56 (U541.1814)

Exquisite variations he was now describing


51st cast. page 540, line 1773. 

 

 Exquisite variations he was now describing on an air Youth here has End by Jans Pieter Sweelinck, a Dutchman of Amsterdam where the frows come from. Even more he liked an old German song of Johannes Jeep about the clear sea and the voices of sirens, sweet murderers of men, which boggled Bloom a bit:

   Von der Sirenen Listigkeit

   Tun die Poeten dichten.


Episode 16. Near 2:00 am. Mr Bloom has just left the cabman's shelter to take Stephen to his home. The section immediately after the 51st issue of the blog.

 

The two have a conversation about music. Stephen talks about his musical preferences.

 

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562- 1621) was a Dutch composer and organist. Note that his name is not Jans Pieter.


"Youth here has End" is originally "Mein junges leben hat ein end". In English it would be "My Young Life Has An End". Joyce might have deliberately written these words a little incorrectly. Ambiguity is an attribute of Episode 16.


 This is an instrumental variation on a German folk song of the time. ⇒ YouTube.



Jan Pieterzoon Swaeelinck

File:Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.png - Wikimedia Commons


"frow" means, according to the dictionary,

 -A woman; a wife, especially a Dutch or German one.

- [Cf. frowzy] A slovenly woman; a wench; a lusty woman.

                                                             Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

 

Johannes Jeep (1581/1582 - 1644) was a German organist, choirmaster and composer.

Sirens are sea demons from Greek mythology. They were said to have bewitched and doomed sailors with their beautiful singing. Sirens also appear in Homer's Odyssey, which is the source of the storyline of Ulysses.


Of the siren's artifice

Do the poets write poetry.

 

This is a favorite line of the poet Stephen, who was given the surname of Daedalus the Craftsman, and it is also a phrase that describes this novel itself.


 Johannes Jeep

File:JohannesJeep from Studentengartlein2.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

 

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55 (U586.1563)

As?  Eeltraps, lobsterpots,fishingrods, 


55th cast. page 586, line 1563.

   As?

 Eeltraps, lobsterpots, fishingrods, hatchet, steelyard, grindstone, clodcrusher, swatheturner, carriagesack, telescope ladder, 10 tooth rake, washing clogs, haytedder, tumbling rake, billhook, paintpot, brush, hoe and so on.


Episode 17 is from beginning to end narrated by means of a question-and-answer style.

Mr. Bloom dreams of owning a thatched bungalowshaped two storey house in the countryside of Dublin. The answer here is what tools are stored in the storage shed attached to that residence.


"Thatched Cottage at Kinvarra" by LisaW123 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.


I searched for images of things that are difficult to understand what they look like.

 

(1) Eeltraps

 


      "Eel traps River Test Leckford" by Ashley Basil is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

(2) Lobsterpots

 


   "Lobsterpots on the Dock" by amiefedora is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

 

(3) Steelyard

 


                                                     File:Steelyard.jpg - Wikimedia Commons              

 (4) Grindstone

 

    

                       File:Museumsdorf Trattenbach Museum in der Wegscheid 21.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

 

(5) Clodcrusher


File:Crosskill's self-cleaning clod crusher and roller (Great London Expo 1862 catalogue).png - Wikimedia Commons

 

(6) Carriagesack

I don't understand carriagesack. I suppose it is a feedbag.



       "Feed Bag Time" by photonooner is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

  

 (7) Billhook

 


             "Billhook" is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0


Other agricultural machinery for processing hay is difficult to understand.

 

Hay tedder is machine that invert and spread the grass in order to accelerate the drying of grass that has been clipped off, and hay rake is machine that collect the inverted and spread grass.

 

(8) Swatheturner


"Swath" was mentioned 51st issue of the blog. It means a strip of grass cut by a scythe or machine. So swatheturner is probably the same as hay tedder.

 



 "The Bullard Improved Hay Tedder (front)" by Boston Public Library is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

(9) Tumbling rake


I think tumbling rake would be hay rake.

 


 
"Monitor Rake (front)" by Boston Public Library is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

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54 (U77.249)

They passed under the hugecloaked Liberator’s form.


