Улісс
Chapter 1
Afewmomentslatersawourtwonoctambulessafelyseatedinadiscreetcorneronlytobegreetedbystaresfromthedecidedlymiscellaneouscollectionofwaifsandstraysandothernondescriptspecimensofthegenushomoalreadythereengagedineatinganddrinkingdiversifiedbyconversationforwhomtheyseeminglyformedanobjectofmarkedcuriosity.
—Nowtouchingacupofcoffee,MrBloomventuredtoplausiblysuggesttobreaktheice,itoccurstomeyououghttosamplesomethingintheshapeofsolidfood,say,arollofsomedescription.
Accordinglyhisfirstactwaswithcharacteristicsangfroidtoorderthesecommoditiesquietly.Thehoipolloiofjarviesorstevedoresorwhatevertheywereafteracursoryexaminationturnedtheireyesapparentlydissatisfied,awaythoughoneredbeardedbibulousindividual,portionofwhosehairwasgreyish,asailorprobably,stillstaredforsomeappreciabletimebeforetransferringhisraptattentiontothefloor.MrBloom,availinghimselfoftherightoffreespeech,hehavingjustabowingacquaintancewiththelanguageindispute,though,tobesure,ratherinaquandaryovervoglio,remarkedtohisprotégéinanaudibletoneofvoiceàproposofthebattleroyalinthestreetwhichwasstillragingfastandfurious:
—Abeautifullanguage.Imeanforsingingpurposes.Whydoyounotwriteyourpoetryinthatlanguage?BellaPoetria!Itissomelodiousandfull.Belladonna.Voglio.
Stephen,whowastryinghisdeadbesttoyawnifhecould,sufferingfromlassitudegenerally,replied:
—Tofilltheearofacowelephant.Theywerehagglingovermoney.
