Ulysses

stained inverness cape, bent in two from incredible age, totters across the room, his hands fluttering. He sits tinily on the piano stool and lifts and beats handless sticks of arms on the keyboard, nodding with damsel’s grace, his bowknot bobbing. Zoe Twirls around herself, heeltapping. Dance. Anybody here for there? Who’ll dance? The pianola, with changing lights plays in waltz time the prelude of My Girl’s a Yorkshire Girl. Stephen throws his ashplant on the table and seizes Zoe around the waist. Florry and Bella push the table towards the fireplace. Stephen, arming Zoe with exaggerated grace, begins to waltz her around the room. Her sleeve, falling from gracing arms, reveals a white fleshflower of vaccination. Bloom stands aside. Between the curtains, Professor Maginni inserts a leg on the toepoint of which spins a silk hat. With a deft kick, he sends it spinning to his crown and jauntyhatted skates in. He wears a slate frockcoat with claret silk lapels, a gorget of cream tulle, a green lowcut waistcoat, stock collar with white kerchief, tight lavender trousers, patent pumps and canary gloves. In his buttonhole is a dahlia. He twirls in reversed directions a clouded cane, then wedges it tight in his oxter. He places a hand limply on his breastbone, bows and fondles his flower and buttons. Maginni The poetry of motion, art of calisthenics. No connection with Madam Legget Byrne’s or Levinstone’s. Fancy dress balls arranged. Deportment. The Katty Lanner steps. So. Watch me! My terpsichorean abilities. He minuets forward three paces on tripping bee’s feet. Tout le monde en avant! Reverence! Tout le monde en place! The prelude ceases. Professor Goodwin, beating vague arms, shrivels, shrinks, his live cape falling about the stool. The air, in firmer waltz time, pounds. Stephen and Zoe circle freely. The lights change, glow, fade, gold, rose, violet. The Pianola Two young fellows were talking about their girls, girls, girls,
Sweethearts they’d left behind⁠ ⁠… From a corner the morning hours run out, goldhaired, slim, in girlish blue, waspwaisted, with innocent hands. Nimbly they dance, twirling their skipping ropes. The hours of noon follow in amber gold. Laughing linked, high haircombs flashing, they catch the sun in mocking mirrors, lifting their arms. Maginni Clipclaps glovesilent hands. Carré! Avant deux! Breathe evenly! Balance! The morning and noon hours waltz in their places, turning, advancing to each other, shaping their curves, bowing vis a vis. Cavaliers behind them arch and suspend their arms, with hands descending to, touching, rising from their shoulders. Hours You may touch my⁠ ⁠… Cavaliers May I touch your? Hours O, but lightly! Cavaliers O, so lightly! The Pianola

My little shy little lass has a waist.

Zoe and Stephen turn boldly with looser swing. The twilight hours advance, from long landshadows, dispersed, lagging, languideyed, their cheeks delicate with cipria and false faint bloom. They are in grey gauze with dark bat sleeves that flutter in the land breeze. Maginni Avant huit! Traversé! Salut! Cours de mains! Croisé! The night hours steal to the last place. Morning, noon and twilight hours retreat before them. They are masked, with daggered hair and bracelets of dull bells. Weary, they curchycurchy under veils. The Bracelets Heigho! Heigho! Zoe Twisting, her hand to her brow. O! Maginni Les tiroirs! Chaîne de dames! La corbeille! Dos à dos! Arabesquing wearily, they weave a pattern on the floor, weaving, unweaving, curtseying, twisting, simply swirling. Zoe I’m giddy. She frees herself, droops on a chair, Stephen seizes Florry and turns with her. Maginni Boulangère! Les ronds! Les ponts! Chevaux de bois! Escargots! Twining, receding, with interchanging hands, the night hours link, each with arching arms, in a mosaic of movements. Stephen and Florry turn cumbrously. Maginni Dansez avec vos dames! Changez de dames! Donnez le petit bouquet à votre dame! Remerciez! The Pianola

Best, best of all,
Baraabum!

Kitty Jumps up. O, they played that on the hobbyhorses at the Mirus bazaar! She runs to Stephen. He leaves Florry brusquely and seizes Kitty. A screaming bittern’s harsh high whistle shrieks. Groangrousegurgling Toft’s cumbersome whirligig turns slowly the room right roundabout the room. The Pianola My girl’s a Yorkshire girl. Zoe

Yorkshire through and through.

Come on all!

She seizes Florry and waltzes her. Stephen Pas seul! He wheels Kitty into Lynch’s arm’s, snatches up his ashplant from the table and takes the floor. All wheel, whirl, waltz, twirl. Bloombella, Kittylynch, Florryzoe, jujuby women. Stephen with hat ashplant frogsplits in middle highkicks with skykicking mouth shut hand clasp part under thigh, with clang tinkle boomhammer tallyho hornblower blue green yellow flashes. Toft’s cumbersome turns with hobbyhorse riders from gilded snakes dangled, bowels fandango leaping spurn soil foot and fall again. The Pianola

Though she’s a factory lass
And wears no fancy clothes.

Closeclutched swift swifter with glareblareflare scudding they scotlootshoot lumbering by. Baraabum! Tutti Encore! Bis! Bravo! Encore! Simon Think of your mother’s people! Stephen Dance of death. Bang fresh barang bang of lacquey’s bell, horse, nag, steer, piglings Conmee on Christass lame crutch and leg sailor in cockboat armfolded ropepulling hitching stamp hornpipe through and through, Baraabum! On nags, hogs, bellhorses, Gadarene swine, Corny in coffin. Steel shark stone onehandled Nelson, two trickies Frauenzimmer plumstained from pram falling bawling. Gum, he’s a champion. Fuseblue peer from barrel rev. evensong Love on hackney jaunt Blazes blind coddoubled bicyclers Dilly with snowcake no fancy clothes. Then in last wiswitchback lumbering up and down bump mashtub sort of viceroy and reine relish for tublumber bumpshire rose. Baraabum! The couples fall aside. Stephen whirls giddily. Room whirls back. Eyes closed, he totters. Red rails fly spacewards. Stars all around suns turn roundabout. Bright midges dance on wall. He stops dead. Stephen Ho! Stephen’s mother, emaciated, rises stark through the floor in leper grey