54th cast. page 77, line 249.

 

 They passed under the hugecloaked Liberator’s form.

 Martin Cunningham nudged Mr Power.

 —Of the tribe of Reuben, he said.

 A tall blackbearded figure, bent on a stick, stumping round the corner of Elvery’s Elephant house, showed them a curved hand open on his spine.


Episode 6. At about 11:00 am. Mr Bloom is travelling by horse-drawn carriage across the city from the Dygnam's house in the south-east of Dublin to Glasnevin Cemetery on the north-west edge of the city to attend the funeral of Mr Dignam. In the carriage are Stephen's father Simon Dedalus, Jack Power, who works for the police force, Martin Cunningham, who works for the Irish Governor-General's office, and Mr Bloom.

 

This section is just before the 35th entry of the blog. I have already touched on this section there.

 

The Liberator is Daniel O'Connell (1775 - 1847), leader of the Irish Liberation Movement, who as a member of the British House of Commons worked to achieve Irish independence through Parliament, including the passing of the Roman Catholic Relief Act. The main street in Dublin where the statue stands was called Sackville Street at the time of the novel (1904) but is now called O'Connell Street.




 In the 49th entry of the blog, I wrote "The four are seated facing each other. Towards the direction of travel, Simon is thought to be sitting backwards at the front left, Mr Cunningham next to him, Mr Power facing forwards opposite Mr Power, and Mr Bloom next to Mr Cunningham”.  This means as shown in the figure below.       

 

                                   

In this issue, I would like to examine how this could be so.

 

Now, let us start with some prerequisite information.

  • The carriage seats four people.
  • Two sit facing backward and two face forward.
  • There is one door on each side of the carriage, with the hinges on the back and the handles on the front. (See figure below).
  • The road runs on the left.
  • Episode 6 is told primarily from Mr. Bloom's point of view.  



"Coach - State Landau, Hooper & Co, London, 1897" by Photographer: Michelle Stevenson is licensed under CC BY 4.0

  

(1) Cunningham, Power, Simon Dedalus, and Bloom ride in the carriage in that order.

 

I am not sure whether the four entered from the left or the right. However, the first person to board usually sits at the far end of the room from the entrance., so Cunningham and Mr Bloom are not facing each other directly. The same is true for Power and Simon.

 

 Martin Cunningham, first, poked his silkhatted head into the creaking carriage and, entering deftly, seated himself. Mr Power stepped in after him, curving his height with care.

 —Come on, Simon.

 —After you, Mr Bloom said.

U74.1-

 

(2) Bloom finds Stephen (Simon's son) walking down Watery lane. Since Watery lane is to the left of the direction of travel, Mr. Bloom is most likely sitting on the left side. Since Simon is ”stretching over across”, he seems to be on the right side.

 

 The carriage swerved from the tramtrack to the smoother road past Watery lane. Mr Bloom at gaze saw a lithe young man, clad in mourning, a wide hat.

  There’s a friend of yours gone by, Dedalus, he said.

  Who is that?

  Your son and heir.

  Where is he? Mr Dedalus said, stretching over across.

 U73.38-


(3) Bloom shifts his gaze from the moustache of the angry Simon to the face of Power and the eyes and beard of Cunningham. They are most likely lined up in this order.

He ceased. Mr Bloom glanced from his angry moustache to Mr Power’s mild face and Martin Cunningham’s eyes and beard, gravely shaking.

 U73.72-


(4) National school, Meade’s yard and the hazard, all of which are on the left side of the direction of travel. Mr. Bloom is most likely on the left side because of the detailed description of the hazard.

National school. Meade’s yard. The hazard. Only two there now. Nodding. Full as a tick. Too much bone in their skulls. The other trotting round with a fare. An hour ago I was passing there. The jarvies raised their hats.

U76.171-

 

The Queen's theater is also on the left. The poster's depiction is detailed, so Mr Bloom is most likely on the left side.

They went past the bleak pulpit of saint Mark’s, under the railway bridge, past the Queen’s theatre: in silence. Hoardings: Eugene Stratton, Mrs Bandmann Palmer. Could I go to see Leah tonight, I wonder. I said I. Or the Lily of Killarney? Elster Grimes Opera Company. Big powerful change. Wet bright bills for next week. Fun on the Bristol. 

