...

 

Mulveys was the first
when I was in bed that morning
and Mrs Rubio brought it in with the coffee
she stood there standing when I asked her to hand me
and I pointing at them I couldnt think of the word a hairpin
to open it with ah horquilla
disobliging old thing and it staring her in the face
with her switch of false hair on her and vain about her appearance
ugly as she was near 80 or a 100 her face a mass of wrinkles
with all her religion
domineering because she never could get over the Atlantic fleet coming in
half the ships of the world
and the Union Jack flying
with all her carabineros
because 4 drunken English sailors took all the rock from them
and because I didnt run into mass often enough
in Santa Maria to please her
with her shawl up on her except when there was a marriage on
with all her miracles of the saints
and her black blessed virgin with the silver dress
and the sun dancing 3 times on Easter Sunday morning
and when the priest was going by with the bell
bringing the vatican to the dying
blessing herself for his Majestad

an admirer he signed it
I near jumped out of my skin
I wanted to pick him up when I saw him following me
along the Calle Real in the shop window
then he tipped me just in passing
but I never thought hed write making an appointment
I had it inside my petticoat bodice all day
reading it up in every hole and corner
while father was up at the drill instructing
to find out by the handwriting or the language of stamps
singing I remember shall I wear a white rose
and I wanted to put on the old stupid clock to near the time
he was the first man kissed me
under the Moorish wall
my sweetheart when a boy
it never entered my head what kissing meant
till he put his tongue in my mouth
his mouth was sweetlike
young
I put my knee up to him a few times to learn the way
what did I tell him I was engaged for
for fun
to the son of a Spanish nobleman named Don Miguel de la Flora
and he believed me
that I was to be married to him in 3 years time
theres many a true word spoken in jest
there is a flower that bloometh
a few things I told him true about myself
just for him to be imagining
the Spanish girls he didnt like
I suppose one of them wouldnt have him
I got him excited
he crushed all the flowers on my bosom he brought me
he couldnt count the pesetas and the perragordas till I taught him
Cappoquin he came from he said
on the black water
but it was too short
then the day before he left
May yes it was May when the infant king of Spain was born
Im always like that in the spring
Id like a new fellow every year

up on the tiptop under the rockgun near OHaras tower
I told him it was struck by lightning
and all about the old Barbary apes they sent to Clapham without a tail
careering all over the show on each others back Mrs Rubio said
she was a regular old rock scorpion
robbing the chickens out of Inces farm
and throw stones at you if you went anear
he was looking at me
I had that white blouse on
open in the front to encourage him as much as I could
without too openly
they were just beginning to be plump
I said I was tired
we lay over the firtree cove
a wild place
I suppose it must be the highest rock in existence
the galleries and casemates and those frightful rocks
and Saint Michaels cave
with the icicles or whatever they call them hanging down
and ladders
all the mud plotching my boots
Im sure thats the way down the monkeys go
under the sea to Africa when they die
the ships out far like chips
that was the Malta boat passing
yes the sea and the sky
you could do what you liked
lie there for ever

he caressed them outside
they love doing that
its the roundness there
I was leaning over him
with my white ricestraw hat to take the newness out of it
the left side of my face the best
my blouse open for his last day
transparent kind of shirt he had
I could see his chest pink
he wanted to touch mine with his for a moment but I wouldnt let him
he was awfully put out
first for fear
you never know
consumption or leave me with a child embarazada
that old servant Ines told me that one drop even if it got into you at all
after I tried with the Banana but I was afraid it might break
and get lost up in me somewhere
because they once took something down out of a woman
that was up there for years covered with limesalts
theyre all mad to get in there where they come out of
youd think they could never go far enough up
and then theyre done with you in a way till the next time
yes because theres a wonderful feeling there
so tender all the time

how did we finish it off
yes O yes I pulled him off into my handkerchief
pretending not to be excited but I opened my legs
I wouldnt let him touch me inside my petticoat
because I had a skirt opening up the side
I tormented the life out of him
first tickling him
I loved rousing that dog in the hotel
rrrsssstt awokwokawok
his eyes shut and a bird flying below us
he was shy all the same
I liked him like that
moaning
I made him blush a little when I got over him that way
when I unbuttoned him and took his out and drew back the skin
it had a kind of eye in it
theyre all Buttons men
down the middle on the wrong side of them
Molly darling he called me
what was his name Jack Joe Harry Mulvey was it yes I think
a lieutenant
he was rather fair
he had a laughing kind of a voice
so I went round to the whatyoucallit
everything was whatyoucallit
moustache had he
he said hed come back
Lord its just like yesterday
to me
and if I was married hed do it to me
and I promised him yes faithfully

Id let him block me now
flying
perhaps hes dead or killed or a Captain or admiral
its nearly 20 years
if I said firtree cove he would
if he came up behind me and put his hands over my eyes to guess who
I might recognise him
hes young still about 40 perhaps
hes married some girl on the black water and is quite changed
they all do they havent half the character a woman has
she little knows what I did with her beloved husband
before he ever dreamt of her
in broad daylight too in the sight of the whole world you might say
they could have put an article about it in the Chronicle
I was a bit wild after
when I blew out the old bag the biscuits were in from Benady Bros
and exploded it Lord what a bang
all the woodcocks and pigeons screaming
coming back the same way that we went
over middle hill round by the old guardhouse and the jews burialplace
pretending to read out the Hebrew on them
I wanted to fire his pistol
he said he hadnt one
he didnt know what to make of me
with his peak cap on that he always wore crooked
as often as I settled it straight
H M S Calypso
swinging my hat
that old Bishop that spoke off the altar
his long preach about womans higher functions
about girls now riding the bicycle and wearing peak caps
and the new woman bloomers
God send him sense and me more money

