第1章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Ulysses(尤利西斯)",免费读到尾

  STATELY,PLUMPBUCKMULLIGANCAMEFROMTHESTAIRHEAD,bearingabowloflatheronwhichamirrorandarazorlaycrossed。Ayellowdressinggown,ungirdled,wassustainedgently-behindhimbythemildmorningair。Heheldthebowlaloftandintoned:——

  IntroiboadaltareDei。

  Halted,hepeereddownthedarkwindingstairsandcalledupcoarsely:——

  Comeup,Kinch。Comeup,youfearfuljesuit。

  Solemnlyhecameforwardandmountedtheroundgunrest。Hefacedaboutandblessedgravelythricethetower,thesurroundingcountryandtheawakingmountains。Then,catchingsightofStephenDedalus,hebenttowardshimandmaderapidcrossesintheair,gurglinginhisthroatandshakinghishead。StephenDedalus,displeasedandsleepy,leanedhisarmsonthetopofthestaircaseandlookedcoldlyattheshakinggurglingfacethatblessedhim,equineinitslength,andatthelightuntonsuredhair,grainedandhuedlikepaleoak。

  BuckMulliganpeepedaninstantunderthemirrorandthencoveredthebowlsmartly——

  Backtobarracks,hesaidsternly。

  Headdedinapreacher’stone:——

  Forthis,Odearlybeloved,isthegenuineChristine:bodyandsoulandbloodandouns。Slowmusic,please。Shutyoureyes,gents。Onemoment。Alittletroubleaboutthosewhitecorpuscles。Silence,all。

  Hepeeredsidewaysupandgavealonglowwhistleofcall,thenpausedawhileinraptattention,hisevenwhiteteethglisteninghereandtherewithgoldpoints。Chrysostomos。Twostrongshrillwhistlesansweredthroughthecalm——

  Thanks,oldchap,hecriedbriskly。Thatwilldonicely。Switchoffthecurrent,willyou?

  Heskippedoffthegunrestandlookedgravelyathiswatcher,gatheringabouthislegstheloosefoldsofhisgown。Theplumpshadowedfaceandsullenovaljowlrecalledaprelate,patronofartsinthemiddleages。Apleasantsmilebrokequietlyoverhislips——

  Themockeryofit,hesaidgaily。Yourabsurdname,anancientGreek。

  Hepointedhisfingerinfriendlyjestandwentovertotheparapet,laughingtohimself。StephenDedalussteppedup,followedhimwearilyhalfwayandsatdownontheedgeofthegunrest,watchinghimstillasheproppedhismirrorontheparapet,dippedthebrushinthebowlandlatheredcheeksandneck。

  BuckMulligan’sgayvoicewenton——

  Mynameisabsurdtoo:MalachiMulligan,twodactyls。ButithasaHellenicring,hasn’tit?Trippingandsunnylikethebuckhimself。WemustgotoAthens。WillyoucomeifIcangettheaunttoforkouttwentyquid?

  Helaidthebrushasideand,laughingwithdelight,cried:——

  Willhecome?Thejejunejesuit。

  Ceasing,hebegantoshavewithcare——

  Tellme,Mulligan,Stephensaidquietly——

  Yes,mylove?——

  HowlongisHainesgoingtostayinthistower?

  BuckMulliganshowedashavencheekoverhisrightshoulder——

  God,isn’thedreadful?hesaidfrankly。AponderousSaxon。Hethinksyou’renotagentleman。God,thesebloodyEnglish。Burstingwithmoneyandindigestion。BecausehecomesfromOxford。Youknow,Dedalus;youhavetherealOxfordmanner。Hecan’tmakeyouout。O,mynameforyouisthebest:Kinch,theknife-blade。

  Heshavedwarilyoverhischin——

  Hewasravingallnightaboutablackpanther,Stephensaid。Whereishisguncase?——

  Awofullunatic,Mulligansaid。Wereyouinafunk?——

  Iwas,Stephensaidwithenergyandgrowingfear。OuthereinthedarkwithamanIdon’tknowravingandmoaningtohimselfaboutshootingablackpanther。Yousavedmenfromdrowning。I’mnotahero,however。IfhestaysonhereIamoff。

  BuckMulliganfrownedatthelatheronhisrazorblade。Hehoppeddownfromhisperchandbegantosearchhistrouserpocketshastily——

  Scutter,hecriedthickly。

  Hecameovertothegunrestand,thrustingahandintoStephen’supperpocket,said:——

  Lendusaloanofyournoseragtowipemyrazor。

  Stephensufferedhimtopulloutandholduponshowbyitscorneradirtycrumpledhandkerchief。BuckMulliganwipedtherazorbladeneatly。Then,gazingoverthehandkerchief,hesaid:——

  Thebard’snoserag。AnewartcolourforourIrishpoets:snotgreen。Youcanalmosttasteit,can’tyou?

  HemountedtotheparapetagainandgazedoutoverDublinbay,hisfairoakpalehairstirringslightly——

  God,hesaidquietly。Isn’ttheseawhatAlgycallsit:agreysweetmother?Thesnotgreensea。Thescrotumtighteningsea。Epioinopaponton。Ah,Dedalus,theGreeks。Imustteachyou。Youmustreadthemintheoriginal。Thalatta!Thalatta!Sheisourgreatsweetmother。Comeandlook。

  Stephenstoodupandwentovertotheparapet。LeaningonithelookeddownonthewaterandonthemailboatclearingtheharbourmouthofKingstown——

  Ourmightymother,BuckMulligansaid。

  HeturnedabruptlyhisgreatsearchingeyesfromtheseatoStephen’sface——

  Theauntthinksyoukilledyourmother,hesaid。That’swhyshewon’tletmehaveanythingtodowithyou——

