James Joyce

Ulysses James Joyce

Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirrorand a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on themild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned: -Introibo ad altare Dei. Halted, he peered down the dark winding stairs and called out coarsely: -Come up, Kinch! Come up, you fearful jesuit!Solemnly he came forward and mounted the round gunrest. He faced about and blessed gravelythrice the tower, the surrounding land and the awaking mountains. Then, catching sight of StephenDedalus, he bent towards him and made rapid crosses in the air, gurgling in his throat and shakinghis head. Stephen Dedalus, displeased and sleepy, leaned his arms on the top of the staircase andlooked coldly at the shaking gurgling face that blessed him, equine in its length, and at the lightuntonsured hair, grained and hued like pale oak. Buck Mulligan peeped an instant under the mirror and then covered the bowl smartly.-Back to barracks! he said sternly. He added in a preacher's tone: -For this, O dearly beloved, is the genuine Christine: body and soul and blood and ouns. Slowmusic, please. Shut your eyes, gents. One moment. A little trouble about those white corpuscles. Silence, all. He peered sideways up and gave a long slow whistle of call, then paused awhile in rapt attention, his even white teeth glistening here and there with gold points. Chrysostomos. Two strong shrillwhistles answered through the calm.-Thanks, old chap, he cried briskly. That will do nicely. Switch off the current, will you?He skipped off the gunrest and looked gravely at his watcher, gathering about his legs the loosefolds of his gown. The plump shadowed face and sullen oval jowl recalled a prelate, patron of arts inthe middle ages. A pleasant smile broke quietly over his lips.-The mockery of it! he said gaily. Your absurd name, an ancient Greek!He pointed his finger in friendly jest and went over to the parapet, laughing to himself. StephenDedalus stepped up, followed him wearily halfway and sat down on the edge of the gunrest, watching him still as he propped his mirror on the parapet, dipped the brush in the bowl andlathered cheeks and neck. Buck Mulligan's gay voice wen