I suppose theyre called after him
I never thought that would be my name
Bloom
when I used to write it in print to see how it looked on a visiting card
or practising for the butcher
and oblige M Bloom
youre looking blooming Josie used to say after I married him
well its better than Breen
or Briggs does brig
or those awful names with bottom in them
Mrs Ramsbottom or some other kind of a bottom
Mulvey I wouldnt go mad about either
or suppose I divorced him Mrs Boylan
my mother whoever she was might have given me a nicer name
the Lord knows
after the lovely one she had
Lunita Laredo
the fun we had running along Williss road to Europa point
twisting in and out all round the other side of Jersey
they were shaking and dancing about in my blouse
like Millys little ones now when she runs up the stairs
I loved looking down at them
I was jumping up at the pepper trees and the white poplars
pulling the leaves off and throwing them at him

he went to India
he was to write
the voyages those men have to make to the ends of the world and back
its the least they might get
a squeeze or two at a woman while they can
going out to be drowned or blown up somewhere
I went up Windmill hill to the flats
that Sunday morning with captain Rubios
that was dead
spyglass like the sentry had
he said hed have one or two from on board
I wore that frock from the B Marche paris and the coral necklace
the straits shining
I could see over to Morocco almost
the bay of Tangier white and the Atlas mountain with snow on it
and the straits like a river so clear
Harry
Molly Darling
I was thinking of him on the sea all the time after
at mass when my petticoat began to slip down at the elevation
weeks and weeks I kept the handkerchief under my pillow
for the smell of him
there was no decent perfume to be got in that Gibraltar
only that cheap peau dEspagne that faded and left a stink on you
more than anything else
I wanted to give him a memento
he gave me that clumsy Claddagh ring for luck
that I gave Gardner going to south Africa
where those Boers killed him with their war and fever
but they were well beaten all the same
as if it brought its bad luck with it like an opal or pearl
still it must have been pure 16 carat gold because it was very heavy
but what could you get in a place like that
the sandfrog shower from Africa
and that derelict ship that came up to the harbour
Marie the Marie whatyoucallit
no he hadnt a moustache that was Gardner
yes I can see his face cleanshaven

Frseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeefrong
that train again
weeping tone
once in the dear deaead days beyondre call
close my eyes
breath
my lips forward
kiss
sad look
eyes open
piano
ere oer the world the mists began
I hate that istsbeg
comes loves sweet sooooooooooong
Ill let that out full when I get in front of the footlights again

Kathleen Kearney and her lot of squealers
Miss This Miss That Miss Theother
lot of sparrowfarts skitting around
talking about politics
they know as much about as my backside
anything in the world to make themselves someway interesting
Irish homemade beauties
soldiers daughter am I
ay and whose are you
bootmakers and publicans
I beg your pardon coach I thought you were a wheelbarrow
theyd die down dead off their feet
if ever they got a chance of walking down the Alameda
on an officers arm like me on the bandnight
my eyes flash
my bust that they havent
passion
God help their poor head
I knew more about men and life when I was 15 than theyll all know at 50
they dont know how to sing a song like that

Gardner said no man could look at my mouth and teeth smiling like that
and not think of it
I was afraid he mightnt like my accent first
he so English
all father left me in spite of his stamps
Ive my mothers eyes and figure anyhow
he always said theyre so snotty about themselves
some of those cads
he wasnt a bit like that
he was dead gone on my lips
let them get a husband first thats fit to be looked at
and a daughter like mine
or see if they can excite a swell with money
that can pick and choose whoever he wants
like Boylan
to do it 4 or 5 times locked in each others arms
or the voice either
I could have been a prima donna only I married him

comes looooves old
deep down
chin back not too much make it double
My Ladys Bower is too long for an encore
about the moated grange at twilight and vaunted rooms
yes Ill sing Winds that blow from the south
that he gave after the choirstairs performance
Ill change that lace on my black dress to show off my bubs
and Ill yes by God Ill get that big fan mended
make them burst with envy
my hole is itching me
always when I think of him
I feel I want to
I feel some wind in me
better go easy not wake him
have him at it again slobbering
after washing every bit of myself back belly and sides
if we had even a bath itself
or my own room
anyway
I wish hed sleep in some bed by himself with his cold feet on me
give us room even to let a fart
God or do the least thing
better yes hold them like that a bit on my side
piano quietly
sweeeee
theres that train far away
pianissimo eeeeeeee one more tsong

---

that was a relief
wherever you be let your wind go free
who knows if that pork chop I took
with my cup of tea after
was quite good with the heat
I couldnt smell anything off it
Im sure that queerlooking man in the porkbutchers is a great rogue
I hope that lamp is not smoking
fill my nose up with smuts
better than having him leaving the gas on all night
I couldnt rest easy
in my bed in Gibraltar
even getting up to see
why am I so damned nervous about that
though I like it in the winter
its more company
O Lord it was rotten cold too that winter
when I was only about ten was I
yes
I had the big doll with all the funny clothes
dressing her up and undressing
that icy wind skeeting across from those mountains
the something Nevada sierra nevada
standing at the fire
with the little bit of a short shift I had up to heat myself
I loved dancing about in it
then make a race back into bed
Im sure that fellow opposite used to be there the whole time
watching with the lights out in the summer
and I in my skin hopping around
I used to love myself then
stripped at the washstand dabbing and creaming
only when it came to the chamber performance I put out the light too
so then there were 2 of us

goodbye to my sleep for this night
anyhow I hope hes not going to get in with those medicals
leading him astray
to imagine hes young again
coming in at 4 in the morning it must be if not more
still he had the manners not to wake me
what do they find to gabber about all night
squandering money and getting drunker and drunker
couldnt they drink water
then he starts giving us his orders
for eggs and tea and Findon haddy and hot buttered toast
I suppose
well have him sitting up like the king of the country
pumping the wrong end of the spoon up and down in his egg
wherever he learned that from
and I love to hear him falling up the stairs of a morning
with the cups rattling on the tray
and then play with the cat
she rubs up against you for her own sake
I wonder has she fleas
shes as bad as a woman always licking and lecking
but I hate their claws
I wonder do they see anything that we cant
staring like that when she sits at the top of the stairs so long
and listening as I wait always
what a robber too that lovely fresh plaice I bought

I think Ill get a bit of fish tomorrow
or today is it Friday yes I will
with some blancmange with black currant jam like long ago
not those 2 lb pots of mixed plum and apple from the London and Newcastle
Williams and Woods goes twice as far
only for the bones
I hate those eels
cod yes Ill get a nice piece of cod
Im always getting enough for 3 forgetting
anyway Im sick of that everlasting butchers meat from Buckleys
loin chops and leg beef and rib steak and scrag of mutton and calfs pluck
the very name is enough
or a picnic
suppose we all gave 5/ each and
or let him pay it and invite some other woman for him
who Mrs Fleming
and drove out to the furry glen or the strawberry beds
wed have him examining all the horses toenails first
like he does with the letters
no not with Boylan there
yes with some cold veal and ham mixed sandwiches
there are little houses down at the bottom of the banks there on purpose
but its as hot as blazes he says
not a bank holiday anyhow
I hate those ruck of Mary Ann coalboxes out for the day
Whit Monday is a cursed day too
no wonder that bee bit him
better the seaside