  Someonekilledher,Stephensaidgloomily——

  Youcouldhavekneltdown,damnit,Kinch,whenyourdyingmotheraskedyou,BuckMulligansaid。I’mhyperboreanasmuchasyou。Buttothinkofyourmotherbeggingyouwithherlastbreathtokneeldownandprayforher。Andyourefused。Thereissomethingsinisterinyou。

  Hebrokeoffandlatheredagainlightlyhisfarthercheek。Atolerantsmilecurledhislips——

  Butalovelymummer,hemurmuredtohimself。Kinch,theloveliestmummerofthemall。

  Heshavedevenlyandwithcare,insilence,seriously。

  Stephen,anelbowrestedonthejaggedgranite,leanedhispalmagainsthisbrowandgazedatthefrayingedgeofhisshinyblackcoat-sleeve。Pain,thatwasnotyetthepainoflove,frettedhisheart。Silently,inadreamshehadcometohimafterherdeath,herwastedbodywithinitsloosebrowngrave-clothesgivingoffanodourofwaxandrosewood,herbreath,thathadbentuponhim,mute,reproachful,afaintodourofwettedashes。Acrossthethreadbarecuffedgehesawtheseahailedasagreatsweetmotherbythewell-fedvoicebesidehim。Theringofbayandskylineheldadullgreenmassofliquid。Abowlofwhitechinahadstoodbesideherdeathbedholdingthegreensluggishbilewhichshehadtornupfromherrottingliverbyfitsofloudgroaningvomiting。

  BuckMulliganwipedagainhisrazorblade——

  Ah,poordogsbody,hesaidinakindvoice。Imustgiveyouashirtandfewnoserags。Howarethesecondhandbreeks?——

  Theyfitwellenough,Stephenanswered。

  BuckMulliganattackedthehollowbeneathhisunderlip——

  Themockeryofit,hesaidcontentedly,secondlegtheyshouldbe。Godknowswhatpoxybowsyleftthemoff。Ihavealovelypairwithahairstripe,grey。You’lllookspiffinginthem。I’mnotjoking,Kinch。Youlookdamnwellwhenyou’redressed——

  Thanks,Stephensaid。Ican’twearthemiftheyaregrey——

  Hecan’twearthem,BuckMulligantoldhisfaceinthemirror。Etiquetteisetiquette。Hekillshismotherbuthecan’tweargreytrousers。

  Hefoldedhisrazorneatlyandwithstrokingpalpsoffingersfeltthesmoothskin。

  Stephenturnedhisgazefromtheseaandtotheplumpfacewithitssmokebluemobileeyes——

  ThatfellowIwaswithintheShiplastnight,saidBuckMulligan,saysyouhaveg。p。i。He’supinDottyvillewithConollyNorman。Generalparalysisoftheinsane。

  Hesweptthemirrorahalfcircleintheairtoflashthetidingsabroadinsunlightnowradiantonthesea。Hiscurlingshavenlipslaughedandtheedgesofhiswhiteglitteringteeth。Laughterseizedallhisstrongwellknittrunk——

  Lookatyourself,hesaid,youdreadfulbard。

  Stephenbentforwardandpeeredatthemirrorheldouttohim,cleftbyacrookedcrack,haironend。Asheandothersseeme。Whochosethisfaceforme?Thisdogsbodytoridofvermin。Itasksmetoo——

  Ipincheditoutoftheskivvy’sroom,BuckMulligansaid。Itdoesherallright。Theauntalwayskeepsplain-lookingservantsforMalachi。Leadhimnotintotemptation。AndhernameisUrsula。

  Laughingagain,hebroughtthemirrorawayfromStephen’speeringeyes——

  TherageofCalibanatnotseeinghisfaceinamirror,hesaid。IfWildewereonlyalivetoseeyou。

  Drawingbackandpointing,Stephensaidwithbitterness:——

  ItisasymbolofIrishart。ThecrackedlookingglassofaBuckMulligansuddenlylinkedhisarminStephen’sandwalkedwithhimroundthetower,hisrazorandmirrorclackinginthepocketwherehehadthrustthem——

  It’snotfairtoteaseyoulikethat,Kinch,isit?hesaidkindly。Godknowsyouhavemorespiritthananyofthem。

  Parriedagain。HefearsthelancetofmyartasIfearthatofhis。Thecoldsteelpen——

  Crackedlookingglassofaservant。Tellthattotheoxychapdownstairsandtouchhimforaguinea。He’sstinkingwithmoneyandthinksyou’renotagentleman。HisoldfellowmadehistinbysellingjalaptoZulusorsomebloodyswindleorother。God,Kinch,ifyouandIcouldonlyworktogetherwemightdosomethingfortheisland。Helleniseit。

  Cranly’sarm。Hisarm——

  Andtothinkofyourhavingtobegfromtheseswine。I’mtheonlyonethatknowswhatyouare。Whydon’tyoutrustmemore?Whathaveyouupyournoseagainstme?IsitHaines?IfhemakesanynoisehereI’llbringdownSeymourandwe’llgivehimaraggingworsethantheygaveCliveKempthorpe。

  YoungshoutsofmoneyedvoicesinCliveKempthorpe’srooms。Palefaces:theyholdtheirribswithlaughter,oneclaspinganother,O,Ishallexpire!Breakthenewstohergently,Aubrey!Ishalldie!Withslitribbonsofhisshirtwhippingtheairhehopsandhobblesroundthetable,withtrousersdownatheels,chasedbyAdesofMagdalenwiththetailor’sshears。Ascaredcalf’sfacegildedwithmarmalade。Idon’twanttobedebagged!Don’tyouplaythegiddyoxwithme!

  Shoutsfromtheopenwindowstartlingeveninginthequadrangle。Adeafgardener,aproned,maskedwithMatthewArnold’sface,pusheshismoweronthesombrelawnwatchingnarrowlythedancingmotesofgrasshalms。

  Toourselves……newpaganism……omphalos——

  Lethimstay,Stephensaid。There’snothingwrongwithhimexceptatnight——

  Thenwhatisit?BuckMulliganaskedimpatiently。Coughitup。I’mquitefrankwithyou。Whathaveyouagainstmenow?