U76.183-

 

(5) Cunningham notices Boylan in front of the Red Bank restaurant (on the right side of the travel direction). Cunningham is most likely on the right side. Simon bents across and greets him, so Simon seems to be on the left side.

 

 —How do you do? Martin Cunningham said, raising his palm to his brow in salute.

 —He doesn’t see us, Mr Power said. Yes, he does. How do you do?

 —Who? Mr Dedalus asked.

 —Blazes Boylan, Mr Power said. There he is airing his quiff.

… 

 Mr Dedalus bent across to salute. From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.

 (U76.193)

 

(6) The land agent's office and other buildings that Bloom refers to by saying " Dead side of the street this " are all on the left side of the street. Mr. Bloom is considered to be on the left. 

Dead side of the street this. Dull business by day, land agents, temperance hotel, Falconer’s railway guide, civil service college, Gill’s, catholic club, the industrious blind. Why? Some reason.

(U79.316)

  

(7) Bloom sees white horses coming around the corner in front of the Rotunda (front left) and passing him. Mr. Bloom is believed to be in the back seat.

 

White horses with white frontlet plumes came round the Rotunda corner, galloping. A tiny coffin flashed by.

U79.321-

 

(8) Bloom looks into Cunningham's eyes. Cunningham looks away. Cunningham is most likely on the opposite side of Bloom.

 

 —It is not for us to judge, Martin Cunningham said.

  Mr Bloom, about to speak, closed his lips again. Martin Cunningham’s large eyes. Looking away now.

U79.342-

 

(9) Power announces to everyone that when the carriage turns the corner, it's Dunphy's corner. Power is most likely sitting in the back seat.

 

 —Dunphy’s, Mr Power announced as the carriage turned right. 

U81.427

  

(10) Cunningham, Power, Simon, and Bloom get off in that order. This means that they are getting out of the carriage from the opposite side from when they got in. Cunningham wrenches back the handle and shoves the door open with his knee. This action suggests that he is sitting in front.


The felly harshed against the curbstone: stopped. Martin Cunningham put out his arm and, wrenching back the handle, shoved the door open with his knee. He stepped out. Mr Power and Mr Dedalus followed.

U83.490

 

Taking all of the above together, toward the direction of travel, Simon is sitting backward on the left front, Cunningham is next to him, Power is facing frontward across from him, and Mr. Bloom is sitting next to him. We believe this is the correct answer.


If Simon is opposite side of Bloom, Simon is on the left side, so Simon's action in (2), "Mr Dedalus said, stretching over across," doesn't seem to make sense. I think "across" means through the window frame of the carriage, not over the person. The carriage window is open.

 

He passed an arm through the armstrap and looked seriously from the open carriagewindow at the lowered blinds of the avenue. 

U72.10-) “He is Bloom.

 

Paragraph (3) seems to be not consistent. However, I think the most consistent is the above seating arrangement.

 

Now, what does it mean that Cunningham "nudges" Power in the passage of this issue? "Nudge" usually means to poke with the elbow. Since Cunningham and Power are not side by side, Cunningham can't poke with his elbow. I'm puzzled.

 

However, the dictionary said,

nudge To touch gently, as with the elbow; give a hint or signal to by a covert touch with the hand, elbow, or foot. 

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

 

I see, poking with the foot is also called nudge. Cunningham poked Power facing each other with his foot.


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53 (U282.1877)

An article of headgear since ascertained to belong to the much respected clerk of the crown and peace 

53rd cast. page 282, line 1877.


An article of headgear since ascertained to belong to the much respected clerk of the crown and peace Mr George Fottrell and a silk umbrella with gold handle with the engraved initials, crest, coat of arms and house number of the erudite and worshipful chairman of quarter sessions sir Frederick Falkiner, recorder of Dublin, have been discovered by search parties in remote parts of the island respectively, the former on the third basaltic ridge of the giant’s causeway, the latter embedded to the extent of one foot three inches in the sandy beach of Holeopen bay near the old head of Kinsale.