but Id never again in this life get into a boat with him
after him at Bray telling the boatman he knew how to row
if anyone asked could he ride the steeplechase for the gold cup hed say yes
then it came on to get rough
the old thing crookeding about and the weight all down my side
telling me to pull the right reins now pull the left
and the tide all swamping in floods in through the bottom
and his oar slipping out of the stirrup
its a mercy we werent all drowned
he can swim of course
me no
theres no danger whatsoever keep yourself calm
in his flannel trousers
Id like to have tattered them down off him before all the people
and give him what that one calls flagellate
till he was black and blue
do him all the good in the world
only for that longnosed chap
I dont know who he is
with that other beauty Burke out of the City Arms hotel was there
spying around as usual on the slip always where he wasnt wanted
if there was a row on
youd vomit a better face
there was no love lost between us thats 1 consolation
I wonder what kind is that book he brought me
Sweets of Sin by a gentleman of fashion
some other Mr de Kock
I suppose the people gave him that nickname
going about with his tube from one woman to another
I couldnt even change my new white shoes
all ruined with the saltwater
and the hat I had with that feather all blowy and tossed on me
how annoying and provoking
because the smell of the sea excited me of course
the sardines and the bream
in Catalan bay round the back of the rock
they were fine
all silver in the fishermens baskets
old Luigi near a hundred they said came from Genoa
and the tall old chap with the earrings
I dont like a man you have to climb up to to get at
I suppose theyre all dead and rotten long ago

besides I dont like being alone in this big barracks of a place at night
I suppose Ill have to put up with it
I never brought a bit of salt in even when we moved in
the confusion
musical academy he was going to make on the first floor drawingroom
with a brassplate
or Blooms private hotel he suggested
go and ruin himself altogether the way his father did down in Ennis
like all the things he told father he was going to do
and me
but I saw through him
telling me all the lovely places we could go for the honeymoon
Venice by moonlight with the gondolas
and the lake of Como he had a picture cut out of some paper of
and mandolines and lanterns
O how nice I said
whatever I liked he was going to do immediately if not sooner
will you be my man will you carry my can
he ought to get a leather medal with a putty rim
for all the plans he invents
then leaving us here all day
youd never know what old beggar at the door for a crust with his long story
might be a tramp and put his foot in the way to prevent me shutting it
like that picture of that hardened criminal he was called
in Lloyds Weekly News
20 years in jail then he comes out and murders an old woman for her money
imagine his poor wife or mother or whoever she is
such a face youd run miles away from
I couldnt rest easy till I bolted all the doors and windows to make sure
but its worse again being locked up like in a prison or a madhouse
they ought to be all shot or the cat of nine tails
a big brute like that that would attack a poor old woman
to murder her in her bed
Id cut them off him so I would
not that hed be much use still better than nothing
the night I was sure I heard burglars in the kitchen
and he went down in his shirt with a candle and a poker
as if he was looking for a mouse
as white as a sheet frightened out of his wits
making as much noise as he possibly could for the burglars benefit
there isnt much to steal indeed the Lord knows
still its the feeling
especially now with Milly away

such an idea for him to send the girl down there
to learn to take photographs on account of his grandfather
instead of sending her to Skerrys academy where shed have to learn
not like me getting all 1s at school
only hed do a thing like that
all the same on account of me and Boylan thats why he did it Im certain
the way he plots and plans everything out
I couldnt turn round with her in the place lately
unless I bolted the door first
gave me the fidgets
coming in without knocking first
when I put the chair against the door
just as I was washing myself there below
with the glove
get on your nerves then
doing the loglady all day
put her in a glasscase with two at a time to look at her
if he knew she broke off the hand off that little gimcrack statue
with her roughness and carelessness before she left
that I got that little Italian boy to mend
so that you cant see the join for 2 shillings
wouldnt even teem the potatoes for you
of course shes right not to ruin her hands

I noticed he was always talking to her lately at the table
explaining things in the paper and she pretending to understand
sly of course that comes from his side of the house
he cant say I pretend things can he Im too honest as a matter of fact
and helping her into her coat
but if there was anything wrong with her its me shed tell not him
I suppose he thinks Im finished out and laid on the shelf
well Im not no nor anything like it
well see well see now
shes well on for flirting too with Tom Devans two sons
imitating me
whistling
with those romps of Murray girls calling for her
can Milly come out please
shes in great demand
to pick what they can out of her round in Nelson street
riding Harry Devans bicycle at night
its as well he sent her where she is
she was just getting out of bounds
wanting to go on the skatingrink
and smoking their cigarettes through their nose
I smelt it off her dress
when I was biting off the thread
of the button I sewed on to the bottom of her jacket
she couldnt hide much from me I tell you

only I oughtnt to have stitched it
and it on her
it brings a parting
and the last plumpudding too split in 2 halves
see it comes out no matter what they say
her tongue is a bit too long for my taste
your blouse is open too low she says to me
the pan calling the kettle blackbottom
and I had to tell her not to cock her legs up like that
on show on the windowsill before all the people passing
they all look at her like me when I was her age
of course any old rag looks well on you then
a great touchmenot too in her own way
at the Only Way in the Theatre royal
take your foot away out of that I hate people touching me
afraid of her life Id crush her skirt with the pleats
a lot of that touching must go on in theatres in the crush in the dark
theyre always trying to wiggle up to you
that fellow in the pit at the Gaiety for Beerbohm Tree in Trilby
the last time Ill ever go there to be squashed like that
for any Trilby or her barebum
every two minutes tipping me there and looking away
hes a bit daft I think
I saw him after trying to get near two stylishdressed ladies
outside Switzers window at the same little game
I recognised him on the moment the face and everything
but he didnt remember me
yes and she didnt even want me to kiss her at the Broadstone going away
well I hope shell get someone to dance attendance on her
the way I did when she was down with the mumps and her glands swollen
wheres this and wheres that
of course she cant feel anything deep yet
I never came properly till I was what 22 or so
it went into the wrong place always
only the usual girls nonsense and giggling
that Conny Connolly writing to her in white ink on black paper
sealed with sealingwax
though she clapped when the curtain came down because he looked so handsome
then we had Martin Harvey for breakfast dinner and supper