  Theyhalted,lookingtowardsthebluntcapeofBrayHeadthatlayonthewaterlikethesnoutofasleepingwhale。Stephenfreedhisarmquietly——

  Doyouwishmetotellyou?heasked——

  Yes,whatisit?BuckMulligananswered。Idon’trememberanything。

  HelookedinStephen’sfaceashespoke。Alightwindpassedhisbrow,fanningsoftlyhisfairuncombedhairandstirringsilverpointsofanxietyinhiseyes。

  Stephen,depressedbyhisownvoice,said:——

  DoyourememberthefirstdayIwenttoyourhouseaftermymother’sdeath?

  BuckMulliganfrownedquicklyandsaid:——

  What?Where?Ican’trememberanything。Irememberonlyideasandsensations。Why?WhathappenedinthenameofGod?——

  Youweremakingtea,Stephensaid,andIwentacrossthelandingtogetmorehotwater。Yourmotherandsomevisitorcameoutofthedrawingroom。Sheaskedyouwhowasinyourroom——

  Yes?BuckMulligansaid。WhatdidIsay?Iforget——

  Yousaid,Stephenanswered,O,it’sonlyDedaluswhosemotherisbeastlydead。

  AflushwhichmadehimseemyoungerandmoreengagingrosetoBuckMulligan’scheek——

  DidIsaythat?heasked。Well?Whatharmisthat?

  Heshookhisconstraintfromhimnervously——

  Andwhatisdeath,heasked,yourmother’soryoursormyown?Yousawonlyyourmotherdie。IseethempopoffeverydayintheMaterandRichmondandcutupintotripesinthedissectingroom。It’sabeastlythingandnothingelse。Itsimplydoesn’tmatter。Youwouldn’tkneeldowntoprayforyourmotheronherdeathbedwhensheaskedyou。Why?Becauseyouhavethecursedjesuitstraininyou,onlyit’sinjectedthewrongway。Tomeit’sallamockeryandbeastly。Hercerebrallobesarenotfunctioning。ShecallsthedoctorSirPeterTeazleandpicksbuttercupsoffthequilt。Humourhertillit’sover。YoucrossedherlastwishindeathandyetyousulkwithmebecauseIdon’twhingelikesomehiredmutefromLalouette’s。Absurd!IsupposeIdidsayit。Ididn’tmeantooffendthememoryofyourmother。

  Hehadspokenhimselfintoboldness。Stephen,shieldingthegapingwoundswhichthewordshadleftinhisheart,saidverycoldly:——

  Iamnotthinkingoftheoffencetomymother——

  Ofwhat,then?BuckMulliganasked——

  Oftheoffencetome,Stephenanswered。

  BuckMulliganswungroundonhisheel——

  O,animpossibleperson!heexclaimed。

  Hewalkedoffquicklyroundtheparapet。Stephenstoodathispost,gazingoverthecalmseatowardstheheadland。Seaandheadlandnowgrewdim。Pulseswerebeatinginhiseyes,veilingtheirsight,andhefeltthefeverofhischeeks。

  Avoicewithinthetowercalledloudly:——

  Areyouupthere,Mulligan?——

  I’mcoming,BuckMulligananswered。

  HeturnedtowardsStephenandsaid:——

  Lookatthesea。Whatdoesitcareaboutoffences?ChuckLoyola,Kinch,andcomeondown。TheSassenachwantshismorningrashers。

  Hisheadhaltedagainforamomentatthetopofthestaircase,levelwiththeroof——

  Don’tmopeoveritallday,hesaid。I’minconsequent。Giveupthemoodybrooding。

  Hisheadvanishedbutthedroneofhisdescendingvoiceboomedoutofthestairhead:

  Andnomoreturnasideandbrood

  Uponlove’sbittermystery

  ForFergusrulesthebrazencars。

  Woodshadowsfloatedsilentlybythroughthemorningpeacefromthestairheadseawardwherehegazed。Inshoreandfartheroutthemirrorofwaterwhitened,spurnedbylightshodhurryingfeet。Whitebreastofthedimsea。Thetwiningstresses,twobytwo。Ahandpluckingtheharpstringsmergingtheirtwiningchords。Wavewhiteweddedwordsshimmeringonthedimtide。

  Acloudbegantocoverthesunslowly,shadowingthebayindeepergreen。Itlaybehindhim,abowlofbitterwaters。Fergus’song:Isangitaloneinthehouse,holdingdownthelongdarkchords。Herdoorwasopen:shewantedtohearmymusic。SilentwithaweandpityIwenttoherbedside。Shewascryinginherwretchedbed。Forthosewords,Stephen:love’sbittermystery。

  Wherenow?

  Hersecrets:oldfeatherfans,tasselleddancecards,powderedwithmusk,agaudofamberbeadsinherlockeddrawer。Abirdcagehunginthesunnywindowofherhousewhenshewasagirl。SheheardoldRoycesinginthepantomimeofTurkotheterribleandlaughedwithotherswhenhesang:

  Iamtheboy

  Thatcanenjoy

  Invisibility。

  Phantasmalmirth,foldedaway:muskperfumed。

  Andnomoreturnasideandbrood

  Foldedawayinthememoryofnaturewithhertoys。Memoriesbesethisbroodingbrain。Herglassofwaterfromthekitchentapwhenshehadapproachedthesacrament。Acoredapple,filledwithbrownsugar,roastingforheratthehobonadarkautumnevening。Hershapelyfingernailsreddenedbythebloodofsquashedlicefromthechildren’sshirts。

  Inadream,silently,shehadcometohim,herwastedbodywithinitsloosegraveclothesgivingoffanodourofwaxandrosewood,herbreathbentoverhimwithmutesecretwords,afaintodourofwettedashes。

  Herglazingeyes,staringoutofdeath,toshakeandbendmysoul。Onmealone。Theghostcandletolightheragony。Ghostlylightonthetorturedface。Herhoarseloudbreathrattlinginhorror,whileallprayedontheirknees。Hereyesonmetostrikemedown。Liliatarutilantiumteconfessorumturmacircumdet:iubilantiumtevirginumchorusexcipiat。

  Ghoul!Chewerofcorpses!

