher Vorarlberger Autoren und
Autorinnen. Eine Multimediainstallation zeigt Texte und Biographien dieser Autoren. Diese Bemühungen sind auf die Literaturgruppe des Theaters
am Saumarkt zurückzuführen, die seit 1994 jährliche Literaturtage veranstaltet. Im selben Jahr wurde am Bahnhof auf Initiative der Gruppe eine
Bronzetafel mit den berühmten Worten von Joyce angebracht. Nach den
zwei Umbauphasen im Rahmen der Bahnhofsoffensive wurde diese Tafel
durch eine einfache Aufschrift an der Wand oberhalb des Zuganges zu den
Bahnsteigen ersetzt. Aber immerhin blieb der Bezug zu Joyce bestehen.
Die ersten Literaturtage waren auf Anregung des Wiener Literaturwissenschaftlers Andreas Weigel James Joyce gewidmet. Im Zuge dieser Literaturtage
hat Karheinz Albrecht, Leiter der Stadtbibiothek Feldkirch und damaliger
Obmann des Kulturkreises, die Umbenennung einer Passage, welche den
direkten Fussweg von der Innenstadt zum Bahnhof möglich macht, in „ James
Joyce Passage “ vorgeschlagen. Verschiedenste Umstände, unter anderem auch Streitigkeiten zwischen der Stadt Feldkirch und Andreas Weigel
haben die Umbenennung damals verhindert. Am 16.06.2004 feierte die James
Joyce Fangemeinde den 100. Jahrestag des Bloomsday. Der Bloomsday ist
jener Tag am 16.06.1904 den die Hauptfigur Leopold Bloom in James Joyce
„Ulysses“ verbringt. Zu diesem Anlass wurde die „Löwen Passage“ von den
Stadtvätern feierlich in „James Joyce Passage“ umbenannt. 25
Als Joyce während des ersten Weltkrieges
1915 mit dem Zug von Triest kommend nach
Zürich in die Schweiz ausreisen wollte, wurde er in Feldkirch strengsten Kontrollen unter zogen. Wäre er damals verhaf tet worden,
hät te er seinen Roman „Ulysses“ wohl nie
schreiben können, jedenfalls nie so früh und
in dieser Form. In den Zürcher Jahren zwischen 1915 und 1921 entst and ein großer
Teil des „Ulysses“.
24
25
Stadt Feldkirch (20 0 4), passim
27
Lage des Bahnhofs
Die Passage und der Zugang zum Bahnhof
Die neu umbenannte James Joyce Passage verbindet die Innenstadt mit dem
Bahnhof. Durch die Passage kann der Bahnhof fußläufig in 5 Minuten erreicht
werden. Dies ist auch der bevorzugte Weg der Pendler und Schüler.
Der motorisierte Zugang zum Bahnhof erfolgt über die Reichsstraße. Die
eigentliche Bahnhofsstrasse wird mittels einer Einbahnregelung vor dem
Bahnhof vorbeigeführt. Parkplätze sind in der unmittelbaren Umgebung in
ausreichender Menge vorhanden. Im Vorplatzbereich sind Bushaltestellen
des städtischen und regionalen Bus-Systems sowie Taxi-Standplätze.
Auf dem Fußweg zum Bahnhof trifft man erneut auf Literatur mit Bezug zu
Feldkirch. Es handelt sich dabei um die Erlebnisse des Schriftstellers Carl
Zuckmayer (1896 -1977) am 15. März 1938 am Bahnhof Feldkirch, welche er
in seiner Autobiographie „Als wär‘s ein Teil von mir“ festgehalten hat. Es
handelt sich dabei um eine Installation der Stadt Feldkirch zum Gedenken
an die Opfer des nazionalsozialistischen Regimes und besteht aus drei
Textzeilen aus der Autobiographie Zuckmayers welche in Kupferlettern an
der angrenzenden Mauer angebracht sind.
Direkt am Vorplatz des Bahnhofes befindet sich ein Infocenter der ÖBB,
welches auch hier darauf aufmerksam macht, dass der Feldkircher Bahnhof
ein Literaturbahnhof ist. In der großen Wartehalle informiert eine MultimediaInstallation die Reisenden über Vorarlberger Autoren und Autorinnen.
28
Als der Zug langsam in Feldkirch einfuhr und man die grellen Kegel der Schweinwer fer sah hatte ich wenig Hof fnung. (...)
Der Tag dämmer te bereits, mein Puls klopf te mit dem Ticken der Uhr. Wenn man nur schon raus wäre. Jede Sekunde kann irgend
eine neue Wendung bringen. Jede Ablösung eines Grenzbeamten eine neue Verdächtigung, die ganze Komödie war umsonst.
Der Bahnhof Feldkirch ist aufgrund der genannten Vorkommnisse und der
Beachtung die die Stadt Feldkirch diesen Vorfällen beimisst stark mit der
Literatur verbunden. Die Planung einer James Joyce Bibliothek
mit dem St andor t am Bahnhof F eldkirch is t demnach die konsequen te Ant wor t darauf und eine angebrachter Ausdruck der Wer tschätzung
seitens der Stadtverwaltung.
Feldkirch
Die Stadt Feldkirch liegt an der Grenze zur Schweiz und zu Liechtenstein
und war schon seit jeher ein wichtiger Verkehrsknotenpunkt. Der Bahnhof
verbindet den Schienenverkehr z wischen Deutschland, der Schweiz und
dem Westen Österreichs.
Bei 30.000 Einwohnern verfügt die Stadt über acht Höherbildende Schulen.
Im Bibliothekenverbund gibt es sechs öffentliche und vier wissenschaftliche
Bibliotheken. 26 Feldkirch gilt daher als „Studierstädtle“.
Gespräch mit Karlheinz Albrecht, Leiter der
Stadtbibiothek Feldkirch
26
29
vorarlberger autorInnen : wolfg
susanne alge, roger vorderegger
beitl, franz michael william, jürg
felder, barbara stroh-tscharner,
gertrud fussenegger, christian fu
köhlmeier, gerhard jäger, lauren
peter langebner, lechhab hamid,
grete gulbransson, norbert mayer
otto nachbaur, petra nachbaur,
franz bertel, hugo von montfort,
gabriele bösch, lidwina boso, kur
buder, robert byr, armin diem, ra
jörg, werner grabher, elisabeth am
herbert häusle, stefanie job, ulr
max riccabona, albert ritter, jutta
hannes grabher, oscar sandner, seb
robert schneider, klara schwendi
seeberger, eva schmidt, jürgen b
adolf vallaster, elisabeth wäger, jy
alfred ebenhoch, daniela egger, g
christian mähr, adalbert welte, hi
hutter, rainer juratti, udo kawass
ricarda bilgeri, hans sterneder, no
johann michael tschofen, günter
josef vonbun, günther freitag, ma
weinzierl, josef wichner, günter sa
zerlauth, hermann joseph kopf.