I thought to myself afterwards it must be real love
if a man gives up his life for her that way for nothing
I suppose there are a few men like that left
its hard to believe in it though unless it really happened to me
the majority of them with not a particle of love in their natures
to find two people like that nowadays full up of each other
that would feel the same way as you do
theyre usually a bit foolish in the head
his father must have been a bit queer to go and poison himself after her
still poor old man I suppose he felt lost
shes always making love to my things too
the few old rags I have
wanting to put her hair up at 15
my powder too only ruin her skin on her
shes time enough for that all her life after
of course shes restless knowing shes pretty with her lips so red
a pity they wont stay that way
I was too
but theres no use going to the fair with the thing
answering me like a fishwoman
when I asked to go for a half a stone of potatoes
the day we met Mrs Joe Gallaher at the trottingmatches
and she pretended not to see us in her trap with Friery the solicitor
we werent grand enough
till I gave her 2 damn fine cracks across the ear for herself
take that now for answering me like that and that for your impudence
she had me that exasperated of course
contradicting
I was badtempered too because
how was it
there was a weed in the tea or I didnt sleep the night before
cheese I ate was it
and I told her over and over again not to leave knives crossed like that
because she has nobody to command her
as she said herself
well if he doesnt correct her faith I will
that was the last time she turned on the teartap
I was just like that myself
they darent order me about the place

its his fault of course
having the two of us slaving here instead of getting in a woman long ago
am I ever going to have a proper servant again
of course then shed see him coming
Id have to let her know or shed revenge it
arent they a nuisance
that old Mrs Fleming
you have to be walking round after her putting the things into her hands
sneezing and farting into the pots
well of course shes old she cant help it
a good job I found that rotten old smelly dishcloth
that got lost behind the dresser
I knew there was something and opened the area window to let out the smell
bringing in his friends to entertain them
like the night he walked home with a dog if you please
that might have been mad

especially Simon Dedalus son
his father such a criticiser with his glasses up
with his tall hat on him at the cricket match
and a great big hole in his sock
one thing laughing at the other
and his son that got all those prizes
for whatever he won them in the intermediate
imagine climbing over the railings
if anybody saw him that knew us
I wonder he didnt tear a big hole in his grand funeral trousers
as if the one nature gave wasnt enough for anybody
hawking him down into the dirty old kitchen
now is he right in his head I ask
pity it wasnt washing day
my old pair of drawers might have been hanging up too on the line
on exhibition for all hed ever care
with the ironmould mark the stupid old bundle burned on them
he might think was something else
and she never even rendered down the fat I told her
and now shes going such as she was
on account of her paralysed husband getting worse
theres always something wrong with them
disease or they have to go under an operation
or if its not that its drink and he beats her
Ill have to hunt around again for someone
every day I get up theres some new thing on
sweet God sweet God
well when Im stretched out dead in my grave I suppose Ill have some peace
I want to get up a minute if Im let

wait O Jesus wait yes that thing has come on me
yes
now wouldnt that afflict you
of course all the poking and rooting and ploughing he had up in me
now what am I to do
Friday Saturday Sunday
wouldnt that pester the soul out of a body
unless he likes it
some men do God knows
theres always something wrong with us
5 days every 3 or 4 weeks
usual monthly auction
isnt it simply sickening
that night it came on me like that
the one and only time we were in a box that Michael Gunn gave him
to see Mrs Kendal and her husband at the Gaiety
something he did about insurance for him in Drimmies
I was fit to be tied
though I wouldnt give in

with that gentleman of fashion staring down at me with his glasses
and him the other side of me talking about Spinoza
and his soul thats dead I suppose millions of years ago
I smiled the best I could all in a swamp
leaning forward as if I was interested
having to sit it out then to the last tag
I wont forget that wife of Scarli in a hurry
supposed to be a fast play about adultery
that idiot in the gallery hissing the woman
adulteress he shouted
I suppose he went and had a woman in the next lane
running round all the back ways after to make up for it
I wish he had what I had then hed boo
I bet the cat itself is better off than us
have we too much blood up in us or what
O patience above its pouring out of me like the sea
anyhow he didnt make me pregnant as big as he is
I dont want to ruin the clean sheets I just put on
I suppose the clean linen I wore brought it on too
damn it damn it
and they always want to see a stain on the bed
to know youre a virgin for them
all thats troubling them theyre such fools too
you could be a widow or divorced 40 times over
a daub of red ink would do or blackberry juice no thats too purply
O Jamesy let me up out of this
pooh
sweets of sin
whoever suggested that business for women
what between clothes and cooking and children
this damned old bed too jingling like the dickens

I suppose they could hear us away over the other side of the park
till I suggested to put the quilt on the floor
with the pillow under my bottom
I wonder is it nicer in the day
I think it is
easy
I think Ill cut all this hair off me there
scalding me
I might look like a young girl
wouldnt he get the great suckin
the next time he turned up my clothes on me
Id give anything to see his face
wheres the chamber gone
easy
Ive a holy horror of its breaking under me after that old commode
I wonder was I too heavy sitting on his knee
I made him sit on the easychair purposely
when I took off only my blouse and skirt first
in the other room
he was so busy where he oughtnt to be
he never felt me
I hope my breath was sweet after those kissing comfits
easy
God I remember one time
I could scout it out straight
whistling like a man almost
easy O Lord how noisy
I hope theyre bubbles on it for a wad of money from some fellow
Ill have to perfume it in the morning
dont forget
I bet he never saw a better pair of thighs than that
look how white they are
the smoothest place is right there
between this bit here
how soft like a peach
easy
God
I wouldnt mind being a man and get up on a lovely woman
O Lord what a row youre making
like the jersey lily
easy easy
O how the waters come down at Lahore

---

who knows
is there anything the matter with my insides
or have I something growing in me
getting that thing like that every week
when was it last I
Whit Monday yes its only about 3 weeks
I ought to go to the doctor
only it would be like before I married him
when I had that white thing coming from me
and Floey made me go to that dry old stick
Dr Collins for womens diseases on Pembroke road
your vagina he called it
I suppose thats how he got all the gilt mirrors and carpets
getting round those rich ones off Stephens green
running up to him for every little fiddlefaddle
her vagina and her cochinchina
theyve money of course so theyre all right
I wouldnt marry him not if he was the last man in the world
besides theres something queer about their children
always smelling around those filthy bitches all sides
asking me if what I did had an offensive odour
what did he want me to do but the one thing
gold maybe
what a question
if I smathered it all over his wrinkly old face for him
with all my compriments
I suppose hed know then
and could you pass it easily
pass what
I thought he was talking about the rock of Gibraltar the way he put it
thats a very nice invention too by the way
only I like letting myself down after in the hole
as far as I can squeeze
and pull the chain then to flush it
nice cool pins and needles
still theres something in it I suppose
I always used to know by Millys when she was a child
whether she had worms or not
still all the same paying him for that
how much is that doctor
one guinea please
and asking me had I frequent omissions
where do those old fellows get all the words they have
omissions
with his shortsighted eyes on me cocked sideways
I wouldnt trust him too far
to give me chloroform or God knows what else
still I liked him when he sat down to write the thing out
frowning so severe
his nose intelligent like that
you be damned you lying strap
O anything no matter who
except an idiot
he was clever enough to spot that of course
that was all thinking of him and his mad crazy letters
my Precious one everything connected with your glorious Body
everything underlined that comes from it
is a thing of beauty and of joy for ever
something he got out of some nonsensical book
that he had me always at myself 4 and 5 times a day sometimes
and I said I hadnt
are you sure
O yes I said I am quite sure
in a way that shut him up
I knew what was coming next

only natural weakness it was
he excited me
I dont know how
the first night ever we met
when I was living in Rehoboth terrace
we stood staring at one another for about 10 minutes
as if we met somewhere
I suppose on account of my being jewess looking after my mother
he used to amuse me
the things he said with the half sloothering smile on him
and all the Doyles said he was going to stand for a member of Parliament
O wasnt I the born fool to believe all his blather
about home rule and the land league
sending me that long strool of a song
out of the Huguenots to sing in French to be more classy
O beau pays de la Touraine
that I never even sang once
explaining and rigmaroling about religion and persecution
he wont let you enjoy anything naturally
then might he as a great favour
the very 1st opportunity he got a chance in Brighton square
running into my bedroom
pretending the ink got on his hands to wash it off
with the Albion milk and sulphur soap I used to use
and the gelatine still round it
O I laughed myself sick at him that day