  Nomother。Letmebeandletmelive——

  Kinchahoy!

  BuckMulligan’svoicesangfromwithinthetower。Itcamenearerupthestaircase,callingagain。Stephen,stilltremblingathissoul’scry,heardwarmrunningsunlightandintheairbehindhimfriendlywords——

  Dedalus,comedown,likeagoodmosey。Breakfastisready。Hainesisapologizingforwakinguslastnight。It’sallright——

  I’mcoming,Stephensaid,turning——

  Do,forJesus’sake,BuckMulligansaid。Formysakeandforalloursakes。

  Hisheaddisappearedandreappeared——

  ItoldhimyoursymbolofIrishart。Hesaysit’sveryclever。Touchhimforaquid,willyou?Aguinea,Imean——

  Igetpaidthismorning,Stephensaid——

  Theschoolkip?BuckMulligansaid。Howmuch?Fourquid?Lendusone——

  Ifyouwantit,Stephensaid——

  Fourshiningsovereigns,BuckMulligancriedwithdelight。We’llhaveagloriousdrunktoastonishthedruidydruids。Fouromnipotentsovereigns。

  Heflunguphishandsandtrampeddownthestonestairs,singingoutoftunewithaCockneyaccent:

  O,won’twehaveamerrytime

  Drinkingwhisky,beerandwine,

  Oncoronation,

  Coronationday?

  O,won’twehaveamerrytime

  Oncoronationday?

  Warmsunshinemerryingoverthesea。Thenickelshaving-bowlshone,forgotten,ontheparapet。WhyshouldIbringitdown?Orleaveitthereallday,forgottenfriendship?

  Hewentovertoit,helditinhishandsawhile,feelingitscoolness,smellingtheclammyslaverofthelatherinwhichthebrushwasstuck。SoIcarriedtheboatofincensethenatClongowes。Iamanothernowandyetthesame。Aservanttoo。Aserverofaservant。

  InthegloomydomedlivingroomofthetowerBuckMulligan’sgownedformmovedbrisklyaboutthehearthtoandfro,hidingandrevealingitsyellowglow。Twoshaftsofsoftdaylightfellacrosstheflaggedfloorfromthehighbarbicans:andatthemeetingoftheirraysacloudofcoalsmokeandfumesoffriedgreasefloated,turning——

  We’llbechoked,BuckMulligansaid。Haines,openthatdoor,willyou?

  Stephenlaidtheshavingbowlonthelocker。Atallfigurerosefromthehammockwhereithadbeensitting,wenttothedoorwayandpulledopentheinnerdoors——

  Haveyouthekey?avoiceasked——

  Dedalushasit,BuckMulligansaid。JaneyMack,I’mchoked。Hehowledwithoutlookingupfromthefire:——

  Kinch!——

  It’sinthelock,Stephensaid,comingforward。

  Thekeyscrapedroundharshlytwiceand,whentheheavydoorhadbeensetajar,welcomelightandbrightairentered。Hainesstoodatthedoorway,lookingout。Stephenhaledhisupendedvalisetothetableandsatdowntowait。BuckMulligantossedthefryontothedishbesidehim。Thenhecarriedthedishandalargeteapotovertothetable,setthemdownheavilyandsighedwithrelief——

  I’mmelting,hesaid,asthecandleremarkedwhen。

  Buthush。Notawordmoreonthatsubject。Kinch,wakeup。Bread,butter,honey。Haines,comein。Thegrubisready。Blessus,OLord,andthesethygifts。Where’sthesugar?O,jay,there’snomilk。

  Stephenfetchedtheloafandthepotofhoneyandthebuttercoolerfromthelocker。BuckMulligansatdowninasuddenpet——

  Whatsortofakipisthis?hesaid。Itoldhertocomeaftereight——

  Wecandrinkitblack,Stephensaid。There’salemoninthelocker——

  O,damnyouandyourParisfads,BuckMulligansaid。IwantSandycovemilk。

  Hainescameinfromthedoorwayandsaidquietly:——

  Thatwomaniscomingupwiththemilk——

  TheblessingsofGodonyou,BuckMulligancried,jumpingupfromhischair。Sitdown。Pourouttheteathere。Thesugarisinthebag。Here,Ican’tgofumblingatthedamnedeggs。Hehackedthroughthefryonthedishandslappeditoutonthreeplates,saying:——

  InnominePatrisetFiliietSpiritusSancti。

  Hainessatdowntopouroutthetea——

  I’mgivingyoutwolumpseach,hesaid。But,Isay,Mulligan,youdomakestrongtea,don’tyou?