30
ang bleier, eugen andergassen,
r, lisa spalt, peter bader, richard
gen-thomas ernst, franz michael
franz kabelka, willibald feinig,
utscher, rudolf kurzemann, paula
ntius von schnifis, paula ludwig,
wolgang linder, norbert loacker,
r, ulrich gabriel, wolfgang mörth,
erika kronabitter, maria oster,
, robert blauhut, verenea steiner,
rt bracharz, stefan alfare, walter
ainer ganahl, arno geiger, roland
mann, kaspar hagen, walter zupan,
rike längle, christine hartmann,
a rinner-blum, verena roßbacher,
bastian schinnerl, maria schneider,
inger, wolfgang hermann, margit
benvenuti, ingo springenschmid,
ytte dünser, elisabeth ebenberger,
gudrun embacher, rudolf von ems,
il de gard, ingrid puganigg, ulrike
ser, lina hofstädter, si.si. klocker,
orman douglas, kundeyt surdum,
r vallaster, benedikt vetter, franz
artin wanko, christa hutter, walter
alzmann, gebhard wölfle, annelies
31
POESIE DER ENTSCHLEUNIGUNG 27
Bibliotheken sind für den Autor Or te der Entschleunigung. Or te mit einem anderen Zeitbewusstsein.
Inseln im Meer des hektischen Alltags.
Entschleunigung, Kontemplation oder „Alles veloziferisch“
Die globale Beschleunigung in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, in der Lebensund Alltagswirklichkeit des einzelnen nimmt unweigerlich immer mehr
zu. Mit der Begriffsprägung „Zeitmillionäre“ in Robert Levines Buch „The
Geography of Time“28 wurde der Startschuss für ungezählte Publikationen
und Wochenendseminare zum Thema Zeit-Management gegeben.
Doch schon Goethe zeigte mit dem Begriff „veloziferisch“ - einem Kunstwort
welches die Eile (velocitas) und den Teufel (luzifer) zusammenfasst – auf,
dass durch die auf Beschleunigung setzende Moderne, deren Aufkommen
Goethe auf seine alten Tage noch erleben konnte, die „natürliche Gabe des
Menschen zur Kontemplation 2 9 “ verloren geht. 3 0
Wem gehör t die Zeit?
Im Jahre 1876 verpasste der kanadische Ingenieur Sandford Flemming auf
einem irischen Bahnhof seinen Zug – Anlass genug für den genialen Kopf,
ein Konzept zu entwickeln, mit dem man die regionalen Zeitunterschiede
systematisch festlegen konnte: Die Weltzeit. 31
Bevor die Eisenbahn weite Strecken in relativ geringer Zeit überbrücken konnte hatte die Sonne den natürlichen Rhythmus vorgegeben. Zwischen zwei
um 160 km entfernten Städten besteht zeitlich gesehen ein Zeitunterschied
von 8 Minuten. Jede dieser Städte hatte also zu einem anderen Zeitpunkt
12: 00h Mittag, nämlich jeweils beim höchsten Stand der Sonne.
Neue Zürcher Zeitung (20 03)
Levine (1998)
29
Verbundenheit in Werk und Wor t Gottes,
beschauliches Nachdenken, geistiges versinken, beschaulich und besinnlich.
30
Osten (20 03)
31
Aus dem Klappentext zu Blaise (20 01)
32
Blaise (20 01), S. 95f
27
28
32
Ab dem Moment als die Eisenbahn diese 160 km in weniger als zwei Stunden
zurücklegen konnte stellte sich die große Frage: Welche Zeit ist nun die offizielle Zeit? Die Zeit im Zug oder die Zeit im Zielbahnhof? Es stellte sich heraus,
dass zum damaligen Zeitpunkt (1870 ) die Zeit den Eisenbahngesellschaften
gehör te. In den Bahnhofshallen hingen oberhalb der Fahrkar tenschalter
Uhren, an denen man die Zeistandards der miteinander konkurrierenden
Eisenbahngesellschaften ablesen konnte. Es stand auf den Uhren aber nicht
„New York“, „Chicago“ oder „Washington“ sondern „Eric und Lackawanna“,
„New York Central“ oder „Baltimore & Ohio“. Jede Eisenbahngesellschaft
richtete Ihre Uhren nach dem Firmensitz der Gesellschaft und die Fahrgäste
mussten für sich selbst die Abweichung ermitteln. 32
Ein Reisender in einem Zug musste damals mit drei Zeiten rechnen: Der
Ortszeit des Ausgangsbahnhofes, der Ortszeit des Zielbahnhofes und der
Zugzeit, also der Ortszeit des Firmensitzes der Eisenbahngesellschaft. 1883
wurde die Weltzeit mit Ihren Zeitzonen eingeführt.
Was die Reisenden des 19. Jahrhunderts erleben mussten ist heute nicht mehr
vorstellbar. Doch durch die globale Vernetzung ergab sich ein anderes Problem:
Bei den Zeitstempeln von Dokumenten oder Emails kann nicht die Ortszeit
verwendet werden, da dadurch eine von Europa in die USA verschickte Email
gestern ankommen könnte, umgekehrt eine Email aus den USA nach Europa
aus der Zukunft stammte. So wurde schon sehr früh die Unix Epoch Time
eingeführt. Die Einheit ist 1 Tick und entspricht einer Millisekunde. Gezählt
wird seit dem 1.1.1970 01:00 GMT. Die Zahl 1159567200 gibt beispielsweise die Anzahl der Millisekunden bis zum 1. Oktober 2006, 00 : 00h GMT
zurück. 33
Nachgestelltes Experiment um die Langsamkeit zu messen. Bei ausreichend hoher Umdrehungszahl vereinen sich Kreis und Dreieck.
Da diese Art der Darstellung für einen Menschen nicht praktikabel ist erfand
der Schweizer Uhrenhersteller Swatch die Internetzeit 34 . Die Einheit dieses
Zeitformats ist 1 Beat und entspricht dem 1000. Teil eines Tages. Ähnlich wie
bei den Eisenbahngesellschaften des 19. Jahrhunderts ist der Hauptsitz des
Konzerns Basis dieser Zeitrechnung. 0000 Beats werden angezeigt, wenn in
Biel Mitternacht Mitteleuropäischer Zeit ist (UTC +1). Die Swatch Zeit erfreut
sich seit Ihrem offiziellen Start am 23. Oktober 1998 großer Beliebtheit,
richtig durchgesetzt hat sich dieses Zeitformat allerdings nicht.
330 ! Du bist der Langsamste.