I better not make an alnight sitting on this affair
they ought to make chambers a natural size
so that a woman could sit on it properly
he kneels down to do it
I suppose there isnt in all creation another man with the habits he has
look at the way hes sleeping at the foot of the bed
how can he without a hard bolster
its well he doesnt kick or he might knock out all my teeth
breathing with his hand on his nose
like that Indian god he took me to show
one wet Sunday in the museum in Kildare street
all yellow in a pinafore lying on his side on his hand
with his ten toes sticking out
that he said was a bigger religion
than the jews and Our Lords both put together
all over Asia
imitating him as hes always imitating everybody
I suppose he used to sleep at the foot of the bed too
with his big square feet up in his wifes mouth
damn this stinking thing anyway
wheres this those napkins are
ah yes I know
I hope the old press doesnt creak
ah I knew it would
hes sleeping hard
had a good time somewhere
still she must have given him great value for his money
of course he has to pay for it from her
O this nuisance of a thing
I hope theyll have something better for us in the other world
tying ourselves up
God help us
thats all right for tonight now
the lumpy old jingly bed always reminds me of old Cohen
I suppose he scratched himself in it often enough
and he thinks father bought it from Lord Napier
that I used to admire when I was a little girl
because I told him
easy
piano
O I like my bed

God here we are as bad as ever after 16 years
how many houses were we in at all
Raymond terrace and Ontario terrace and Lombard street and Holles street
and he goes about whistling every time were on the run again
his huguenots or the frogs march
pretending to help the men with our 4 sticks of furniture
and then the City Arms hotel
worse and worse says Warden Daly
that charming place on the landing
always somebody inside praying
then leaving all their stinks after them
always know who was in there last
every time were just getting on right something happens
or he puts his big foot in it
Thoms and Helys and Mr Cuffes and Drimmies
either hes going to be run into prison
over his old lottery tickets that was to be all our salvations
or he goes and gives impudence
well have him coming home with the sack soon out of the Freeman too
like the rest
on account of those Sinner Fein or the freemasons
then well see if the little man he showed me
dribbling along in the wet all by himself round by Coadys lane
will give him much consolation
that he says is so capable and sincerely Irish
he is indeed judging by the sincerity of the trousers I saw on him
wait theres Georges church bells
wait 3 quarters the hour 1 wait 2 oclock
well thats a nice hour of the night for him to be coming home at to anybody
climbing down into the area
if anybody saw him

Ill knock him off that little habit tomorrow
first Ill look at his shirt to see
or Ill see if he has that French letter still in his pocketbook
I suppose he thinks I dont know
deceitful men
all their 20 pockets arent enough for their lies
then why should we tell them
even if its the truth they dont believe you
then tucked up in bed like those babies
in the Aristocrats Masterpiece he brought me another time
as if we hadnt enough of that in real life
without some old Aristocrat or whatever his name is
disgusting you more with those rotten pictures
children with two heads and no legs
thats the kind of villainy theyre always dreaming about
with not another thing in their empty heads
they ought to get slow poison the half of them
then tea and toast for him buttered on both sides and newlaid eggs
I suppose Im nothing any more
when I wouldnt let him lick me in Holles street one night
man man tyrant as ever
for the one thing he slept on the floor half the night
naked the way the jews used when somebody dies belonged to them
and wouldnt eat any breakfast or speak a word
wanting to be petted
so I thought I stood out enough for one time and let him
he does it all wrong too
thinking only of his own pleasure
his tongue is too flat or I dont know what
he forgets that wethen I dont
Ill make him do it again if he doesnt mind himself
and lock him down to sleep in the coalcellar with the blackbeetles

I wonder was it her Josie off her head with my castoffs
hes such a born liar too
no hed never have the courage with a married woman
thats why he wants me and Boylan
though as for her Denis as she calls him
that forlornlooking spectacle you couldnt call him a husband
yes its some little bitch hes got in with
even when I was with him with Milly at the College races
that Hornblower with the childs bonnet on the top of his nob
let us into by the back way
he was throwing his sheeps eyes at those two doing skirt duty up and down
I tried to wink at him first
no use of course
and thats the way his money goes
this is the fruits of Mr Paddy Dignam
yes
they were all in great style at the grand funeral
in the paper Boylan brought in
if they saw a real officers funeral thatd be something
reversed arms
muffled drums
the poor horse walking behind in black
L Boom and Tom Kernan
that drunken little barrelly man that bit his tongue off
falling down the mens W C drunk in some place or other
and Martin Cunningham and the two Dedaluses and Fanny MCoys husband
white head of cabbage
skinny thing with a turn in her eye
trying to sing my songs
shed want to be born all over again
and her old green dress with the lowneck
as she cant attract them any other way
like dabbling on a rainy day

I see it all now plainly and they call that friendship
killing and then burying one another
and they all with their wives and families at home
more especially Jack Power keeping that barmaid he does
of course his wife is always sick or going to be sick
or just getting better of it
and hes a goodlooking man still
though hes getting a bit grey over the ears
theyre a nice lot all of them
well theyre not going to get my husband again
into their clutches if I can help it
making fun of him then behind his back
I know well
when he goes on with his idiotics
because he has sense enough not to squander every penny piece he earns
down their gullets
and looks after his wife and family
goodfornothings
poor Paddy Dignam
all the same Im sorry in a way for him
what are his wife and 5 children going to do unless he was insured
comical little teetotum always stuck up in some pub corner
and her or her son waiting
Bill Bailey wont you please come home
her widows weeds wont improve her appearance
theyre awfully becoming though if youre goodlooking
what men

wasnt he
yes he was at the Glencree dinner
and Ben Dollard base barreltone
the night he borrowed the swallowtail to sing out of
in Holles street
squeezed and squashed into them
and grinning all over his big Dolly face like a wellwhipped childs botty
didnt he look a balmy ballocks
sure enough that must have been a spectacle on the stage
imagine paying 5/- in the preserved seats for that
to see him trotting off in his trowlers
and Simon Dedalus too
he was always turning up half screwed
singing the second verse first
the old love is the new was one of his
so sweetly sang the maiden on the hawthorn bough
he was always on for flirtyfying too
when I sang Maritana with him at Freddy Mayers private opera
he had a delicious glorious voice
Phoebe dearest goodbye sweetheart
sweetheart he always sang it
not like Bartell dArcy sweet tart goodbye
of course he had the gift of the voice so there was no art in it
all over you like a warm showerbath
O Maritana wildwood flower
we sang splendidly
though it was a bit too high for my register even transposed
and he was married at the time to May Goulding
but then hed say or do something to knock the good out of it
hes a widower now