  BuckMulligan,hewingthickslicesfromtheloaf,saidinanoldwoman’swheedlingvoice:——

  WhenImakesteaImakestea,asoldmotherGrogansaid。AndwhenImakeswaterImakeswater——

  ByJove,itistea,Hainessaid。

  BuckMulliganwentonhewingandwheedling:——

  SoIdo,MrsCahill,saysshe。Begob,ma’am,saysMrsCahill,Godsendyoudon’tmakethemintheonepot。

  Helungedtowardshismessmatesinturnathicksliceofbread,impaledonhisknife——

  That’sfolk,hesaidveryearnestly,foryourbook,Haines。FivelinesoftextandtenpagesofnotesaboutthefolkandthefishgodsofDundrum。Printedbytheweirdsistersintheyearofthebigwind。

  HeturnedtoStephenandaskedinafinepuzzledvoice,liftinghisbrows:——

  Canyourecall,brother,ismotherGrogan’steaandwaterpotspokenofintheMabinogionorisitintheUpanishads?——

  Idoubtit,saidStephengravely——

  Doyounow?BuckMulligansaidinthesametone。Yourreasons,pray?——

  Ifancy,Stephensaidasheate,itdidnotexistinoroutoftheMabinogion。MotherGroganwas,oneimagines,akinswomanofMaryAnn。

  BuckMulligan’sfacesmiledwithdelight——

  Charming,hesaidinafinicalsweetvoice,showinghiswhiteteethandblinkinghiseyespleasantly。Doyouthinkshewas?Quitecharming。

  Then,suddenlyovercloudingallhisfeatures,hegrowledinahoarsenedraspingvoiceashehewedagainvigorouslyattheloaf:——

  ForoldMaryAnn

  Shedoesn’tcareadamn,

  But,hisingupherpetticoats……

  Hecrammedhismouthwithfryandmunchedanddroned。

  Thedoorwaywasdarkenedbyanenteringform——

  Themilk,sir——

  Comein,ma’am,Mulligansaid。Kinch,getthejug。

  AnoldwomancameforwardandstoodbyStephen’selbow——

  That’salovelymorning,sir,shesaid。GlorybetoGod——

  Towhom?Mulligansaid,glancingather。Ah,tobesure。Stephenreachedbackandtookthemilkjugfromthelocker——

  Theislanders,MulligansaidtoHainescasually,speakfrequentlyofthecollectorofprepuces——

  Howmuch,sir?askedtheoldwoman——

  Aquart,Stephensaid。

  Hewatchedherpourintothemeasureandthenceintothejugrichwhitemilk,nothers。Oldshrunkenpaps。Shepouredagainameasurefulandatilly。Oldandsecretshehadenteredfromamorningworld,maybeamessenger。Shepraisedthegoodnessofthemilk,pouringitout。Crouchingbyapatientcowatdaybreakinthelushfield,awitchonhertoadstool,herwrinkledfingersquickatthesquirtingdugs。Theylowedaboutherwhomtheyknew,dewsilkycattle。Silkofthekineandpooroldwoman,namesgivenherinoldtimes。Awanderingcrone,lowlyformofanimmortalservingherconquerorandhergaybetrayer,theircommoncuckquean,amessengerfromthesecretmorning。Toserveortoupbraid,whetherhecouldnottell:butscornedtobegherfavour——

  Itisindeed,ma’am,BuckMulligansaid,pouringmilkintotheircups——

  Tasteit,sir,shesaid。

  Hedrankatherbidding——

  Ifwecouldonlyliveongoodfoodlikethat,hesaidtohersomewhatloudly,wewouldn’thavethecountryfullofrottenteethandrottenguts。Livinginabogswamp,eatingcheapfoodandthestreetspavedwithdust,horsedungandconsumptives’spits——

  Areyouamedicalstudent,sir?theoldwomanasked——

  Iam,ma’am,BuckMulligananswered。

  Stephenlistenedinscornfulsilence。Shebowsheroldheadtoavoicethatspeakstoherloudly,herbonesetter,hermedicineman;mesheslights。Tothevoicethatwillshriveandoilforthegraveallthereisofherbutherwoman’suncleanloins,ofman’sfleshmadenotinGod’slikeness,theserpent’sprey。Andtotheloudvoicethatnowbidsherbesilentwithwonderingunsteadyeyes——

  Doyouunderstandwhathesays?Stephenaskedher——

  IsitFrenchyouaretalking,sir?theoldwomansaidtoHaines。

  Hainesspoketoheragainalongerspeech,confidently——

  Irish,BuckMulligansaid。IsthereGaeliconyou?——

  IthoughtitwasIrish,shesaid,bythesoundofit。Areyoufromwest,sir?——

  IamanEnglishman,Hainesanswered——

  He’sEnglish,BuckMulligansaid,andhethinksweoughttospeakIrishinIreland——

  Sureweoughtto,theoldwomansaid,andI’mashamedIdon’tspeakthelanguagemyself。I’mtoldit’sagrandlanguagebythemthatknows——

  Grandisnonameforit,saidBuckMulligan。Wonderfulentirely。Fillusoutsomemoretea,Kinch。Wouldyoulikeacup,ma’am?——

  No,thankyou,sir,theoldwomansaid,slippingtheringofthemilkcanonherforearmandabouttogo。

  Hainessaidtoher:——

  Haveyouyourbill?Wehadbetterpayher,Mulligan,hadn’twe?

  Stephenfilledthethreecups——

  Bill,sir?shesaid,halting。Well,it’ssevenmorningsapintattwopenceisseventwosisashillingandtwopenceoverandthesethreemorningsaquartatfourpenceisthreequartsisashillingandoneandtwoistwoandtwo,sir。

  BuckMulligansighedandhavingfilledhismouthwithacrustthicklybutteredonbothsides,stretchedforthhislegsandbegantosearchhistrouserpockets——

  Payupandlookpleasant,Hainessaidtohimsmiling。

  Stephenfilledathirdcup,aspoonfulofteacolouringfaintlythethickrichmilk。BuckMulliganbroughtupaflorin,twisteditroundinhisfingersandcried:——

  Amiracle!

