Gemini.Finnegans.Wake.24
Cry not yet! There’s many a smile to Nondum, with sytty maids per man, sir, and thepark’s so dark by kindlelight. But look what you have in your handself!
This short paragraph is a direct, reassuring message to you, the reader, after the dense and difficult “user manual” of the previous section.
A Comforting Word
The narrator senses that you might be feeling overwhelmed by the talk of 70 meanings per word and curses on critics, and offers a comforting command:
Cry not yet!
He promises that there is fun to come. Nondum is Latin for “not yet,” and the narrator insists there’s many a smile to Nondum. The journey ahead isn’t all hard work; it will also contain pleasure, romance (sytty maids per man, sir), and the intrigue of the Phoenix Park at night, which is so dark by kindlelight.
A Practical Instruction
The paragraph ends with a crucial piece of advice. After gesturing toward the complex future of the book, the narrator brings your focus back to the here and now with a direct command:
But look what you have in your handself!
He is telling you to look at what you are literally holding in your hand: the page, the sentence, the word right in front of you.
This is Joyce’s most practical instruction on how to read Finnegans Wake. When the grand theories and endless complexity seem daunting, the best approach is to stop, ignore the bigger picture for a moment, and simply focus on the patterns, sounds, and possible meanings of the words you have in your “handself” right now.
23/08/2025, P.20.21, to be continued.