I wonder what sort is his son
he says hes an author and going to be a university professor of Italian
and Im to take lessons
what is he driving at now
showing him my photo
its not good of me
I ought to have got it taken in drapery
that never looks out of fashion
still I look young in it
I wonder he didnt make him a present of it altogether and me too
after all why not
I saw him driving down to the Kingsbridge station
with his father and mother
I was in mourning
thats 11 years ago now
yes hed be 11
though what was the good in going into mourning
for what was neither one thing nor the other
the first cry was enough for me
I heard the deathwatch too ticking in the wall
of course he insisted
hed go into mourning for the cat
I suppose
hes a man now by this time
he was an innocent boy then
and a darling little fellow in his lord Fauntleroy suit
and curly hair like a prince on the stage
when I saw him at Mat Dillons
he liked me too I remember
they all do

wait by God yes wait yes hold on
he was on the cards this morning when I laid out the deck
union with a young stranger neither dark nor fair you met before
I thought it meant him but hes no chicken nor a stranger either
besides my face was turned the other way
what was the 7th card after that
the 10 of spades for a Journey by land
then there was a letter on its way
and scandals too
the 3 queens and the 8 of diamonds for a rise in society
yes wait it all came out and 2 red 8s for new garments
look at that
and didnt I dream something too
yes there was something about poetry in it
I hope he hasnt long greasy hair hanging into his eyes
or standing up like a red Indian
what do they go about like that for
only getting themselves and their poetry laughed at
I always liked poetry when I was a girl
first I thought he was a poet like lord Byron
and not an ounce of it in his composition
I thought he was quite different
I wonder is he too young
hes about
wait 88 I was married
88 Milly is 15 yesterday 89
what age was he then at Dillons 5 or 6 about
88 I suppose hes 20 or more
Im not too old for him if hes 23 or 24
I hope hes not that stuckup university student sort
no otherwise he wouldnt go sitting down in the old kitchen with him
taking Eppss cocoa and talking
of course he pretended to understand it all
probably he told him he was out of Trinity college
hes very young to be a professor
I hope hes not a professor like Goodwin was
he was a potent professor of John Jameson

they all write about some woman in their poetry
well I suppose he wont find many like me
where softly sighs of love the light guitar
where poetry is in the air
the blue sea and the moon shining so beautifully
coming back on the nightboat from Tarifa
the lighthouse at Europa point
the guitar that fellow played was so expressive
will I ever go back there again
all new faces
two glancing eyes a lattice hid
Ill sing that for him
theyre my eyes
if hes anything of a poet
two eyes as darkly bright as loves own star
arent those beautiful words
as loves young star
itll be a change the Lord knows
to have an intelligent person to talk to about yourself
not always listening to him and Billy Prescotts ad
and Keyess ad and Tom the Devils ad
then if anything goes wrong in their business we have to suffer
Im sure hes very distinguished
Id like to meet a man like that
God not those other ruck
besides hes young

those fine young men I could see down in Margate strand bathingplace
from the side of the rock standing up in the sun
naked like a God or something and then plunging into the sea with them
why arent all men like that
thered be some consolation for a woman
like that lovely little statue he bought
I could look at him all day long
curly head and his shoulders
his finger up for you to listen
theres real beauty and poetry for you
I often felt I wanted to kiss him all over
also his lovely young cock there so simple
I wouldnt mind taking him in my mouth if nobody was looking
as if it was asking you to suck it
so clean and white he looks with his boyish face
I would too in 1/2 a minute even if some of it went down
what its only like gruel or the dew
theres no danger besides hed be so clean
compared with those pigs of men I suppose never dream of washing it
from 1 years end to the other the most of them
only thats what gives the women the moustaches Im sure
itll be grand if I can only get in with a handsome young poet at my age
Ill throw them the 1st thing in the morning
till I see if the wishcard comes out
or Ill try pairing the lady herself and see if he comes out
Ill read and study all I can find or learn a bit off by heart
if I knew who he likes
so he wont think me stupid
if he thinks all women are the same
and I can teach him the other part
Ill make him feel all over him till he half faints under me
then hell write about me lover and mistress publicly too
with our 2 photographs in all the papers when he becomes famous
O but then what am I going to do about him though

---

no thats no way for him
has he no manners nor no refinement nor no nothing in his nature
slapping us behind like that on my bottom because I didnt call him Hugh
the ignoramus
that doesnt know poetry from a cabbage
thats what you get for not keeping them in their proper place
pulling off his shoes and trousers there on the chair before me
so barefaced without even asking permission
and standing out that vulgar way in the half of a shirt they wear
to be admired like a priest or a butcher
or those old hypocrites in the time of Julius Caesar
of course hes right enough in his way to pass the time as a joke
sure you might as well be in bed with what with a lion
God Im sure hed have something better to say for himself
an old Lion would
O well I suppose its because they were so plump and tempting
in my short petticoat he couldnt resist
they excite myself sometimes
its well for men
all the amount of pleasure they get off a womans body
were so round and white for them always
I wished I was one myself for a change just to try
with that thing they have swelling up on you so hard
and at the same time so soft when you touch it
my uncle John has a thing long
I heard those cornerboys saying passing the corner of Marrowbone lane
my aunt Mary has a thing hairy
because it was dark and they knew a girl was passing
it didnt make me blush
why should it either
its only nature
and he puts his thing long into my aunt Marys hairy etcetera
and turns out to be you put the handle in a sweepingbrush