  Hepasseditalongthetabletowardstheoldwoman,saying:——

  Asknothingmoreofme,sweet。AllIcangiveyouIgive。Stephenlaidthecoininheruneagerhand——

  We’llowetwopence,hesaid——

  Timeenough,sir,shesaid,takingthecoin。Timeenough。Goodmorning,sir。

  Shecurtseyedandwentout,followedbyBuckMulligan’stenderchant:——

  Heartofmyheart,wereitmore,

  Morewouldbelaidatyourfeet。

  HeturnedtoStephenandsaid:——

  Seriously,Dedalus。I’mstony。Hurryouttoyourschoolkipandbringusbacksomemoney。Todaythebardsmustdrinkandjunket。Irelandexpectsthateverymanthisdaywilldohisduty——

  Thatremindsme,Hainessaid,rising,thatIhavetovisityournationallibrarytoday——

  Ourswimfirst,BuckMulligansaid。

  HeturnedtoStephenandaskedblandly:——

  Isthisthedayforyourmonthlywash,Kinch?

  ThenhesaidtoHaines:——

  Theuncleanbardmakesapointofwashingonceamonth——

  AllIrelandiswashedbythegulfstream,Stephensaidashelethoneytrickleoverasliceoftheloaf。

  Hainesfromthecornerwherehewasknottingeasilyascarfabouttheloosecollarofhistennisshirtspoke:——

  Iintendtomakeacollectionofyoursayingsifyouwillletme。

  Speakingtome。Theywashandtubandscrub。Agenbiteofinwit。Conscience。Yethere’saspot——

  ThatoneaboutthecrackedlookingglassofaservantbeingthesymbolofIrishartisdeucedgood。

  BuckMulligankickedStephen’sfootunderthetableandsaidwithwarmthoftone:——

  WaittillyouhearhimonHamlet,Haines——

  Well,Imeanit,Hainessaid,stillspeakingtoStephen。Iwasjustthinkingofitwhenthatpooroldcreaturecamein——

  WouldImakemoneybyit?Stephenasked。

  Haineslaughedand,ashetookhissoftgreyhatfromtheholdfastofthehammock,said:——

  Idon’tknow,I’msure。

  Hestrolledouttothedoorway。BuckMulliganbentacrosstoStephenandsaidwithcoarsevigour:——

  Youputyourhoofinitnow。Whatdidyousaythatfor?——

  Well?Stephensaid。Theproblemistogetmoney。Fromwhom?Fromthemilkwomanorfromhim。It’satossup,Ithink。

  Iblowhimoutaboutyou,BuckMulligansaid,andthenyoucomealongwithyourlousyleerandyourgloomyjesuitjibes——

  Iseelittlehope,Stephensaid,fromherorfromhim。

  BuckMulligansighedtragicallyandlaidhishandonStephen’sarm——

  Fromme,Kinch,hesaid。

  Inasuddenlychangedtoneheadded:——

  TotellyoutheGod’struthIthinkyou’reright。Damnallelsetheyaregoodfor。Whydon’tyouplaythemasIdo?Tohellwiththemall。Letusgetoutofthekip。

  Hestoodup,gravelyungirdledanddisrobedhimselfofhisgown,sayingresignedly:——

  Mulliganisstrippedofhisgarments。

  Heemptiedhispocketsontothetable——

  There’syoursnotrag,hesaid。

  Andputtingonhisstiffcollarandrebellioustie,hespoketothem,chidingthem,andtohisdanglingwatchchain。Hishandsplungedandrummagedinhistrunkwhilehecalledfor-acleanhandkerchief。Agenbiteofinwit。God,we’llsimplyhavetodressthecharacter。Iwantpuceglovesandgreenboots。Contradiction。DoIcontradictmyself?Verywellthen,Icontradictmyself。MercurialMalachi。Alimpblackmissileflewoutofhistalkinghands——

  Andthere’syourLatinquarterhat,hesaid。

  Stephenpickeditupandputiton:Hainescalledtothemfromthedoorway:——

  Areyoucoming,youfellows?——

  I’mready,BuckMulligananswered,goingtowardsthedoor。Comeout,Kinch。Youhaveeatenallweleft,Isuppose。Resignedhepassedoutwithgravewordsandgait,saying,wellnighwithsorrow:——

  AndgoingforthhemetButterly。

  Stephen,takinghisashplantfromitsleaningplace,followedthemoutand,astheywentdowntheladder,pulledtotheslowirondoorandlockedit。Heputthehugekeyinhisinnerpocket。

  AtthefootoftheladderBuckMulliganasked:——

  Didyoubringthekey?——

  Ihaveit,Stephensaid,precedingthem。

  Hewalkedon。BehindhimheheardBuckMulliganclubwithhisheavybathtoweltheleadershootsoffernsorgrasses——

  Down,sir。Howdareyou,sir?Hainesasked:——

  Doyoupayrentforthistower?——

  Twelvequid,BuckMulligansaid——

  Tothesecretaryofstateforwar,Stephenaddedoverhisshoulder。

  TheyhaltedwhileHainessurveyedthetowerandsaidatlast:——

  Ratherbleakinwintertime,Ishouldsay。Martelloyoucallit?——

  BillyPitthadthembuilt,BuckMulligansaid,whentheFrenchwereonthesea。Butoursistheomphalos——

  WhatisyourideaofHamlet?HainesaskedStephen——

  No,no,BuckMulliganshoutedinpain。I’mnotequaltoThomasAquinasandthefiftyfivereasonshehasmadetopropitup。WaittillIhaveafewpintsinmefirst。

  HeturnedtoStephen,sayingashepulleddownneatlythepeaksofhisprimrosewaistcoat:——

  Youcouldn’tmanageitunderthreepints,Kinch,couldyou?——

  Ithaswaitedsolong,Stephensaidlistlessly,itcanwaitlonger——

  Youpiquemycuriosity,Hainessaidamiably。Isitsomeparadox?——

  Pooh!BuckMulligansaid。WehavegrownoutofWildeandparadoxes。It’squitesimple。HeprovesbyalgebrathatHamlet’sgrandsonisShakespeare’sgrandfatherandthathehimselfistheghostofhisownfather——

  What?Hainessaid,beginningtopointatStephen。Hehimself?