In der Kammer stand ein sorgsam gebauter kleiner Apparat, eine Scheibe,
die sich um eine Querachse drehte, wenn man die Kurbel bewegte. Auf
der Vorder- und Rückfläche war je ein Gesicht aufgemalt, vorn ein Mann
zur Linken, hinten eine Frau zur Rechten. Wenn sich die Scheibe drehte,
erschienen sie abwechselnd. »Das kenne ich vom Jahrmarkt«, sagte John,
»am Sonntag Jubilate vor sechs Jahren.«
»Die Kurbel baute mir der Wagenschmied«, erklärte Dr. Orme, »und das
Zählwerk der Uhrmacher. Bei schneller Drehung werden Harlekin und Colombine
zum Paar vereinigt.« Er sah in ein kleines Buch und las vor: »Meine eigenen
Augen lassen sich schon bei 710 Umdrehungen täuschen. Beim Kirchendiener
Reed müssen es 780 sein, bei Sir Joseph, dem High Sheriff, 630, bei meinem faulsten Lateinschüler 550 und bei meiner schnellen Haushälterin 830
Umdrehungen!« John bemerkte eine kleine Sanduhr, die an einem Hebel
des Zählwerks angebracht war. »In welcher Zeit?« »Innerhalb von sechzig
Heute wird nicht mehr GMT (Greenwich
Mean Time) sondern UTC (Universal Time
Collogated) verwendet. Da die Geschwindigkeit
d e r Er d r ot at i o n ni c ht ko ns t a nt i s t , r i c htet
sich die Zeit nicht mehr nach dem mittleren
Sonnentag. Die UTC wird aus der internationalen
Atomzeit abgleitet und bei Bedar f korrigier t.
Die Bezeichnung UTC+1 löst die Bezeichnung
MEZ (Mitteleuropäische Zeit) ab.
33
w w w. s w a t c h .c o m / i n t e r n e t t i m e / [14 - 0 5 20 0 6 ]
34
33
Sekunden. Setz dich bitte. Ich drehe die Scheibe immer schneller, bis du
deutlich das Pärchen siehst. Dann halte ich diese Geschwindigkeit und drehe
die Sanduhr um. Damit schalte ich gleichzeitig das Zählwerk ein.«
Vorsichtig begann der Lehrer zu kurbeln, er sah John gespannt an, der
Mechanismus schnarrte immer heller. »Jetzt!« sagte John. Die Zahlenrädchen
liefen. Das Einerrad rückte nach jeder Umdrehung mit einer Noppe am
Zehner- rad, und dieses auf gleiche Weise am Hunderter. Als die letzten
Körner fielen, drehte Dr. Orme die Sanduhr wieder um, und das Zählwerk
stand. Feierlich sagte er: »330! Du bist der Langsamste.« John freute sich.
Seine Besonderheit war erwiesen. 35
Eadweard Muybridge, „Galoppierendes Pferd“,
1878. John Franklin sieht nicht das galop pierende Pferd sondern immer nur Teilbilder
der Bewegung.
Dieses Experiment seines Lehrers beweist, was John Franklin - die Hauptfigur
des Romans „Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit“ von Sten Nadolny - schon
immer wusste. Er ist langsam. Seine Zeiterfahrung gleicht der Zeitraffer,
bei der immer nur einzelne Momente eines längeren Vorganges festgehalten
werden. Nach dem Krankenbericht von Dr. Orme, den Franklin erst Jahre
später zu Gesicht bekommt, erklärt sich diese Zeitwahrnehmung:
Langsam ist der Schüler F., weil er alles, was ihm einmal aufgefallen ist,
sehr lange ansehen muß. Das ins Auge gefasste Bild bleibt zur gründlichen
Erforschung stehen, nachfolgende gleiten unbesehen vorüber. Schüler F.
opfert die Vollständigkeit zugunsten der Einzelheit. Für die letztere
wird der ganze Kopf gebraucht, und es dauert seine Zeit bis für eine nächste
wieder Platz ist. 36 (Hervorh. LR)
Er nimmt die Dinge erst wahr, wenn sie schon vorbei sind. So kann Franklin als
Kind beim Spielen den Ball nicht fangen, da er nicht einmal das Wegwerfen
wahrnimmt. 37 John Franklin hat wirklich gelebt und war britischer Seefahrer
und Polarforscher. Im Umgang mit Kompass und Chronometer erkennt die
Romanfigur Franklin, dass seine vermeintliche Begriffsstutzigkeit nichts anderes ist als eine übergroße Sorgfalt des Gehirns. Seine Langsamkeit
kehrt sich in große Ruhe um. 3 8
Nadolny (1983), S. 216f
ebd., S. 207f
37
ebd., S. 9
38
FA Z Online (20 02)
35
36
34
Die Zeitwahrnehmung des John Franklin ist ein Phänomen das genauer untersucht werden soll. Auf Seite 183 beschreibt Nadolny die Fahrt mit einer
Kutsche. Franklin sieht durch das Fenster wie die Hecken und Feldwege
vorbeizucken und denk t sich dabei, das s Ihre Bewegung t äusche. Sie
seien es die gefangen liegen, während nur er und die Berge sich wirklich
auf der Reise befänden.
Tat sächlich steht klarer weise die L andschaf t still und die Kut sche mit
Franklin bewegen sich. Relativ betrachtet könnte man aber auch behaupten
die Kutsche steht still und die Landschaft bewegt sich an Franklin vorbei.
Vergleiche hierzu zwei nebeneinander im Bahnhof stehende Züge. Fährt
einer der beiden Züge langsam los, kann von den Reisenden innerhalb
der Züge nicht sofor t festgestellt werden welcher Zug sich bewegt. Da
sich für Franklin aber aufgrund der langsamen Relativbewegung tatsächlich die Berge bewegen und das vorbeizucken der Hecken von ihm kaum
wahrgenommen werden kann zieht er den Schluss, dass tatsächlich nur er
– da er ja weiß, dass er sich in einer fahrenden Kutsche befindet – und die
fernen Berge sich bewegen. Diese Sichtweise macht für ihn die Fahrt auch
erträglicher, da er mit den Bergen langsame Begleiter hat. Zu Zeiten der
ersten Eisenbahnfahrten wurde den Reisenden der Panoramablick erklärt
um Übelkeit aufgrund der rasch vorbeiziehenden Landschaft zu vermeiden.
