DAY 2: HAGGISPATRICK AND HUGGISBRIGID

Welcome to day 2 of a journey In Medias Res (in the heart of the matter, vs the In Medias Rebus-in the midst of everything- manner in which Finnegans Wake is presented) through James Joyce Meisterwork:  Finnegans Wake.   My intuition is that the Watches of Shaun is the heart of the tale, as it presents the archetypal figure of Shaun the Postman, who is at once akin to perhaps Jesus and the Buddha, Finn, Cuchulain, as well as what many critics consider the alter ego of his brother Stanislaus, the dull, conventional anti-heroic foil to his brother Shem in Finnegan's wake.

I have called this passage of the Watches of Shaun Haggispatrick and Huggisbrigid, as food, traditional Irish iconography (including Saints and Pope Gregory?) and hero-worship combine in a sensual series that begins with the adoration of Shaun's character through his heroic clothing (which calls on a tradition of Irish mythologizing, like much of the rest of the passage) and dissembles into a bout of heroic gluttony, which I personally identify with as a great family tradition of mine and my brother's , and cousins alike.  I have a cousin who, on his honeymoon cruise on a luxury liner, managed to arouse such a spectacle of eating multiple complete entrees followed by an entire Baked Alaska that he said the cooks came out to watch him eat.  Perhaps put in the context of many thousands of years of Irish starvation, and the Famine, it kind of makes sense.

We pick up where we left off, where we are hearing what I consider the "Calling Forth" of the great Heroic Postman, Shaun the Post, where the woods and moths and squirrels themselves have called him forth.
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BOOK III:  THE WATCHES OF SHAUN

CHAPTER 1:  THE FIRST WATCH OF SHAUN

PART 2:  HAGGISPATRICK AND HUGGISBRIGID (p.404-406)

                Section A:  In Just the Correct Wear

with a high voice and O, the higher on high the deeper and low,

I heard him so!

 And lo, mescemed somewhat came of the noise and somewho might amove allmurk.

 Now, 'twas as clump, now mayhap.

 When look, was light and now'twas as flasher, now moren as the glaow.

Ah, in unlitness 'twas in very similitude, bless me, 'twas his belted lamp! Whom we dreamt was a shaddo, sure, he's lightseyes, the laddo!

Blessed momence, O romence, he's growing to stay! Ay, he who so swayed a will of a wisp

before me, hand prop to hand, prompt side to the pros,

dressed like an earl in just the correct wear,

in a classy mac Frieze o'coat  of far suparior ruggedness, indigo braw, tracked and tramped,

and an Irish ferrier collar, freeswinging with mereswin lacers from his shoulthern

and thick welted brogues on him hammered to suit the scotsmost public and climate,

iron heels and sparable soles, and his jacket of providence wellprovided woolies with a softrolling

lisp of a lapel to it and great sealingwax buttons, a good helping bigger than the slots for them,

of twentytwo carrot krasnapopp-sky red and his invulnerable burlap whiskcoat

and his popular choker, Tamagnum sette-and-forte and his loud boheem toy

 and the damasker's overshirt he sported inside, a starspangled zephyr

with a decidedly surpliced crinklydoodle front

  Section B:  Embrothered in peas, rice, and yeggy-yolk

with his motto through dear life embrothred over it in peas, rice, and yeggy-

yolk. Or for royal. Am for Mail, R.M.D. hard cash on the nail

and the most successfully carried gigot turnups now you ever,

(what a pairfact crease! how amsolookly kersse!) breaking over

the ankle and hugging the shoeheel, everything the best — none

other from (Ah, then may the turtle's blessings of God and Mary

and Haggispatrick and Huggisbrigid be souptumbling all over

him!) other than (and may his hundred thousand welcome stewed

letters, relayed wand postchased, multiply, ay faith, and plultiply !)

Shaun himself.

What a picture primitive!

Section C:  Holy Messonger Angels

Had I the concordant wiseheads of Messrs Gregory and Lyons

alongside of Dr Tarpey's and I dorsay the reverend Mr MacDougall's,

but I, poor ass, am but as their fourpart tinckler's dunkey.

 Yet methought Shaun (holy messonger angels be uninterruptedly nudging him among and along the

winding ways ofrandom ever!) Shaun in proper person (now may all the blueblacksliding constellations

continue to shape his changeable timetable !) stood before me.