  BuckMulliganslunghistowelstolewiseroundhisneckand,bendinginlooselaughter,saidtoStephen’sear:——

  O,shadeofKinchtheelder!Japhetinsearchofafather!——

  We’realwaystiredinthemorning,StephensaidtoHaines。Anditisratherlongtotell。

  BuckMulligan,walkingforwardagain,raisedhishands——

  ThesacredpintalonecanunbindthetongueofDedalus,hesaid——

  Imeantosay,HainesexplainedtoStephenastheyfollowed,thistowerandthesecliffshereremindmesomehowofElsinore。Thatbeetleso’erhisbaseintothesea,isn’tit?

  BuckMulliganturnedsuddenlyforaninstanttowardsStephenbutdidnotspeak。InthebrightsilentinstantStephensawhisownimageincheapdustymourningbetweentheirgayattires——

  It’sawonderfultale,Hainessaid,bringingthemtohaltagain。

  Eyes,paleastheseathewindhadfreshened,paler,firmandprudent。Theseas’ruler,hegazedsouthwardoverthebay,emptysaveforthesmokeplumeofthemailboat,vagueonthebrightskyline,andasailtackingbytheMuglins——

  Ireadatheologicalinterpretationofitsomewhere,hesaidbemused。TheFatherandtheSonidea。TheSonstrivingtobeatonedwiththeFather。

  BuckMulliganatonceputonablithebroadlysmilingface。Helookedatthem,hiswellshapedmouthopenhappily,hiseyes,fromwhichhehadsuddenlywithdrawnallshrewdsense,blinkingwithmadgaiety。Hemovedadoll’sheadtoandfro,thebrimsofhisPanamahatquivering,andbegantochantinaquiethappyfoolishvoice:——

  I’mthequeerestyoungfellowthateveryouheard。

  Mymother’sajew,myfather’sabird。

  WithJosephthejoinerIcannotagree,

  Sohere’stodisciplesandCalvary。

  Heheldupaforefingerofwarning——

  IfanyonethinksthatIamn’tdivine

  He’llgetnofreedrinkswhenI’mmakingthewine

  Buthavetodrinkwaterandwishitwereplain

  ThatImakewhenthewinebecomeswateragain。

  HetuggedswiftlyatStephen’sashplantinfarewelland,runningforwardtoabrowofthecliff,flutteredhishandsathissideslikefinsorwingsofoneabouttoriseintheair,andchanted:——

  Goodbye,now,goodbye。WritedownallIsaid

  AndtellTom,DickandHarryIrosefromthedead。

  What’sbredinthebonecannotfailmetofly

  AndOlivet’sbreezy……Goodbye,now,goodbye。

  Hecaperedbeforethemdowntowardsthefortyfoothole,flutteringhiswinglikehands,leapingnimbly,Mercury’shatquiveringinthefreshwindthatborebacktothemhisbriefbirdlikecries。

  Haines,whohadbeenlaughingguardedly,walkedonbesideStephenandsaid:——

  Weoughtn’ttolaugh,Isuppose。He’sratherblasphemous。I’mnotabelievermyself,thatistosay。Stillhisgaietytakestheharmoutofitsomehow,doesn’tit?Whatdidhecallit?JosephtheJoiner?——

  TheballadofJokingJesus,Stephenanswered——

  O,Hainessaid,youhavehearditbefore?——

  Threetimesaday,aftermeals,Stephensaiddrily——

  You’renotabeliever,areyou?Hainesasked。Imean,abelieverinthenarrowsenseoftheword。CreationfromnothingandmiraclesandapersonalGod——

  There’sonlyonesenseoftheword,itseemstome,Stephensaid。

  Hainesstoppedtotakeoutasmoothsilvercaseinwhichtwinkledagreenstone。Hesprangitopenwithhisthumbandofferedit——

  Thankyou,Stephensaid,takingacigarette。

  Haineshelpedhimselfandsnappedthecaseto。Heputitbackinhissidepocketandtookfromhiswaistcoatpocketanickeltinderbox,sprangitopentoo,and,havinglithiscigarette,heldtheflamingspunktowardsStephenintheshellofhishands——

  Yes,ofcourse,hesaid,astheywentonagain。Eitheryoubelieveoryoudon’t,isn’tit?PersonallyIcouldn’tstomachthatideaofapersonalGod。Youdon’tstandforthat,Isuppose?——

  Youbeholdinme,Stephensaidwithgrimdispleasure,ahorribleexampleoffreethought。

  Hewalkedon,waitingtobespokento,trailinghisashplantbyhisside。Itsferrulefollowedlightlyonthepath,squealingathisheels。Myfamiliar,afterme,callingSteeeeeeeeeephen。Awaveringlinealongthepath。Theywillwalkonittonight,cominghereinthedark。Hewantsthatkey。Itismine,Ipaidtherent。NowIeathissaltbread。Givehimthekeytoo。All。Hewillaskforit。Thatwasinhiseyes——

  Afterall,Hainesbegan……

  Stephenturnedandsawthatthecoldgazewhichhadmeasuredhimwasnotallunkind——

  Afterall,Ishouldthinkyouareabletofreeyourself。Youareyourownmaster,itseemstome——

  Iamtheservantoftwomasters,Stephensaid,anEnglishandanItalian——

  Italian?Hainessaid。

  Acrazyqueen,oldandjealous。Kneeldownbeforeme——

  Andathird,Stephensaid,thereiswhowantsmeforoddjobs——

  Italian?Hainessaidagain。Whatdoyoumean?——

  TheimperialBritishstate,Stephenanswered,hiscolourrising,andtheholyRomancatholicandapostolicchurch。

  Hainesdetachedfromhisunderlipsomefibresoftobaccobeforehespoke——

  Icanquiteunderstandthat,hesaidcalmly。AnIrishmanmustthinklikethat,Idaresay。WefeelinEnglandthatwehavetreatedyouratherunfairly。Itseemshistoryistoblame。