Dabei sollte der Reisende einen fernen Punkt fokussieren und die unmittelbare Umgebung dadurch ausblenden. 3 9
Wintergames - Epix Inc. 1985. Computerspiel
der 2. Generation. Um eine dreidimensionale Landschaf t zu simulieren wurden Ebenen
eingeführt welche sich relativ zum Betrachter
u nt e r s c h i e d l i c h b e we g e n. ( S p i e l e r e b e n e,
Fahnenmasten, Zuschauerränge, Berge im
Hintergrund)
Es ist notwendig, den Maßstab in dieser Betrachtung unberücksichtigt zu
lassen. Ohne Kenntnis der wirklichen räumlichen Ausdehnung kann nur auf
die Erfahrung zurückgegriffen werden, wie schnell sich einzelne Elemente
der Landschaft relativ zum Betrachter bewegen. Eine Anwendung dieser
Tatsache findet sich in Computerspielen der 2. Generation wieder, welche
eine Art dreidimensionale Realität schufen, indem mehrere Ebenen einge führt wurden die sich relativ zum Betrachter verschieden schnell bewegen.
Würden diese Ebenen untereinander ausgetauscht wäre das Raumgefühl
gestört.
Der Moment
Zeit ist kontinuierlich. Der Moment, ein Datum, eine Uhr zeit sind ein
Schnappschuss aus dem kontinuierlichen Lauf der Zeit der kein Anfang und
kein Ende hat. Das Gemälde „Rue de Paris, Temps de Pluie“ stellt so einen
Moment aus dem Pariser Straßenleben dar. Alle Personen sind in Bewegung,
die einzelnen Menschgruppen stehen in keiner Beziehung zueinander. Das
39
Blaise (20 01), S. 18 4
35
Gemälde zeigt einen beliebigen Ausschnitt des Zeitstroms. Ebenso wie
der 16.06.1904 in Ulysses ein beliebiger Tag aus dem Leben des Leopold
Bloom darstellt. An diesem Tag ereignen sich keine außergewöhnlichen
Dinge. Mit ein Grund für die außerordentliche Bedeutung dieses Buches
für die Weltliteratur ist die Erzähltechnik die Joyce anwendet. Der so genannte Stream of conciousness . Joyce schildert nicht einfach
die Geschehnisse dieses Tages sondern bringt auch die einzelnen Gedanken
der Figuren mit allen Assoziationen, Erinnerungsfetzen und Vorstellungen
ein. Ungeordnet und bruchstückhaft wie es der Person in dem Moment
durch den Kopf schießt.
G - is for a Good Shave
Gustave Caillebotte: „ Rue de Paris, Temps
de Pluie“, 1877
Die Zeitwahrnehmung ist ein sehr subjektiver Begriff und gleiche Zeitspannen
werden bei unterschiedlichen Tätigkeiten als verschieden lang empfunden.
Ein einfaches Beispiel: 15 Minuten unter der warmen Dusche vergehen relativ rasch, 15 Minuten auf dem Zahnarztstuhl dauern eine kleine Ewigkeit.
Und: der längste Tag im Leben eines Kindes ist der 24. Dezember und das
Warten auf die Weihnachtsbescherung.
Wenn eine zu erfüllende Aufgabe genau soviel oder mehr Zeit in Anspruch
als zur Verfügung steht, ist dann das subjektive Zeitempfinden derart dass
die Zeit rast? Im Gegensatz dazu vergeht die Zeit langsamer wenn die zu
erledigende Aufgabe rascher erledigt werden kann als Zeit zur Verfügung
steht? Wie verfährt man mit dieser Zeit? Langeweile?
Wie der Leser vermutlich aus eigener Erfahrung weiß, scheint heute niemand mehr über ausreichend Zeit zu verfügen. Ein Ort wo sich tatsächlich
noch ein entschleunigtes Zeitgefühl entwickelt ist das Badezimmer. Für ein
wohltuendes Vollbad nimmt man sich Zeit. Es kann vorkommen, dass sich
Menschen angenehme Musik mit ins Bad nehmen, eine Unzahl an Kerzen
im Raum verteilen, wohlriechende Kräuter und Öle im warmen Badewasser
verteilen und der Zeit entweichen. Die Zeitspanne des Bades wird nicht
bewusst wahrgenommen.
In einem Badezimmer gibt es aus Gründen der Privatsphäre in der Regel keinen direkten Bezug zur Außenwelt, sieht man von einem kleinen Fenster zur
Belüftung des Raumes ab. Die Zeitlosigkeit wird erhöht, wenn das Bad am
Abend stattfindet und so nicht einmal der Sonnenstand bzw. die Schatten
einen Rückschluss auf die Uhrzeit oder die Dauer geben können.
36
Entschleunigung kann also erreicht werden, wenn kein Hinweis auf die Zeit
stattfindet. Und das bedeutet wiederum, dass in der Bibliothek kein Hinweis
auf die Tageszeit stattfinden darf. Betrachtet man die Zeitwahrnehmung
in Bezug auf die verfügbare Zeit ergibt sich ebenso zwingend eine 24 / 7
Öffnungszeit. Mittagsglocken, Wochentage, Sonnenauf- und Untergänge
geben Hinweise auf die momentane Uhrzeit und sind hinderlich für eine
Entschleunigung.
Bei einer Rasur ist kein Zeitpunkt für die Fertigstellung bekannt. Die Rasur
ist genau dann fer tig wann alle ungewünschten Gesichtshaare entfernt
sind, das Gesicht vom restlichen Schaum gereinigt ist und die Haut beruhigt ist. Die Geschwindigkeit der Rasur bestimmt die eigene, ruhige Hand.
Es ist egal, wann etwas fertig ist. Es ist fertig, wenn es so ist. Ein Berg ist
fertig, wenn ich oben bin.
„G is for A Good Shave“. Peter Greenaway
„Inside Rooms: 26 Bathrooms, London &
Oxfordshire, 1985“, 1985
Vorgang
Empfinden
Warme Kompresse
fallen lassen / einsinken in den stuhl / dunkelrot / jähes auf wachen beim herunternehmen der kompresse
Einseifen I
kalt / gelb / weich / wohlriechend / schlechte höhreigenschaf ten da der schaum knister t und eventuell sogar
in die ohren gelangt ist / der schaum lebt, bewegt sich und massier t das gesicht
Rasur in Bar t wuchsrichtung
ohrenbar t: ein kribbeln das sich von den ohren bis in die baugegegend ver teilt / grün / oberlippe: kribbeln
umkreist den kopf / hals und wangen: ausbreitung des kribbelns auf den ganzen körper
Einseifen II
jet zt kälter / er frischend / wieder gelb aber kaum geräusch
Rasur gegen Bar t wuchsrichtung
wieder kribbeln, aber in entgegengeset zter richtung weg vom körper in den kopf
Mit warmen feuchten Tuch
abwischen
gefühl der sauberkeit / alles wird klar
Kalte Kompresse
frische / auf wachen / solange angenehm so lange sich die kompresse noch nicht er wärmt hat
Creme / Balsam / Massage
erst kalt, dann durch die massage wieder einsinken in den stuhl / bitte nie aufhören
Rasier wasser
jähes er wachen / angenehmer duf t / weiß / die wirklichkeit hat mich wieder
Zufächern von frischer Luf t mit
Handtuch
ankurbeln / totale er frischung, sauberkeit, wachheit / der restliche körper könnte sauberer sein
Gefühle / Farben / Geräusche / Geruch: Notizen
des Autors während einer guten Rasur
37
Pfeifen und Zentimeter
Die Zeit wird im täglichen Leben auch heute noch nicht immer in der Zeiteinheit
Sekunden, Minuten oder Stunden angegeben. So wird beim Riesentorlauf
in Kitzbühel der Zeitrückstand von 0,01 Sekunden mit 28 cm beschrieben.
