Gemini.Finnegans.Wake.37
Meeting some sick old bankrupt or the Cottericks’ donkey with his shoe hanging, clankatachankata, or a slut snoring with an impure infant on a bench. ‘Twould turn you against life, so ‘twould. And the the weather’s that mean too. To part from Devlin is hard as Nugent knew, to leave the clean tanglesome one lushier than its neighbour enfranchisable fields but let your ghost have no grievance. You’re better off, sir, where you are, primesigned in the full of your dress, bloodeagle waistcoat and all, remembering your shapes and sizes on the pillow of your babycurls under your sycamore by the keld water where the Tory’s clay will scare the varmints and have all you want, pouch, gloves, flask, bricket, kerchief, ring and amberulla, the whole treasure of the pyre, in the land of souls with Homin and Broin Baroke and pole ole Lonan and Nobucketnozzler and the Guinnghis Khan.
This paragraph is a direct continuation of the mourners’ effort to persuade the resurrected Finnegan to lie back down and accept his death. They do this by presenting a powerful argument in two parts: first, by describing how ugly the living world is, and second, by detailing how comfortable and prestigious his position is in death.
## The Misery of the Living World 😔
The speakers begin by painting a bleak, pathetic picture of what Finnegan would encounter if he were to “walk abroad.” The world of the living is full of depressing sights:
- “some sick old bankrupt”: A symbol of failure and decay.
- “the Cottericks’ donkey with his shoe hanging, clankatachankata”: A pathetic image of a broken-down animal, complete with the onomatopoeia of its limping gait.
- “a slut snoring with an impure infant on a bench”: A scene of sordid poverty and hopelessness.
They conclude this list by saying, “‘Twould turn you against life, so ‘twould.” They are explicitly telling him that life is not worth returning to.
## The Comforts of the Grave ⚰️
In contrast to the ugly world outside, his situation in the coffin is presented as peaceful, dignified, and even luxurious.
- He is well-dressed: He is laid out “primesigned in the full of your dress,” including a “bloodeagle waistcoat.” This waistcoat is a grimly humorous detail; the “blood eagle” was a brutal form of Viking execution, so his respectable funeral attire carries a secret hint of his own violent, sacrificial death.
- His grave is idyllic: He lies “under your sycamore by the keld water” (a spring or well). His grave is protected by “Tory’s clay,” the soil of an Irish rebel, which is said to be potent enough to scare away vermin.
- He has all his possessions: Like an ancient king buried with his treasures, he has everything he needs: “pouch, gloves, flask, bricket, kerchief, ring and amberulla” (a pun on umbrella). These items are described as “the whole treasure of the pyre.”
## Illustrious Company in the Afterlife 👑
Finally, to seal the deal, they remind him of the legendary figures he will be joining in the afterlife. He won’t be alone but will be in the company of other great historical men, all given comically distorted names:
- Broin Baroke: Brian Boru, the great Irish king who defeated the Vikings.
- Nobucketnozzler: Nebuchadnezzar, the biblical King of Babylon.
- The Guinnghis Khan: A fusion of Genghis Khan and the Guinness brewery, Dublin’s most famous institution.
The message is clear: he is better off leaving the miserable world of the living to join this exclusive club of legendary souls. They understand it’s hard “to part from Devlin” (a phonetic spelling of Dublin), but they assure him his “ghost have no grievance.”
05/09/2025, P24.35, to be continued.