 And I pledge you my agricultural word

by the hundred and sixty odds rods and cones of this even's  vision that young fellow looked the stuff,

the Bel of Beaus Walk, a prime card if ever was! Pep? Now without deceit it is hardly too much to say he

was looking grand, so fired smart, in much more than his usual health.

No mistaking that beamish brow !

There was one for you that ne'er would nunch with good Duke Humphrey but would aight through the

months without a sign of an err in hem and then, otherwise rounding, fourale to the

lees of Traroe.

Those jehovial oyeglances! The heart of the rool!

Section D:  In Anticipation of the Faste of Tablenapkins

And hit the hencoop. He was immense, topping swell for he was after having a great time of it, a

twentyfour hours every moment

matters maltsight, in a porterhouse, scutfrank, if you want to

know. Saint Lawzenge of Toole's, the Wheel of Fortune, leave

your clubs in the hall and wait on yourself, no chucks for walnut ketchups,

Lazenby's and Chutney graspis (the house the oncequeen of Bristol and Balrothery twice admired

because her frumped door looked up Dacent Street) where in the sighed of

lovely eyes while his knives of hearts made havoc he had recruited his strength by meals of spadefuls of

mounded food, in anticipation of the faste of tablenapkins,

constituting his three-partite pranzipal meals plus a collation,

 his breakfast of first,

a bless us O blood and thirsthy orange,

next, the half of a pint of becon with newled googs and a segment of riceplummy padding,

met of sunder suigar and some cold forsoaken steak peatrefired from

the batblack night o'erflown

 then, witliout prejuice to evectuals,

came along merendally his stockpot dinner of a half a pound or round steak, very rare,

Blong's best from Portarlington's Butchery,

with a side of riceypeasy and Corkshire alia mellonge and bacon

with (a little mar pliche!) a pair of chops and thrown in from the

silver grid by the proprietoress of the roastery who lives on the

hill and gaulusch gravy and pumpernickel to wolp up and a

gorger's bulby onion (Margareter, Margaretar Margarasticandeatar)

and as well with second course and then finally, after

his avalunch oclock snack at Appelredt's or Kitzy Braten's of

saddlebag steak and a Botherhim with her old phoenix portar,

jistr to gwen his gwistel and praties sweet and Irish too and mock

gurgle to whistle his way through for the swallying, swp by swp,

and he getting his tongue arount it and Boland's broth broken

into the bargain, to his regret his soupay avic nightcap, vitellusit,

a carusal consistent with second course eyer and becon (the rich

of) with broad beans, hig, steak, hag, pepper the diamond bone

hotted up timmtomm and while'twas after that he scoffed a drakeling

snuggily stuffed following cold loin of veal more cabbage and

in their green free state

 a clister of peas, soppositorily petty, last.

P.S. but a fingerhot of rheingenever to give the Pax cum Spiritututu.

Drily thankful. Burud and dulse and typureely jam, all

free of charge, aman, and. And the best of wine avec.

For his heart was as big as himself, so it was, ay, and bigger! While the

loaves are aflowering and the nachtingale jugs. All St Jilian’s of

Berry, hurrah there for tobies ! Mabhrodaphne, brown pride of our

custard house quay, amiable with repastful, cheerus graciously,

cheer us! Ever of thee, Anne Lynch, he's deeply draiming!

Houseanna! Tea is the Highest! For auld lang Ayternitay!

SECTION E:  I Don’t Mean to Make the Ingestion

Thus thicker will he grow now, grew new. And better and better on

butter and butter. At the sign of Mesthress Vanhungrig.

However!

Mind you, nuckling down to nourritures, were they menuly some

ham and jaffas, and I don't mean to make the ingestion tor the

moment that he was guilbey of gulpable gluttony as regards chew-

able boltaballs, but, biestings be biestings, and upon the whole,

when not off his oats, given prelove appetite and postlove pricing

good coup, goodcheap, were it thermidor oogst or fioreal may

while the whistling prairial roysters play, between gormandising

and gourmeteering, he grubbed his tuck all right, deah smorregos,

every time he was for doing dirt to a meal or felt like a bottle of

ardilaun arongwith a smag of a lecker biss of a welldressed taart

or. Though his net intrants wight weighed nought but a flyblow

to his gross and ganz afterduepoise. And he was so jarvey jaunty

with a romp of a schoolgirl's completion sitting pretty over his

Oyster Monday print face and he was plainly out on the ramp and

mash^ as you might say, for he sproke.

Overture and beginners!