FINNEGANS WAKE
MaMaLuJo
Fair copy, early October 1923, II.4§3 draft level 4
MS British Library 47481 22-23 Draft details
Hear, O hear, Iseult la belle Tristan, sad hero, hear!º
º Anno Domini nostri sancti Jesu Christiº
Nine hundred and ninetynine million pound sterlingº in the blueblack bowels of the bank of Ulster.
Braw bawbees and good gold |4pounds, by God, poundsº
galore,º4| my girleen, a Sunday'llº prank thee
finelyº
{f39, 399}
And no damn lout'llº come courting thee or by the mother of the Holy Ghost there'llº be murder!
O,º come all ye sweet nymphs of Dingle beach to cheer Brinabride queen from Sybil |4ariding surfridingº4|
In her curragh of shells of daughter of pearl and her silverymoonblueº mantle round her.
Crown of the waters,º brine on her brow,º she'llº dance them a jig and jilt them fairly.
Yerra,º why would she bide with sir Sloomysidesº or the grogramº grey barnacle gander?
You won't need be lonesome,º Lizzy my love,º when your beauº gets the worst of red steel and hotº soldiering
Nor wake in winter,º widowº machree,º but snore snugº in my old Balbriggan surtout.º
{f10, 310}
Wisha,º won't you agree now to take me from the middle, say,º of this week on,º for the balance of my days,º for nothingº (what?) as your own nursetender?
A power of highsteppers died game right enough — but who, acushla, 'llº beg for you?
Iº tossed that one long before anyone.
It was of a wet good Friday too she was ironingº and,º as I'm given nowº to understand,º she was always mad gone on me.
Grand goosegreasing we had entirely with an allnight eiderdownº bed picnic to follow.º
By the cross of Cong,º says she,º rising up Saturday in the twilight from under me,º Mick whatever your name is you're the mostº likable lad that's come my ways yet from the barony of Bohermore.º