jueves, 5 de febrero de 2015

Small world, de JB. Un buen amigo


(...) Sí que compré casa por fin y esta semana precisamente voy a quedar con unos arquitectos (dos españoles y un irlandés) para echarle un vistazo. Es una casita junto a Blessington Basin, en Auburn Street. Perpendicular, por cierto, a Fontenoy Street (en el número 44 de esa calle vivió la familia Joyce; el bueno de James se alojó ahí entre mediados de 1909 y mediados de 1910, mientras se empeñaba en montar un cine en Dublín). Mi casa también tiene algo de historia ya que en ella vivió por esas fechas, entre 1909 y 1913, el líder sindical Jim Larkin (estatua en O'Connell Street). El Lockout de 1913 y los desahucios que narra Plunkett en su Strumpet City pudieron con él! En septiembre de 1913, para conmemorar el centenario, quedé en mi casa con su sobrina, ..., y un periodista de RTĒ. Small world, sobre todo aquí en Irlanda!

miércoles, 4 de febrero de 2015

A languid floating flower

By lorries along sir John Rogerson’s quay Mr Bloom walked soberly, past Windmill lane, Leask’s the linseed crusher, the postal telegraph office. Could have given that address too. And past the sailors’ home. He turned from the morning noises of the quayside and walked through Lime street. By Brady’s cottages a boy for the skins lolled, his bucket of offal linked, smoking a chewed fagbutt. A smaller girl with scars of eczema on her forehead eyed him, listlessly holding her battered caskhoop. Tell him if he smokes he won’t grow. O let him! His life isn’t such a bed of roses. Waiting outside pubs to bring da home. Come home to ma, da. Slack hour: won’t be many there. He crossed Townsend street, passed the frowning face of Bethel. El, yes: house of: Aleph, Beth. And past Nichols’ the undertaker. At eleven it is. Time enough. Daresay Corny Kelleher bagged the job for O’Neill’s. Singing with his eyes shut. Corny. Met her once in the park. In the dark. What a lark. Police tout. Her name and address she then told with my tooraloom tooraloom tay. O, surely he bagged it. Bury him cheap in a whatyoumaycall. With my tooraloom, tooraloom, tooraloom, tooraloom (…)


He foresaw his pale body reclined in it at full, naked, in a womb of warmth, oiled by scented melting soap, softly laved. He saw his trunk and limbs riprippled over and sustained, buoyed lightly upward, lemonyellow: his navel, bud of flesh: and saw the dark tangled curls of his bush floating, floating hair of the stream around the limp father of thousands, a languid floating flower.