Wir sprechen von „einer Zigarettenlänge“ und von einem „Augenblick“.
Auch Geschwindigkeiten und Entfernungen erhalten neue Einheiten. Man
spricht von Megabit pro Sekunde wenn man die Geschwindigkeit einer
Netzwerkverbindung angibt, oder gar von fünf Kilogramm in drei Monaten,
darf man der Werbung für ein Schlankheitsmittel glauben schenken.
„Die Strecke von Fort Chipewyan nach Fort Providence am Großen Sklavensee
betrug nur rund neunzig Pfeifen.“4 0 Entfernungen werden durch Zeitdauern
ersetzt. Innsbruck ist von Feldkirch zwei Stunden entfernt, New York acht.
Dabei wird die Geschwindigkeit als bekannt angesehen, um damit die
Entfernungen abschätzen zu können. Aber Entfernungen sind in
einer beschleunigten Gesellschaft irrelevant.
40
38
Nadolny (1983), S. 222
Re c hte S e i te : B ewe g un g s s t u di e r äu m li c h
unte r s c hi e dli c h e nt fe r nte r O bj e k te re lat i v
zum Beobachter
39
40
41
ZEITRICHTIGE BIBLIOTHEK
Die Zeit anhalten
Wie schon im Kapitel Poesie der Entschleunigung eingangs erwähnt, sind
Bibliotheken für den Autor Orte der Entschleunigung. Beim Betreten einer
alten Bibliothek oder Kirche tritt automatisch das Gefühl der kontemplativen
Ruhe ein. Ein Grund dafür sind die hohen Wände und die Belichtung des
Raumes durch Fensteröffnungen, welche weit oberhalb gewohnter Raumhöhen
angeordnet sind. Dem Benutzer wird der direkte Bezug zum Außenraum
verwehrt. Dieser Umgang mit dem Bauvolumen hatte zu damaligen Zeiten
aber andere Gründe, waren doch Kirchen und Bibliotheken Ausdruck von
Würde und der Vorherrschaft der gebildeten Bevölkerungsschicht.
Bei der zeitrichtigen Bibliothek geht es um die Beeinflussung der gefühlten, wahrgenommen Zeit. Die Arbeit in der Bibliothek soll entkoppelt von
Umwelteinflüssen und Zeitfaktoren sein und ein Arbeitsumfeld schaffen
in dem Informationen immer und überall erhältlich sind. Dieses Zeitgefühl
kann durch Eliminierung sämtlicher Hinweise auf die Uhrzeit und durch
die Beeinflussung der räumlichen Wahrnehmung gesteuert werden. Wenn
der Benutzer die Ausdehnung eines Raumes (und damit auch die benötigte
Zeit um den Raum zu durchschreiten) nicht mehr abschätzen kann, ist die
räumliche Wahrnehmung manipuliert.
Die Zeitrichtige Bibliothek dient in erster Linie der Informationsbeschaffung
und soll Möglichkeiten bieten, diese Informationen alleine oder in Gruppen
zu bearbeiten. Es werden Bereiche zur Aktion, Interaktion aber auch zum
Rückzug angeboten. Das Fraunhofer Office Innovation Center beschäftigt sich
seit 2000 mit der Gestaltung neuer und innovativer Arbeitsplatzumgebungen
die die genannten Bereiche beinhalten. Die Interactive Creativity
Landscape 41 soll kreatives Arbeiten, Kommunizieren und Entspannen
miteinander verbinden.
Bibliothekarisches Konzept
Keine Bibliothek der Welt kann von sich behaupten, allumfassend
und komplett zu sein. Um diesem Anspruch näher zu kommen ist es
notwendig, viele Bibliotheken zu einem Verbund zusammen zu schließen.
In Österreich wird dies mit dem Bibliothekenverbund gemacht, welcher auf
einen gemeinsamen Katalog zurückgreift. Ist ein gewünschtes Buch an einem
Standort nicht verfügbar kann es durch den Vorgang der Fernleihe besorgt
werden. Fernleihen sind Ausleihen die im Bibliothekenverbund eigens be handelt werden, da in Wirklichkeit nicht der Leser das Buch entlehnt sondern das Buch zwischen den Bibliotheken ausgeliehen wird und erst dann
an den Leser weitergegeben wird. Dieser Vorgang ist für alle Beteiligten
41
42
Fraunhofer OIC (20 02)
aufwändig und zeit- und kostenintensiv.
Das Konzept der zeitrichtigen Bibliothek basiert auf diesem Anspruch des
allumfassenden Informationsangebotes. Über den Schienen des Bahnhofs
Feldkirch befindet sich eine Bibliothek, die aufgrund Ihrer Größe jedoch nicht
den Anspruch auf umfassend und komplett haben kann. Dadurch dass entlang des österreichischen Schienennetzes eine beinahe beliebige Anzahl an
weiteren Bibliotheken errichtet werden kann, bildet jede weitere Bibliothek
ihren Baustein für die große, umfassende Gesamtbibliothek. Dabei ist diese
Entwicklung nicht auf Österreich beschränkt, denn das Schienennetz erstreckt sich über den gesamten Kontinent.
Ein Medium kann an jeder Einheit entliehen und zurückgegeben werden,
die Standorte werden dynamisch gewechselt. Themenbereiche mit höherer
Nachfrage werden an einem Standort vermehrt ausgeliehen und zurückge bracht. Dadurch kommt es zu einer Selbstregulierung der gelagerten Medien.
Durch die Nutzung der bestehenden Infrastruktur der Transportwege
kann die Fernleihe erheblich beschleunigt werden. Da jede Teilbibliothek lediglich als ein Standort für Medien gesehen wird ist eine Fernleihe nicht das
Ausleihen an eine andere Bibliothek sondern lediglich ein Standortwechsel
des Mediums innerhalb der Struktur. Ist beispielsweise ein Buch in Feldkirch
nicht vorhanden aber in Innsbruck eingelagert, dann wird mit dem nächsten
Zug das Buch nach Feldkirch gebracht. Die Wartezeit verkürzt sich erheblich.
