MARION’S VOICE
(hoarsely, sweetly, rising to her throat) O! Weeshwashtkissinapoo -->isthnapoohuck?
BLOOM
(his eyes wildly dilated, clasps himself) Show! Hide! Show! Plough her! More! Shoot!
BELLA, ZOE, FLORRY, KITTY
Ho ho! Ha ha! Hee hee!
LYNCH
(points) The mirror up to nature. (he laughs) Hu hu hu hu hu!
(Stephen and Bloom gaze in the mirror. The face of William Shakespeare, beardless, appears there, rigid in facial paralysis, crowned by the reflection of the reindeer antlered hatrack in the hall.)
SHAKESPEARE
(in dignified ventriloquy) ’Tis the loud laugh bespeaks the vacant mind. (to Bloom) Thou thoughtest as how thou wastest invisible. Gaze. (he crows with a black capon’s laugh) Iagogo! How my Oldfellow chokit his Thursdaymornun. Iagogogo!
BLOOM
(smiles yellowly at the three whores) When will I hear the joke?
ZOE
Before you’re twice married and once a widower.
BLOOM
Lapses are condoned. Even the great Napoleon when measurements were taken next the skin after his death …
(Mrs Dignam, widow woman, her snubnose and cheeks flushed with deathtalk, tears and Tunney’s tawny sherry, hurries by in her weeds, her bonnet awry, rouging and powdering her cheeks, lips and nose, a pen chivvying her brood of cygnets. Beneath her skirt appear her late husband’s everyday trousers and turnedup boots, large eights. She holds a Scottish Widows’ insurance policy and a large marquee umbrella under which her brood run with her, Patsy hopping on one shod foot, his collar loose, a hank of porksteaks dangling, Freddy whimpering, Susy with a crying cod’s mouth, Alice struggling with the baby. She cuffs them on, her streamers flaunting aloft.)
FREDDY
Ah, ma, you’re dragging me along!
SUSY
Mamma, the beeftea is fizzing over!
SHAKESPEARE
(with paralytic rage) Weda seca whokilla farst.
(The face of Martin Cunningham, bearded, refeatures Shakespeare’s beardless face. The marquee umbrella sways drunkenly, the children run aside. Under the umbrella appears Mrs Cunningham in merry widow hat and kimono gown. She glides sidling and bowing, twirling japanesily.)
MRS CUNNINGHAM
(sings)
And they call me the jewel of Asia!
MARTIN CUNNINGHAM
(gazes on her, impassive) Immense! Most bloody awful demirep!
STEPHEN
Et exaltabuntur cornua iusti. Queens lay with prize bulls. Remember Pasiphae for whose lust my grandoldgrossfather made the first confessionbox. Forget not Madam Grissel Steevens nor the suine scions of the house of Lambert. And Noah was drunk with wine. And his ark was open.
BELLA
None of that here. Come to the wrong shop.
LYNCH
Let him alone. He’s back from Paris.
ZOE
(runs to Stephen and links him) O go on! Give us some parleyvoo.
(Stephen claps hat on head and leaps over to the fireplace where he stands with shrugged shoulders, finny hands outspread, a painted smile on his face.)
LYNCH
(pommelling on the sofa) Rmm Rmm Rmm Rrrrrrmmmm.
STEPHEN
(gabbles with marionette jerks) Thousand places of entertainment to expense your evenings with lovely ladies saling gloves and other things perhaps hers heart beerchops perfect fashionable house very eccentric where lots cocottes beautiful dressed much about princesses like are dancing cancan and walking there parisian clowneries extra foolish for bachelors foreigns the same if talking a poor english how much smart they are on things love and sensations voluptuous. Misters very selects for is pleasure must to visit heaven and hell show with mortuary candles and they tears silver which occur every night. Perfectly shocking terrific of religion’s things mockery seen in universal world. All chic womans which arrive full of modesty then disrobe and squeal loud to see vampire man debauch nun very fresh young with dessous troublants. (he clacks his tongue loudly) Ho, la la! Ce pif qu’il a!
LYNCH
Vive le vampire!
THE WHORES
Bravo! Parleyvoo!
STEPHEN
(with head back, laughs loudly, clapping himself grimacing) Great success of laughing. Angels much prostitutes like and holy apostles big damn ruffians. Demimondaines nicely handsome sparkling of diamonds very amiable costumed. Or do you are fond better what belongs they moderns pleasure turpitude of old mans? (he points about him with grotesque gestures which Lynch and the whores reply to) Caoutchouc statue woman reversible or lifesize tompeeptom of virgins nudities very lesbic the kiss five ten times. Enter, gentleman, to see in mirror every positions trapezes all that machine there besides also if desire act awfully bestial butcher’s boy pollutes in warm veal liver or omlet on the belly piece de Shakespeare.
BELLA
(clapping her belly sinks back on the sofa, with a shout of laughter) An omelette on the …. Ho! ho! ho! ho! … omelette on the ….
STEPHEN
(mincingly) I love you, sir darling. Speak you englishman tongue for double entente cordiale. O yes, mon loup. How much cost? Waterloo. Watercloset. (he ceases suddenly and holds up a forefinger)