men again all over
they can pick and choose what they please
a married woman or a fast widow or a girl for their different tastes
like those houses round behind Irish street
no
but were to be always chained up
theyre not going to be chaining me up
no damn fear
once I start I tell you
for their stupid husbands jealousy
why cant we all remain friends over it instead of quarrelling
her husband found it out what they did together
well naturally and if he did can he undo it
hes coronado anyway whatever he does
and then he going to the other mad extreme
about the wife in Fair Tyrants
of course the man never even casts a 2nd thought on the husband
or wife either
its the woman he wants and he gets her
what else were we given all those desires for Id like to know
I cant help it if Im young still can I
its a wonder Im not an old shrivelled hag before my time
living with him so cold
never embracing me except sometimes when hes asleep
the wrong end of me
not knowing I suppose who he has
any man thatd kiss a womans bottom
Id throw my hat at him after that
hed kiss anything unnatural
where we havent 1 atom of any kind of expression in us
all of us the same
2 lumps of lard
before ever Id do that to a man
pfooh the dirty brutes
the mere thought is enough
I kiss the feet of you senorita
theres some sense in that
didnt he kiss our halldoor yes he did
what a madman nobody understands his cracked ideas but me

still of course a woman wants to be embraced
20 times a day almost to make her look young
no matter by who so long as to be in love or loved by somebody
if the fellow you want isnt there
sometimes by the Lord God
I was thinking would I go around by the quays there some dark evening
where nobodyd know me
and pick up a sailor off the sea thatd be hot on for it
and not care a pin whose I was
only do it off up in a gate somewhere
or one of those wildlooking gipsies in Rathfarnham
had their camp pitched near the Bloomfield laundry
to try and steal our things if they could
I only sent mine there a few times for the name model laundry
sending me back over and over some old ones odd stockings
that blackguardlooking fellow with the fine eyes
peeling a switch attack me in the dark
and ride me up against the wall without a word
or a murderer anybody
what they do themselves
the fine gentlemen in their silk hats
that K C lives up somewhere this way
coming out of Hardwicke lane
the night he gave us the fish supper
on account of winning over the boxing match
of course it was for me he gave it
I knew him by his gaiters and the walk
and when I turned round a minute after just to see
there was a woman after coming out of it too
some filthy prostitute
then he goes home to his wife after that
only I suppose the half of those sailors are rotten again with disease

O move over your big carcass out of that for the love of Mike
listen to him
the winds that waft my sighs to thee
so well he may sleep and sigh the great Suggester
Don Poldo de la Flora
if he knew how he came out on the cards this morning
hed have something to sigh for
a dark man in some perplexity
between 2 7s too in prison
for Lord knows what he does that I dont know
and Im to be slooching around down in the kitchen
to get his lordship his breakfast while hes rolled up like a mummy
will I indeed
did you ever see me running
Id just like to see myself at it
show them attention and they treat you like dirt
I dont care what anybody says
itd be much better for the world to be governed by the women in it
you wouldnt see women going and killing one another and slaughtering
when do you ever see women rolling around drunk like they do
or gambling every penny they have and losing it on horses
yes because a woman whatever she does she knows where to stop
sure they wouldnt be in the world at all only for us
they dont know what it is to be a woman and a mother
how could they
where would they all of them be if they hadnt all
a mother to look after them what I never had

thats why I suppose hes running wild now
out at night away from his books and studies
and not living at home on account of the usual rowy house I suppose
well its a poor case that those that have a fine son like that
theyre not satisfied and I none
was he not able to make one
it wasnt my fault
we came together when I was watching the two dogs
up in her behind in the middle of the naked street
that disheartened me altogether
I suppose I oughtnt to have buried him in that little woolly jacket I knitted
crying as I was
but give it to some poor child
but I knew well Id never have another
our 1st death too it was
we were never the same since
O Im not going to think myself into the glooms about that any more
I wonder why he wouldnt stay the night
I felt all the time it was somebody strange he brought in
instead of roving around the city meeting God knows who
nightwalkers and pickpockets
his poor mother wouldnt like that if she was alive
ruining himself for life perhaps
still its a lovely hour
so silent
I used to love coming home after dances
the air of the night
they have friends they can talk to
weve none
either he wants what he wont get
or its some woman ready to stick her knife in you
I hate that in women
no wonder they treat us the way they do
we are a dreadful lot of bitches
I suppose its all the troubles we have makes us so snappy
Im not like that
he could easy have slept in there on the sofa in the other room
I suppose he was as shy as a boy he being so young
hardly 20
of me in the next room
hed have heard me on the chamber
arrah what harm
Dedalus I wonder
its like those names in Gibraltar

Delapaz Delagracia they had the devils queer names there
father Vilaplana of Santa Maria that gave me the rosary
Rosales y OReilly in the Calle las Siete Revueltas
and Pisimbo and Mrs Opisso in Governor street
O what a name
Id go and drown myself in the first river if I had a name like her
O my and all the bits of streets
Paradise ramp and Bedlam ramp and Rodgers ramp and Crutchetts ramp
and the devils gap steps
well small blame to me if I am a harumscarum
I know I am a bit
I declare to God I dont feel a day older than then
I wonder could I get my tongue round any of the Spanish
como esta usted muy bien gracias y usted
see I havent forgotten it all
I thought I had only for the grammar
a noun is the name of any person place or thing
pity I never tried to read that novel cantankerous Mrs Rubio lent me
by Valera with the questions in it all upside down the two ways
I always knew wed go away in the end
I can tell him the Spanish and he tell me the Italian
then hell see Im not so ignorant
what a pity he didnt stay
Im sure the poor fellow was dead tired and wanted a good sleep badly
I could have brought him in his breakfast in bed with a bit of toast
so long as I didnt do it on the knife for bad luck
or if the woman was going her rounds with the watercress
and something nice and tasty
there are a few olives in the kitchen he might like
I never could bear the look of them in Abrines
I could do the criada
the room looks all right since I changed it the other way
you see something was telling me all the time
Id have to introduce myself not knowing me from Adam
very funny wouldnt it
Im his wife
or pretend we were in Spain with him half awake
without a Gods notion where he is
dos huevos estrellados senor
Lord the cracked things come into my head sometimes

itd be great fun supposing he stayed with us
why not theres the room upstairs empty
and Millys bed in the back room
he could do his writing and studies at the table in there
for all the scribbling he does at it
and if he wants to read in bed in the morning like me
as hes making the breakfast for 1 he can make it for 2 Im sure
Im not going to take in lodgers off the street for him
if he takes a gesabo of a house like this
Id love to have a long talk with an intelligent welleducated person
Id have to get a nice pair of red slippers
like those Turks with the fez used to sell
or yellow
and a nice semitransparent morning gown that I badly want
or a peachblossom dressing jacket
like the one long ago in Walpoles only 8/6 or 18/6
Ill just give him one more chance
Ill get up early in the morning
Im sick of Cohens old bed
in any case I might go over to the markets to see all the vegetables
and cabbages and tomatoes and carrots and all kinds of splendid fruits
all coming in lovely and fresh
who knows whod be the 1st man Id meet
theyre out looking for it in the morning
Mamy Dillon used to say
they are and the night too
that was her massgoing
Id love a big juicy pear now to melt in your mouth
like when I used to be in the longing way
then Ill throw him up his eggs
and tea in the moustachecup she gave him to make his mouth bigger
I suppose hed like my nice cream too

