Today is Bloomsday: the day of the wanderings of Leopold Bloom in James
Joyce’s Ulysses set in June 16th
1904. To join the celebration, two excerpts – Bloom’s musings on scents and
smells, and the very end of Molly’s famous monologue…Ulysses is a book that ends with a rose, and a "yes".
“Smell that I did. Like flowers. It was too.
Violets. Came from the turpentine probably in the paint. Make their own use of
everything. Same time doing it scraped her slipper on the floor so they
wouldn't hear. But lots of them can't kick the beam, I think. Keep that thing
up for hours. Kind of a general all round over me and half down my back.
Wait.
Hm. Hm. Yes. That's her perfume. Why she waved her hand. I leave you this to
think of me when I'm far away on the pillow. What is it? Heliotrope? No.
Hyacinth? Hm. Roses, I think. She'd like scent of that kind. Sweet and cheap:
soon sour. Why Molly likes opoponax. Suits her, with a little jessamine mixed.
Her high notes and her low notes. At the dance night she met him, dance of the
hours. Heat brought it out. She was wearing her black and it had the perfume of
the time before. Good conductor, is it? Or bad? Light too. Suppose there's some
connection. For instance if you go into a cellar where it's dark. Mysterious
thing too. Why did I smell it only now? Took its time in coming like herself,
slow but sure. Suppose it's ever so many millions of tiny grains blown across.
Yes, it is. Because those spice islands, Cinghalese this morning, smell them
leagues off. Tell you what it is. It's like a fine fine veil or web they have
all over the skin, fine like what do you call it gossamer, and they're always
spinning it out of them, fine as anything, like rainbow colours without knowing
it. Clings to everything she takes off. Vamp of her stockings. Warm shoe.
Stays. Drawers: little kick, taking them off. Byby till next time. Also the cat
likes to sniff in her shift on the bed. Know her smell in a thousand. Bathwater
too. Reminds me of strawberries and cream. Wonder where it is really. There or
the armpits or under the neck. Because you get it out of all holes and corners.
Hyacinth perfume made of oil of ether or something. Muskrat. Bag under their
tails. One grain pour off odour for years. Dogs at each other behind. Good
evening. Evening. How do you sniff? Hm. Hm. Very well, thank you. Animals go by
that. Yes now, look at it that way. We're the same. Some women, instance, warn
you off when they have their period. Come near. Then get a hogo you could hang
your hat on. Like what? Potted herrings gone stale or. Boof! Please keep off
the grass.
Perhaps
they get a man smell off us. What though? Cigary gloves long John had on his
desk the other day. Breath? What you eat and drink gives that. No. Mansmell, I
mean. Must be connected with that because priests that are supposed to be are
different. Women buzz round it like flies round treacle. Railed off the altar
get on to it at any cost. The tree of forbidden priest. O, father, will you?
Let me be the first to. That diffuses itself all through the body, permeates.
Source of life. And it's extremely curious the smell. Celery sauce. Let me.
Mr
Bloom inserted his nose. Hm. Into the. Hm. Opening of his waistcoat. Almonds
or. No. Lemons it is. Ah no, that's the soap.”
From Molly’s monologue…
“…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.”
A full blown sensualist! Thanks for this ,a wonderful read this fine Saturday morning in Cork!. I have planned to eat some lambs kidneys tonight, roasted in their own fat jackets to mark Bloomsday. I know Leo had them for his breakfast, but they were different times, and I didn't have any stout last night to warrant the greasy bloat of a full fat Irish. So, kidneys on sourdough toast with a splash of Jameson, a scoop of creme fraiche and a smear of Dijon. Heaven!
RépondreSupprimerUnfortunately I will have to wait until I get up to Belfast to smell your perfume. I would like to think that it would be a favourite of Molly's. Space NK have a branch there and they carry a limited range- I will make a point of requesting it and I wish you every success with it!
Stephen, I symbolically raise my glass to you on Bloomsday! Well, make that a perfume bottle, I'm still working. I celebrated the day by bumping into Milan Kundera (a very rare sighting)...
RépondreSupprimerDon't know whether Space NK will carry Séville à l'aube since it is a limited edition. I'm sure Spanish Molly would have love it.
Un de mes livres favoris et pourtant j'avais complètement oublié que ce jour était célébré en Irlande et au Brésil.
RépondreSupprimerBelle idée de nous en rappeler les odeurs.
J'attends avec impatience de découvrir Séville à l'aube et ton livre en français.
VH
VH, pour le livre en français, c'est pas pour demain, il sort début 2013! Les testeurs de Séville à l'aube, en revanche, sont déjà disponibles.
RépondreSupprimerall i could think of reading that last part was the song kate bush did. all yes, yes, yes.
RépondreSupprimerverrrrry sensual.
cheers,
minette
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