Durch in die Medien integrierte Funkchips (RFID) wird automatisch erkannt
wann ein Medium welche Bibliothek verlässt und wieder „betritt“ und der
neue Standort wird im System hinterlegt.
Präsentation der Medien
In der Seattle Public Library von Rem Kohlhaas werden die Bücher streng
und ohne Ausnahme nach der Dewey Dezimalklassifikation 42 aufgestellt. 43
Diese Aufstellung ist im amerikanischen Raum weit verbreitet, aber auch die
Bibliothek der Fakultät für Architektur gliedert den Freihandbereich nach
diesem System. Bei dieser Aufstellung ist dem Benutzer allerdings nicht immer klar, wo er nach einem bestimmten Thema suchen soll. Ein Schüler der
sich über Vulkane informieren will, wird im Bereich „900 – Geschichte und
Geografie“ suchen, da Vulkane im Geographieunterricht genannt wurden.
Tatsächlich wird er das Buch aber im Bereich „500 – Wissenschaft“ suchen
müssen, da Vulkane ein Themenbereich der Erdwissenschaften sind. Aus
diesem Grund verwendet die fiktive Brabant Bibliothek von Winy Maas eine
strikte alphabetische Ordnung der Bücher. Neue Bücher werden unter „N“
42
43
OCLC (20 03)
Reisser (20 03), S. 761
43
abgelegt, Kinder und Kochen unter „K“ und Bücher über das Jahr 1920
unter „Z“ wie Zeit 4 4 . Wieder eine andere Aufstellung wird bei der Wiener
Hauptbücherei am Gür tel angewendet. Hier wird die Bibliothek ähnlich
einer Videothek in Interessensgebiete wie Sachbuch, Zeitschriften oder
Comics eingeteilt. 45 Die bei weitem aufwändigste Präsentation der Medien
ist die Aufstellung nach „Readers Interest“. Dabei wird auf die Nachfrage
der Leser reagiert und spezielle Informationsinseln mit Medien zu einem
bestimmten Thema eingerichtet. Dies mag in einer Buchhandlung sehr gut
funktionieren die versucht, neben einem Bestseller auch thematisch ähnliche Bücher an den zu Kunden zu bringen, der Anspruch eines umfassenden Informationsangebotes kann diese Aufstellung, aber auch alle bisher
Genannten, nicht erfüllen.
An den Terminals werden die Medien präsentier t und durchsucht.
44
Helmreich (20 03), S. 67
Bruijnzeels (20 03). Von der Sinnhaf tigkeit
dieser Aufstellung konnte der Autor noch nicht
über zeugt werden.
45
PageRank ist der Algorithmus der von der
Internetsuchmaschine Google verwendet wird
um die Suchergebnisse nach Relevanz zu sortieren. Die Originalspezifikation wurde 1999
von Sergey Brin und Larry Page in ihrer Arbeit
„The Anatomy of a Large- Scale Hyper textual
Web S earc h Engine.“ [ B r in (19 9 9) , S. 12 ]
im Rahmen ihres Studiums an der Stanford
University veröf fentlicht.
46
44
In der Zeitrichtigen Bibliothek gibt es keine Buchpräsentation im herkömmlichen Sinn. Die Medien werden auf großflächigen Bildschirmen dynamisch
präsentiert, welche sich über den ganzen Bereich der Bibliothek verteilt sind.
Diese Bildschirme dienen als Terminals zur Suche, zur Vormerkung und
auch zur Entlehnung (digitaler) Medien.
Da sämtliche Medien digitalisier t sind – wir müssen die Zukunft wollen
– werden bei einer Suche nicht nur Schlagworte und Titel abgefragt sondern auch der Volltext und die automatisch generierten Metainformationen
ausgelesen. Zusätzlich erhält der Benutzer nicht eine bloße Ergebnisliste die
seinen Suchbegriffen entspricht, sondern es werden auch Informationen
zu Themenver wandten Medien angezeigt. Durch die Ver wendung eines
Algorithmus der dem Google PageRank46 gleicht werden die Ergebnisse nach
Relevanz sortiert. Auf der Ergebnisseite erhält der Benutzer auch weitere
Informationen über die Lesegewohnheiten anderer Benutzer die nach demselben Thema gesucht haben. Vergleiche hierzu die Ergebnisseite bei einer
Suche auf der Homepage des Internethändlers Amazon. „Kunden die diesen
Artikel gekauft haben ... haben auch diese Artikel gekauft.“ Neben dieser
Liste weiterer ver wandter Bücher werden bei Amazon auch Rezensionen
und Kundenmeinungen zu einem Buch angezeigt. Eine überaus nützliche
Funktion, erhält der Leser dadurch Informationen über das Buch welche weit
über die herkömmlichen Kataloginformationen hinausreichen. Man kann
dieser Technologie aus Datenschutzgründen kritisch gegenüberstehen, die
Qualität der Suchergebnisse und die Sucheffizienz werden dadurch erheblich gesteigert. In Anbetracht der zu erwartenden Datenmengen führt nach
Meinung des Autors kein Weg an intelligenten Suchalgorithmen vorbei.
SUCHERGEBNIS
ANALOGE AUSLEIHE
KAUF
DIGITALE AUSLEIHE
VERFÜGBAR?
JA
NEIN
DRM
FERNLEIHE
Abholen der Medien
an der Information
Warten bis
das
Medium in
der
Bibliothek
eintrifft
Zustellung
nach
Hause
Drahtlose
Übertragung der
Daten auf PDA,
Notebook,
Tablet PC
Übertragen der
Daten auf
tragbares
Medium (CD/
DVD/USB Stick)
Versand der
Daten per Email
Der Benutzer gibt die Suchbegriffe in das Terminalprogramm ein und erhält eine
Liste der entsprechenden Bücher. Die Medien werden mit Ihren Umschlägen
dargestellt, da dadurch die Auffassung und die Wiedererkennung erhöht
wird. Neben den genannten Informationen stehen dem Benutzer weitere
Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung wie er mit den Suchergebnissen umgeht.
Originalausgabe
Print on Demand
bei lokalem Druckdienstleister bzw.
Brennen der Daten
(Audio und Video)
und Abholung
bei der Information
Funktionsschema der Terminals, ausgehend
vom Suchergebnis.
45
Das Magazin. Für den Benutzer nicht zugänglich. Die Medien werden bei Idealbedingungen
in Kompaktmagazinen gelager t.
Sicherheit
Der Benutzer identifiziert sich mit einer frei wählbaren Plastikkarte mit eingebautem Chip. (Kreditkarte, e-Card, Studentenausweis, …). Anhand der
eindeutigen ID dieses Chips werden die Benutzerdaten aus dem System
abgefragt. Sämtliche kostenpflichtigen Dienste werden direkt mit der Bank
des Benutzers verrechnet. Durch die Eingangskontrolle ist es möglich, eine
24 / 7 Öffnungszeit anzubieten und dabei zu wissen, welche Personen sich
derzeit im Gebäude aufhalten.