  TheproudpotenttitlesclangedoverStephen’smemorythetriumphoftheirbrazenbells:etunamsanctamcatholicametapostolicamecclesiam:theslowgrowthandchangeofriteanddogmalikehisownrarethoughts,achemistryofstars。SymboloftheapostlesinthemassforpopeMarcellus,thevoicesblended,singingaloneloudinaffirmation:andbehindtheirchantthevigilantangelofthechurchmilitantdisarmedandmenacedherheresiarchs。Ahordeofheresiesfleeingwithmitresawry:PhotiusandthebroodofmockersofwhomMulliganwasone,andArius,warringhislifelongupontheconsubstantialityoftheSonwiththeFather,andValentine,spurningChrist’sterrenebody,andthesubtleAfricanheresiarchSabelliuswhoheldthattheFatherwasHimselfHisownSon。WordsMulliganhadspokenamomentsinceinmockerytothestranger。Idlemockery。Thevoidawaitssurelyallthemthatweavethewind:amenace,adisarmingandaworstingfromthoseembattledangelsofthechurch,Michael’shost,whodefendhereverinthehourofconflictwiththeirlancesandtheirshields。

  Hear,hear。Prolongedapplause。Zut!NomdeDieu!——

  OfcourseI’maBritisher,Haines’voicesaid,andIfeelasone。Idon’twanttoseemycountryfallintothehandsofGermanjewseither。That’sournationalproblem,I’mafraid,justnow。

  Twomenstoodatthevergeofthecliff,watching:businessman,boatman——

  She’smakingforBullockharbour。

  Theboatmannoddedtowardsthenorthofthebaywithsomedisdain——

  There’sfivefathomsoutthere,hesaid。It’llbesweptupthatwaywhenthetidecomesinaboutone。It’sninedaystoday。

  Themanthatwasdrowned。Asailveeringabouttheblankbaywaitingforaswollenbundletobobup,rollovertothesunapuffyface,saltwhite。HereIam。

  Theyfollowedthewindingpathdowntothecreek。BuckMulliganstoodonastone,inshirtsleeves,hisunclippedtieripplingoverhisshoulder。Ayoungmanclingingtoaspurofrocknearhimmovedslowlyfrogwisehisgreenlegsinthedeepjellyofthewater——

  Isthebrotherwithyou,Malachi?——

  DowninWestmeath。WiththeBannons——

  Stillthere?IgotacardfromBannon。Sayshefoundasweetyoungthingdownthere。Photogirlhecallsher——

  Snapshot,eh?Briefexposure。

  BuckMulligansatdowntounlacehisboots。Anelderlymanshotupnearthespurofrockablowingredface。Hescrambledupbythestones,waterglisteningonhispateandonitsgarlandofgreyhair,waterrillingoverhischestandpaunchandspillingjetsoutofhisblacksaggingloincloth。

  BuckMulliganmadewayforhimtoscramblepastand,glancingatHainesandStephen,crossedhimselfpiouslywithhisthumbnailatbrowandlipsandbreastbone——

  Seymour’sbackintown,theyoungmansaid,graspingagainhisspurofrock。Chuckedmedicineandgoinginforthearmy——

  Ah,gotoGod,BuckMulligansaid——

  Goingovernextweektostew。YouknowthatredCarlislegirl,Lily?——

  Yes——

  Spooningwithhimlastnightonthepier。Thefatherisrottowithmoney——

  Issheupthepole?——

  BetteraskSeymourthat——

  Seymourableedingofficer,BuckMulligansaid。

  Henoddedtohimselfashedrewoffhistrousersandstoodup,sayingtritely:——

  Redheadedwomenbucklikegoats。

  Hebrokeoffinalarm,feelinghissideunderhisflappingshirt——

  Mytwelfthribisgone,hecried。I’mtheUebermensch。ToothlessKinchandI,thesupermen。

  Hestruggledoutofhisshirtandflungitbehindhimtowherehisclotheslay——

  Areyougoinginhere,Malachi?——

  Yes。Makeroomin!hebed。

  Theyoungmanshovedhimselfbackwardthroughthewaterandreachedthemiddleofthecreekintwolongcleanstrokes。Hainessatdownonastone,smoking——

  Areyounotcomingin?BuckMulliganasked——

  Lateron,Hainessaid。Notonmybreakfast。Stephenturnedaway——

  I’mgoing,Mulligan,hesaid——

  Giveusthatkey,Kinch,BuckMulligansaid,tokeepmychemiseflat。

  Stephenhandedhimthekey。BuckMulliganlaiditacrosshisheapedclothes——

  Andtwopence,hesaid,forapint。Throwitthere。

  Stephenthrewtwopenniesonthesoftheap。Dressing,undressing。BuckMulliganerect,withjoinedhandsbeforehim,saidsolemnly:——

  HewhostealethfromthepoorlendethtotheLord。ThusspakeZarathustra。

  Hisplumpbodyplunged——

  We’llseeyouagain,Hainessaid,turningasStephenwalkedupthepathandsmilingatwildIrish。

  Hornofabull,hoofofahorse,smileofaSaxon——

  TheShip,BuckMulligancried。Halftwelve——

  Good,Stephensaid。

  Hewalkedalongtheupwardcurvingpath。

  Liliatarutilantium。

  Turniacircumdet。

  Iubilantiumtevirginum

  Thepriest’sgreynimbusinanichewherehedresseddiscreetly。Iwillnotsleepheretonight。HomealsoIcannotgo。

  Avoice,sweettonedandsustained,calledtohimfromthesea。Turningthecurvehewavedhishand。Itcalledagain。Asleekbrownhead,aseal’s,faroutonthewater,round。

  Usurper。

点击下载App,搜索"Ulysses(尤利西斯)",免费读到尾