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June 16, 2003

Good Bloomsday to the Lot of You

from Ulysses by James Joyce:

Bloom was talking and talking with John Wyse and he quite excited with his dunducketymudcoloured mug on him and his old plumeyes rolling about.
—Persecution, says he, all the history of the world is full of it. Perpetuating national hatred among nations.
—But do you know what a nation means? says John Wyse.
—Yes, says Bloom. —What is it? says John Wyse.
—A nation? says Bloom. A nation is the same people living in the same place.
—By God, then, says Ned, laughing, if that’s so I’m a nation for I’m living in the same place for the past five years.
So of course everyone had the laugh at Bloom and says he, trying to
muck out of it:
—Or also living in different places.
—That covers my case, says Joe.
—What is your nation if I may ask? says the citizen.
—Ireland, says Bloom. I was born here. Ireland.
The citizen said nothing only cleared the spit out of his gullet and, gob, he spat a Red bank oyster out of him right in the corner…

… —I’m talking about injustice, says Bloom.
—Right, says John Wyse. Stand up to it then with force like men. That’s an almanac picture for you. Mark for a softnosed bullet. Old lardyface standing up to the business end of a gun. Gob, he’d adorn a sweepingbrush, so he would, if he only had a nurse’s apron on him. And then he collapses all of a sudden, twisting around all the opposite, as limp as a wet rag.
—But it’s no use, says he. Force, hatred, history, all that. That’s not life for
men and women, insult and hatred. And everybody knows that it’s the very
opposite of that that is really life.
—What? says Alf.
—Love, says Bloom. I mean the opposite of hatred. I must go now, says he
to John Wyse.

***

I love the way Joyce crafts words. Maybe one day I’ll be able to make it past chapter 3. Unfortunately, I went ahead and read the last chapter when, on the first go-round, I knew I wasn’t going to finish. I’m pretty sure it’s the best one. So, no surprise wooshes for me.

The term “sugarstickygirl” comes from “Ulysses” and it’s one of the best things anyone ever said.

Posted by pogo at June 16, 2003 5:21 PM