Das Magazin
Das Magazin ist für die Benutzer nicht betretbar. Will der Benutzer beispielsweise ein Buch in gedruckter Ausgabe für seine Recherchen ver wenden,
wird dieses Buch automatisch aus dem Magazin behoben und kann vom
Benutzer bei der Information abgeholt werden. Diese zentrale Lagerung in
Kompaktmagazinen erhöht einerseits den möglichen Bestand an Medien und
andererseits wird aufgrund der klimakontrollierten Lagerung die Haltbarkeit
der Medien erheblich erhöht.
Die Arbeitsplätze
Vo r s c h l a g f ü r e i n e n C o n t a i n e r, d e r s i c h
z u m Tr a n s p o r t d e r M e d i e n z w i s c h e n d e n
Arbeitsplätzen eignet. Die gepolster te
Oberseite erlaubt auch die Ver wendung als
Sit zmöbel.
46
Jedem Benutzer steht auf Wunsch ein fahrbarer Container zur Verfügung.
Der Container dient dem Transport der Medien von einem Arbeitsplatz zum
nächsten und ist zudem mit einem Tablett-PC ausgestattet. Diese TablettPC sind durch eine Funkverbindung (Wireless L AN) mit dem Bibliotheksnetz
verbunden und bieten ebenfalls Zugang zur Suchoberfläche der Terminals.
Es handelt sich dabei aber nicht um klassische Tablett-PCs sondern um sogenannte Thin-Clients welche eine Verbindung zum Hauptcomputer herstellen,
selber aber ohne elektronische „Intelligenz“ ausgestattet sind. Durch die
Zentrale Verwaltung der Software wird die Wartung der Geräte erheblich
verinfacht. Die Container werden durch elektromagnetische Induktion an
der Arbeitstischen mit Energie versorgt. Dadurch kann sich der Benutzer
flexibel in der Bibliothek bewegen und ist für längere Zeit auf keine externe
Stromversorgung angewiesen.
Die Arbeitsplätze selbst sind freigeformte Tische welche die Einzelarbeit
oder die Arbeit in Gruppen ermöglichen. Von einer optischen Abschirmung
in Form von Trennwänden wird Abstand genommen, da diese Maßnahme
für spontane Gruppenbildungen hinderlich ist.
Fr e i g e f o r m t e T i s c h e z u r G r u p p e n - o d e r
Einzelarbeit.
47
Visuell Taktil Akustisch Linear Intervall Gleichzeitig
Ob das Medium wirklich die Botschaft ist oder wie Dieter E. Zimmer meint
„es die pure Langeweile sei, wenn seine Botschaft nur es selbst ist“, sei
den Spekulationen der Medienphilosophen überlassen. Marshall McLuhan
trifft in seinem Buch „Das Medium ist die Botschaft“ jedenfalls ein paar
bemerkenswerte Aussagen in Bezug auf den Raum.
Er unterscheidet den Raum in den visuellen Raum, den taktilen Raum und
in den akustischen Raum. Der visuelle Raum sei der einzige der verbunden,
der ein Kontinuum sei. Der Tastsinn wäre völlig diskontinuierlich, Akustik
sei völlig diskontinuierlich, und so verhalte es sich mit allen anderen Sinnen.
„Einzig der Gesichtssinn ist kontinuierlich.“ Marshall McLuhan schreibt, ein
„akustischer Raum“ hat keinen Rand und kein Zentrum 47. Diese Aussage wird
insofern in Frage gestellt, da das Zentrum im akustischen Raum jedenfalls
der Rezipient ist und der Rand durch die entferntesten gerade noch wahrnehmbaren Geräusche definier t wird. Bewegt sich eine Geräuschquelle,
dann wird folglich ein für dieses Geräusch spezifischer „Geräuschrand“
oder „akustischer Rand“ beschrieben.
Das Talmud Projekt (1998 -1999)
David Small
Der visuelle Raum ist linear. Dabei kann das Auge immer nur eine Sache
nach der anderen erfassen und dann zu einem Ganzen zusammenfügen.
Im visuellen Raum sind die Abläufe linear und die Horizonte und Kanten
beschreiben das Wesen des Raumes. Die Geschwindigkeit im linearen Raum
ist zeitreal, der gewöhnliche Stadtraum.
Die Zeitwahrnehmung des John Franklin hingegen passiert in einem Intervall
– dem taktilen Raum. Der taktile Raum gleicht im Wesen dem einer Berührung
welche während eines (Zeit) Intervalls stattfindet. Die Geschwindigkeit im
taktilen Raum ist zeitirrelevant, die intime Beschäftigung mit einem Medium,
bei der man alles andere vergisst. Kanten und Horizonte lösen sich auf.
McLuhan (20 01), S. 23 -25
Das Talmud Projekt untersucht die gleichzeitige Darstellung von mehreren miteinand e r i n Ve r b i n dun g s te h e n d e n Tex te n. M i t
Steuerrädern kann der Leser die Darstellung
der Informationen ändern. w w w.davidsmall.
com /talmud.html [29 - 09 -20 0 6 ]
49
Zimmer (20 0 0), S. 52
47
Betrachtet man das Talmudprojekt 48 und den Hypertext als Absage an das
lineare 49 und sieht dabei alle Informationen als gleichzeitig vorhanden an, dann beschreibt der Hypertext das Wesen des akustischen Raums.
Hören kann man überall gleichzeitig, die Geschwindigkeit im akustischen
Raum ist zeitgelöst und der Raum ist körperlos.
48
48
Der Roman Ulysses vereint diese 3 Zeitwahrnehmungen. Die Erzählung verläuft
im Buch nicht ausschließlich linear. Durch im Texte eingefügte Uhrenschläge,
Mittagsböller oder beiläufige Erwähnungen über die aktuelle Uhrzeit kann
der Leser oft auf die Minute genau feststellen wann ein Ereignis stattfindet. Umgekehrt wird erst mehrere Textpassagen später klar, dass sich das
vorher erzählte Ereignis zeitgleich mit dem darauf folgenden abgespielt hat.
Treffen sich Personen, so können Ihre Monologe ineinander verschmelzen
und die Lesezeit und die Romanzeit laufen weit auseinander. Anhand einer genauen Analyse der Hinweise auf die Zeit stellt man fest, dass Joyce
den Tagesablauf des Leopold Bloom nicht lückenlos erzählt. Mehrere Male
gibt es Zeitsprünge und es gibt Bereiche im Tageslauf zu denen es keine
Geschichte gibt.