I know what Ill do Ill go about rather gay
not too much singing a bit now and then
mi fa pieta Masetto
then Ill start dressing myself to go out
presto non son piu forte
Ill put on my best shift and drawers
let him have a good eyeful out of that
to make his micky stand for him
Ill let him know if thats what he wanted
that his wife is fucked yes and damn well fucked too
up to my neck nearly not by him
5 or 6 times handrunning
theres the mark of his spunk on the clean sheet
I wouldnt bother to even iron it out
that ought to satisfy him
if you dont believe me feel my belly
unless I made him stand there and put him into me
Ive a mind to tell him every scrap and make him do it out in front of me
serve him right its all his own fault if I am an adulteress
as the thing in the gallery said
O much about it if thats all the harm ever we did in this vale of tears
God knows its not much
doesnt everybody only they hide it
I suppose thats what a woman is supposed to be there for
or He wouldnt have made us the way He did so attractive to men
then if he wants to kiss my bottom Ill drag open my drawers
and bulge it right out in his face as large as life
he can stick his tongue 7 miles up my hole as hes there
my brown part
then Ill tell him I want £1 or perhaps 30/
Ill tell him I want to buy underclothes
then if he gives me that well he wont be too bad
I dont want to soak it all out of him like other women do
I could often have written out a fine cheque for myself
and write his name on it for a couple of pounds
a few times he forgot to lock it up
besides he wont spend it
Ill let him do it off on me behind
provided he doesnt smear all my good drawers
O I suppose that cant be helped
Ill do the indifferent l or 2 questions
Ill know by the answers
when hes like that he cant keep a thing back
I know every turn in him
Ill tighten my bottom well and let out a few smutty words
smellrump or lick my shit or the first mad thing comes into my head
then Ill suggest about
yes O wait now
sonny my turn is coming
Ill be quite gay and friendly over it
O but I was forgetting this bloody pest of a thing
pfooh you wouldnt know which to laugh or cry
were such a mixture of plum and apple
no Ill have to wear the old things
so much the better
itll be more pointed
hell never know whether he did it or not
there thats good enough for you
any old thing at all
then Ill wipe him off me just like a business
his omission
then Ill go out
Ill have him eying up at the ceiling where is she gone now
make him want me
thats the only way

a quarter after what an unearthly hour
I suppose theyre just getting up in China now
combing out their pigtails for the day
well soon have the nuns ringing the angelus
theyve nobody coming in to spoil their sleep
except an odd priest or two for his night office
or the alarmclock next door at cockshout
clattering the brains out of itself
let me see if I can doze off 1 2 3 4 5
what kind of flowers are those they invented
like the stars
the wallpaper in Lombard street was much nicer
the apron he gave me was like that
something
only I only wore it twice
better lower this lamp and try again so as I can get up early
Ill go to Lambes there beside Findlaters
and get them to send us some flowers to put about the place
in case he brings him home tomorrow
today I mean
no no Fridays an unlucky day
first I want to do the place up someway
the dust grows in it I think while Im asleep
then we can have music and cigarettes
I can accompany him first
I must clean the keys of the piano with milk
whatll I wear
shall I wear a white rose
or those fairy cakes in Liptons
I love the smell of a rich big shop at 7d a lb
or the other ones with the cherries in them and the pinky sugar 11d
a couple of lbs of those
a nice plant for the middle of the table
Id get that cheaper in
wait wheres this I saw them not long ago
I love flowers
Id love to have the whole place swimming in roses
God of heaven theres nothing like nature
the wild mountains then the sea and the waves rushing
then the beautiful country with the fields of oats and wheat
and all kinds of things
and all the fine cattle going about
that would do your heart good to see
rivers and lakes and flowers
all sorts of shapes and smells and colours
springing up even out of the ditches
primroses and violets
nature it is
as for them saying theres no God
I wouldnt give a snap of my two fingers for all their learning
why dont they go and create something I often asked him
atheists or whatever they call themselves
go and wash the cobbles off themselves first
then they go howling for the priest and they dying and why
why
because theyre afraid of hell on account of their bad conscience
ah yes I know them well
who was the first person in the universe before there was anybody
that made it all
who
ah that they dont know
neither do I so there you are
they might as well try to stop the sun from rising tomorrow

the sun shines for you he said
the day we were lying among the rhododendrons on Howth head
in the grey tweed suit and his straw hat
the day I got him to propose to me
yes
first I gave him the bit of seedcake out of my mouth
and it was leapyear like now
yes
16 years ago my God
after that long kiss I near lost my breath
yes
he said I was a flower of the mountain
yes
so we are flowers all a womans body
yes
that was one true thing he said in his life
and the sun shines for you today
yes
that was why I liked him because I saw he understood
or felt what a woman is
and I knew I could always get round him
and I gave him all the pleasure I could
leading him on till he asked me to say yes
and I wouldnt answer first only looked out over the sea and the sky
I was thinking of so many things he didnt know of
Mulvey and Mr Stanhope and Hester and father and old captain Groves
and the sailors playing
all birds fly and I say stoop
and washing up dishes they called it on the pier
and the sentry in front of the governors house
with the thing round his white helmet
poor devil half roasted
and the Spanish girls laughing in their shawls and their tall combs
and the auctions in the morning
the Greeks and the jews and the Arabs and the devil knows who else
from all the ends of Europe
and Duke street and the fowl market all clucking outside Larby Sharons
and the poor donkeys slipping half asleep
and the vague fellows in the cloaks asleep in the shade on the steps
and the big wheels of the carts of the bulls
and the old castle thousands of years old
yes
and those handsome Moors all in white and turbans like kings
asking you to sit down in their little bit of a shop
and Ronda with the old windows of the posadas
2 glancing eyes a lattice hid
for her lover to kiss the iron
and the wineshops half open at night
and the castanets
and the night we missed the boat at Algeciras
the watchman going about serene with his lamp
and O that awful deepdown torrent O
and the sea the sea crimson sometimes like fire
and the glorious sunsets and the figtrees in the Alameda gardens
yes
and all the queer little streets and the pink and blue and yellow houses
and the rosegardens and the jessamine and geraniums and cactuses
and Gibraltar as a girl where I was a Flower of the mountain
yes
when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used
or shall I wear a red
yes
and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall
and I thought well as well him as another
and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again
yes
and then he asked me would I
yes
to say yes my mountain flower
and first I put my arms around him
yes
and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume
yes
and his heart was going like mad
and yes I said yes I will Yes.