This portrait of Leopold Bloom , by James Joyce, was drawn in Myron C. Nutting's Paris studio in 1923. The Greek line shown is the beginning line of the Odyssey, "Tell me Muse, of the man of many devices, who over many ways . . ."

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The announcement of Bloomusalem, as presented below, is made in the Circe episode in one of the dream scenes. Both the phrases "tell you verily it is even now at hand," and " You have said it" allude to the words of or the way the words would have been spoken by Jesus Christ. The reference to "Thirty two workmen . . . from all the counties of Ireland" alludes to a historical event that had occurred in Hungary under Emperor Francis Joseph and there was an actual craftsman named Derwan in Dublin. In the Cyclops episode a question directed to Bloom: "Are you talking about the new Jerusalem? says the citizen." Bloomusalem is Joyce's riff of "new Jerusalem."

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"BLOOM: My beloved subjects, a new era is about to dawn. I, Bloom,
tell you verily it is even now at hand. Yea, on the word of a Bloom, Bloomusalem in the Nova Hibernia of the future.

(THIRTYTWO WORKMEN, WEARING ROSETTES, FROM ALL THE COUNTIES OF IRELAND, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF DERWAN THE
BUILDER, CONSTRUCT THE NEW BLOOMUSALEM. IT IS A COLOSSAL
EDIFICE WITH CRYSTAL ROOF, BUILT IN THE SHAPE OF A HUGE
PORK KIDNEY, CONTAINING FORTY THOUSAND ROOMS. IN THE
COURSE OF ITS EXTENSION SEVERAL BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS
ARE DEMOLISHED. GOVERNMENT OFFICES ARE TEMPORARILY
TRANSFERRED TO RAILWAY SHEDS. NUMEROUS HOUSES ARE RAZED
TO THE GROUND. THE INHABITANTS ARE LODGED IN BARRELS AND
BOXES, ALL MARKED IN RED WITH THE LETTERS: L. B. SEVERAL
PAUPERS FILL FROM A LADDER. A PART OF THE WALLS OF DUBLIN,

CROWDED WITH LOYAL SIGHTSEERS, COLLAPSES.)

THE SIGHTSEERS: (DYING) MORITURI TE SALUTANT. (THEY DIE)"

Later in the same episode:

"A VOICE: Bloom, are you the Messiah ben Joseph or ben David?

BLOOM: (DARKLY) You have said it."

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Morituri Te Salutant-"Those (who are) about to die salute thee; the gladiators saluted the Roman emperor at the start of the gladiatorial games" (Gifford).