Sonnenauf- und Sonnenuntergang am 16.06.1904
08:00
02:00
Ein Kapitel = Eine Stunde
Dauer lesen je Kapitel
Dauer des Kapitels im Buch
Dauer lesen zur tatsächlichen Uhrzeit
Dauer des Kapitels zur tatsächlichen Uhrzeit
Keine Geschichte
Gegenüberstellung von Lesedauer und tatsächlicher Dauer eines Kapitels in Ulysses. Die
Erstellung dieses Diagramms wurde möglich
durch die Zeitangaben in Barger (20 0 0).
49
Die Lage der Zeitrichtigen Bibliothek oberhalb des Schienenkörpers begründet sich nicht nur in der Nutzung ungenutzter Flächen sondern auch in der
Affinität zur Geschwindigkeit, welche die Schienen verkörpern. Der lang
gestreckte Baukörper nimmt diese Geschwindigkeitsrichtung auf.
Der Zugang zur Bibliothek erfolgt über den Vorplatz des Bahnhofes. Der
Besucher sinkt aus dem Stadtraum ab, um wenig später in einer zeitgelösten
Umgebung aufzutauchen.
50
Lageplan o.M.
Ansicht von Nordwest
51
52
Blick vom Eingang in Richtung Osten. Direkt
dem Eingang gegenüber bef indet sich die
Information und Ausleihe.
Im Innenraum werden die drei genannten Geschwindigkeiten aufgenommen.
Beim Eintreffen in der Zeitrichtigen Bibliothek befindet sich der Benutzer in
einer linearen, zeitrealen Zone. Baulich kommt dies mit dem über die
Gebäudelänge hinausreichenden Magazin und der deutlich betonten Kante
entlang der Gebäudehülle zum Ausdruck. Vom Besucher weg erstreckt sich
der Raum über eine flach geneigte Ebene hinunter zur zeitirrelevanten Zone. Dieser Bereich dient als Arbeitsbereich. Da in dieser Zone der
Fußboden ohne sichtbare Kante in den Wandbereich übergeht kann die
räumliche Ausdehnung nur schwer abgeschätzt werden.
53
54
Begibt sich der Benutzer in den integrierten Körper befindet er sich in der
zeitgelösten Zone. Während dieses Zeitintervalls gibt es keinen Hinweis
auf die äußere Umgebung. Die Belichtung erfolgt durch die Verwendung
von Lichtpapier 50 , welches sämtliche einfassenden Flächen bedeckt und
den Raum in ein gleichmäßiges Licht hüllt. Auch in diesem Bereich geht
der Fußboden direkt in die Wand und diese in die Decke über. Nicht belegte Zonen dienen dem Rückzug und der individuellen Beschäftigung mit
den Medien.
Smoothlight® ist Lichtpapier, nur 0.8mm dick,
biegbar und in beliebigen Formen herstellbar.
Das Material emittier t keine Wärme und ist in
einer Länge von bis zu 30 Metern lieferbar.
Das blendfreie Licht ist in jeder gewünschten Farbe ver fügbar, die Leuchtstärke kann
geregelt werden. Smoothlight® findet derzeit
hauptsächlich Anwendung im Innenraumdesign
und in der Werbung, da das Material auch
bedruckt werden kann.
50
Die großen Seitenverglasungen sind transluzent. Diese Öffnungen bieten
keinen direkten Bezug zu außen. Eine Ausnahme bilden die Öffnungen zur
Bahnhofsseite, welche den zeitrealen Stadtraum in die Bibliothek lassen.
Technische Daten:
Dicke: 0,8mm
Länge von-bis: 3cm-30 0 0cm*
Breite von-bis: 3cm-30 0 0cm*
Biegeradius: ab 40 mm
Anschluß: 230V/ 50Hz oder 12V DC
Dimmung: 5 -10 0%
Wellenlänge: 420 – 605 nm
Betriebstemperatur: - 40° bis + 45°
Helligkeitsgleichmäßigkeit: 95 %
Schut zklasse: I
Schut zar t: IP44
Beleuchtungsstärke: 29 0 lx
mittlere Lebensdauer: 250 0 0 Stunden
durchschnittlicher Stromverbrauch: 23W/m²
[aus: Kamo (20 0 6)]
55
1
2
3
4
5
6
6
Eingangsbereich
Information und Ausleihe
Arbeitsbereich Mitarbeiter
Arbeitsbereich Benut zer
Zeitgelöster Arbeitsbereich
Zeitreale Bereiche mit Terminals
6
6
6
4
4
B
2
1
3
A
2
1
3
B
6
5
A
6
5
6
6
6
6
Grundriss M. 1:50 0
�
�
�
56
��
�
��
��
��
��
��
Schnitt A _ A o.M.
1
2
3
1
2
3
Magazin
Zeitgelöster Arbeitsbereich
Fensteröf fnung
Schnitt B _ B M. 1:20 0
57
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Zimmer, Dieter E. (1999): „Das große Datensterben“. In: ZEIT online - Wissen:
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ABBILDUNGSVERZEICHNIS
Seite 6 / 7: 3Genial. Alles um 0 Cent
Screencap ORF Werbeblock, Drei Telekomunikations GmbH
Seite 12 /13: Drucklettern
w w w.photocase.de
Seite 28 : Lageplan Bahnhof
http://www.oebb.at/vip8/pv/de/Rund_ums_Reisen/Autoreisezug/ARZ_ Anfahrtsplaene/Download_
PDF/ Feldkirch.pdf
Seite 34 : Eadweard Muybrigde, Galoppierendes Pferd
http://w w w.cs.brown.edu /courses /cs024 /imagesTechnology.html
Seite 35: WINTERGAMES, 1985 Epix Inc.
http://perso.numericable.fr/ ~ckckck / C6 4 / Games / Winter_Games.gif
Seite 36 : Gustave Caillebotte „Rue de paris, Temps de Pluie“
http://w w w.ibiblio.org /wm /paint /auth /caillebotte /rainy.jpg
Seite 37: Peter Greenaway „G - is for a Good Shave“
Screencap “Inside Rooms: 26 Bathrooms, London & Oxfordshire, 1985”, 26 min.
Seite 48 : David Small “The Talmud Project”
http://w w w.davidsmall.com /talmud.html
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ICH DANKE
Volker Giencke
Reinhardt Honold
Volker Miklautz
Karlheinz Albrecht, Leiter Stadtbibliothek Feldkirch
Hans Gruber, Leiter der Bibliothek FH Dornbirn
Simon Kuenz, ÖBB
Alfred Pfoser, Leiter der Büchereien Wien
Rupert Becker
Gregor Hillbrand
Frank Hartmann
Arnold Jenni
Tobias Jenni
Markus Lins
Meinen Eltern
Meiner Frau Gaby
Meinen Kindern Gregor und Kristina
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Druck:
prof fice printing solutions, Göt zis
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