Monday, 27 May 2014, Pages 146 - 149

We shall start our next week's reading with "Answer: No, blank ye!"  (149.11)
(This is the answer to question 11.)

Thus we needed three sessions to read - not necessarily decipher - the answer to the 10th question, "What bitter's love but turning, what' sour lovemutch but a beef burning till shed that drawes dot hems lake retourne?" Naturally the answer was all about love and yearning with - in the last paragraphs we read - a generous sprinkling of nursery rhymes, like Sing a Song of Sixpence (147. 7) that seems to have been a big favorite of Joyce as it is appears in various incarnations in his writing, As I was going to St. Ives (147.10),  Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (147.11), Ring a Ring o' Roses (147.19), ...

Poems, fables and operas are also hinted at: not for all the juliettes in the twinkly way (148. 13) based on William Wordsworth's Daffodils, groupsuppers and caught lip solution from Anty (147. 16) inspired from The Ant and the Grasshopper and chaste dieva (147. 24) taken from the aria, Casta Diva, from Bellini's Norma. (Click here to listen to Anna Netrebko singing Casta Diva!)

Chandra

Monday, 19 May 2014, Pages 144 - 146

We read as far as "please me, treasure" (146.32).

Monday, 12 May 2014, Pages 143 - 144

We came as far as "O mind you poo tickly." (144.34)

Covered the question 9 and its answer too, and started the long question 10. In the question 9, we met Camelot, Hamelt (the prince of dinmurk), goats and sheep (gouty hands... sleepish feet) which should entertain hopeinhaven (Hope in heaven or Copenhagen?) and finally the seven colors of the rainbow. (rose rude, oragious, gelb and greek, blue, ind, Violet).

Question 10 is about love and yearning (bitter's love but yurning). Not only do Romeo and Juliet make an appearance as Jolio and Romeune but also Majnun makes an appearance, albeit without his Layla, disguised in a pseudo Spanish sentence, Andoo musnoo play zeloso! (Read here the Persian version of the star-crossed love story of Layla and Majnun or watch here the 1953 Hindi movie, Laila and Majnu, based on the Indian version of the story.)

Monday, 5 May 2014, Pages 141 - 143

We stopped midway in a sentence / paragraph /question: "... hang of the Hoel of it..." (143. 15)

What we read:

We read questions (& answers) 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Question 5 was about Pore ole Joe, who was a man, who did odd jobs around the house. The question felt like an ad for a job (What slags of a loughladdd would retten sumtyflesks,.... mell vitious grit, .... / Which sort of a lad/guy would serve up / make ready dirty flasks, .... milk vicious goats.... ) would  stating its requirements too. Question 6 on the other hand was about a kitchen help, who imitates her employer, and who seems to be in a bad mood (... for Tomorrha's big pickneck I hope it'll pour.... And who eight the last of the goose-bellies..... / I hope it will pour for tomorrow's big pick nick ... and who ate the last of the gooseberries... )

And so on and so forth. For fun (and appreciation of the work), do read the following loudly:
 "... And whowasit youwasit propped the pot in the yard and whatinthe nameofsen lukeareyou rubbinthe sideofthe flureofthe lobbywith." (141. 22)

Just don't ask who is asking the questions, and to whom they are addressed!

Monday, 28 April 2014, Pages 139 - 141

Read as far as "... Aequallllllll!" (141.7)