Monday, 27 January 2020, Pages 604 - 606

The reading stopped at "Ah, fairypair!" (606.23)

These passages have to do with Kevin, of increate God the servant, . . .  a filial fearer . . . It describes in quite the circuitous manner typical of Finnegans Wake how he arose in celibate matrimony (the meaning of celibate matrimony beats me!) at matin chime and with a portable altare cum balneo (altar with a bathtub) reached/rowed to a lakelet where he built a small hut (honeybeehivehut) in which he dug a pit of the size of a seventh part of one full fathom and sat in the water meditating about baptism.

You can decipher more of these passages by reading this!

Monday, 20 January 2020, Pages 603 - 604

We stopped at ". . . what's that, what." (604.21)

How do you interpret the sentence, Bring us this days our maily bag? Apart from its biblical allusion, is it simply a way of asking Kevin, who is actually Shaun the postman, to bring us our mail/daily news/juicy news? Because we soon read, for instance, that hardworking straight walking . . . officials [are] butting their heads to the pillow . . . with the alter girl . . . and that the man was giddy on letties (ladies) . . .

The question is, amongst all these happenings, what is Coemghem (Kevin) doing? The vine has borne fruits but the public hatches (a hatch is an opening) are not yet open. The would be drinkers (besoakers) loiter on because they cannot yet enter. Irrespective of that the greek Sideral Reulthway (Railway) will soon be starting. None of this explains what Kevin is up to. Hopefully we shall find out about it in the next reading session.

Monday, 13 January 2020, Pages 601 - 603

Today's reading stopped at "... egglips of the sunsoonshine." (603.2)

Much of these pages have to do with Keavn (Kevin aka Shaun the post man) and the 29 biddies to whom he had once earlier given a moral talk.

[Joseph Campbell describes the coming of Kevin as follows:

"We now come to the first form that is to issue pristine from the life-fertile waters. It will be fair with the perfection of an as yet unbroken harmony. Luminous, first fruit of the womb of night, it will sit like Brahma on the golden lotus that blossoms from the navel of Vishnu*, the cosmic dreamer. Pure, with the innocence of sainthood, balanced in all virtues, the first child of the new aeon will be radiant with the dew of the dawn. . . . Who is he but saintly Kevin?"**

* See the photograph of the painting posted on 23 December 2019.
** A Skeleton Kex to Finnegans Wake, P. 281-2]

The idea is that  in the new order of things, in the new aeon of the universe, the father (HCE) will make place for the son (Kevin) to take over his place. As the dawn breaks, he is to establish a new land, near the Great Lakes (greyt lack), on the banks of Lake Erie (under wasseres of Erie). The 29 girls (innocent dirly dirls) sing a song that he should come forth (He. Only he.) The 29 churches of Dublin ring their bells: Prayfulness! Prayfulness!  (Note that 3 names are missing in the list given in the book.)

This moment is interrupted by the news reported by "Mike" Portland, an independent reporter: Pipe in Dream Cause, Uncovers Pub History. The Outrage, at Length. . . . and so on.

Monday, 6 January 2020, Pages 599 - 601

The reading stopped at "Pfaf!" (601.3)

Apologies for not being able to post any summary of what was read. Hope to make it up next week!

Monday, 23 December 2019, Pages 598 - 599

We stopped at "... on fattafottafutt." (599.8)

Our next reading session will be in 2020 on the 6th of January at the usual time. Till then have a good time and a good beginning to the next decade!

The section we read is very dense with hidden meanings. (We had read previously of HCE and ALP sleeping, and then of the breaking of the dawn.) Let us look at a few of these sentences and their possible interpretations:
- You have eaden fruit. (Thinking in terms of the garden of Eden, of Adam and Eve, of the apple, one could say that the person, HCE (?) has reached enlightenment.)
- It was a long, very long, a dark, very dark, ... stumble-tumbling night. . . Now day, slow day, from delicate to divine, divides. (This refers to the traditional view of creation and destruction. The period of destruction lasts long.)
- Padma, brighter and sweetster, this flower that bells, it is our hour or risings. (In the Hindu mythology, creation takes place when the supreme god Vishnu wakes up with the urge for creation. A Padma (lotus flower) emerges from his navel on which the creator god Brahma is seated. (See the painting below!) The creation of the universe starts. It is our hour of risings!
- In that earopean end meets Ind. (Joseph Campbell explains: "This is the moment of Sandhyas, when the opposites come together. Europe and India, empirical knowledge and intuitive wisdom, are now one.")

(A miniature painting from the Pahari region, Master painter from Mankot, 1700/20,
Museum Rietberg, Zürich)

Monday, 9 December 2019, Pages 595 - 596

Our reading stopped at "... parasama to himself..." (596.24)

After the sunrise, we (?) are taken on a tour of the area. Some of the places we see are Howth (Hill of Hafid), various counties of Ireland, among them Kerry (curries) and Kilkenny (kilalooly), Wellington's monument (vellumtomes muniment), ... Someone (HCE?) is still sleeping (svap) though the cock crows (Conk a dook he's doo). 

Monday, 2 December 2019, Pages 593 - 595

Stopped reading at "Whake?" (595.3)

A new cycle of life is starting, a new dawn is breaking. As is many mythological stories, a hand from the cloud emerges, holding a chart expanded. A bit of searching on the web also told me that this is depicted on the crest of the Finnegans family as published in the Weekly Irish Times dated 18 July 1936.

Anyway, there is a grand announcement heralding sunrise. With many Sanskrit words mixed in the text, someone (most probably Earwicker) is calling out to the Sun. He says: "Guide us from our house of death through kingdom come to Heliptropolis, city of the sun." The new place will be bright with light.