 

Episode 12 proceeds with various parodic chapters that are suddenly interrupted by the story told by the narrator. This is one of the parody passages, which is the most closing part of the episode.

 

At Barney Kiernan's pub. The protagonist, Mr Bloom, is involved in an argument with a nationalist 'the citizen'. The enraged 'the citizen' throws a biscuit tin at Mr Bloom as he walks away.

 

Here, the dropping of the biscuit tin is described in a parody of a report of a major earthquake caused by a falling meteorite or something.

 

The epicentre appears to be the courthouse. This is probably because the Green Street Courthouse was located in the immediate neighborhood of Birnie Kiernan.

 

What is the position of George Fottrell (1849-1919), clerk of the crown and peace? A search provides a description (national archives) but the British justice system (and that of 1904) is too difficult to understand for me. Apparently, it is an administrative officer who supports criminal court proceedings.


Mr Fottrell also appears in the fantasy scene of Mr Bloom's trial in Episode 15.U376.895)

 

Mr Frederick Faulkiner (1831 - 1908) was a judge, lawyer and writer.

 

Mr Bloom witnesses Mr Falkiner entering the Freemason's Hall today. (U149.1151) Mr Bloom fantasises viciously about Falkiner. Mr Falkiner was known for his anti-Semitism, and Mr Bloom, whose father is Jewish, is probably antagonistic towards him.

 

Mr Faulkiner also comes up for discussion a little earlier in Episode 12. (U264.1096-1121) Furthermore, he appears in the fantasy scene of Mr Bloom's trial in chapter 15 (he has an umbrella!) and He sentences Mr Bloom to death. (U384.1162-)

 

Quarter Sessions were judicial and local administrative bodies for the handling of regular criminal cases. It was a criminal court that dealt with small and medium-sized local offences and was tried by justices of the peace, together with a grand jury.

 

The Recorder of Dublin was the lead justices of the peace and tried a variety of civil and criminal cases.

 

The coat of arms inscribed on the handle of Mr Faulkner's umbrella, strictly speaking refers only to the shield part of such a coat of arms. Crest is one of the components of a coat of arms placed on a helmet.

 

The possessions of both leaders of the law were found at the northern and southern ends of Ireland.


The Giant's Causeway is a strange sight in Northern Ireland, a series of 40,000 hexagonal stone pillars created by volcanic activity.


"Bushmills NIR - Giant’s Causeway 01" by Daniel Mennerich is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

 

♦ Giant's Causeway

★ Hall Open Bay of Old Head


Old Head is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, at the southern tip of Ireland, and the bay at the base of the headland is Hall Open Beach.

 


"From Garrettstown to the Old Head of Kinsale" by Rici86 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0


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52 (U215.212)

 Well now, he mused, whatever you say yourself. 


52nd cast. page 215, line 212.

 

Well now, he mused, whatever you say yourself. I think I’ll trouble you for some fresh water and a half glass of whisky.

 

 Jingle.

 

 —With the greatest alacrity, miss Douce agreed.

 

 With grace of alacrity towards the mirror gilt Cantrell and Cochrane’s she turned herself. With grace she tapped a measure of gold whisky from her crystal keg. Forth from the skirt of his coat Mr Dedalus brought pouch and pipe. Alacrity she served. He blew through the flue two husky fifenotes.

 

 

Episode 12. Bar at the Ormond Hotel. Shortly before four in the afternoon. Simon Dedalus, the father of the main character Stephen, has just entered and is ordering a drink from Miss Douce, one of the barmaids.

 

"Cantrell & Cochrane Ginger Ale 1922" by Nesster is licensed under CC BY 2.0


Episode 12 is written in musical language. The following words are associated with music.


muse -  Muses are the nine goddesses of literature, science, and the arts.

tap - the sound of hitting something lightly.

measure - Major key

pipe/blew - blowing of the pipe is associated with the instrument. 

flue - the lip of the organ pipe. Also associated with the flute.

husky - husky voice. 

fife of fifenotes - transverse flute of a military band

 


And Jingle.

 

Jingle has the following connotations.

 

  1. Tinkling, ringing, bell-like sounds.

  2. A type of covered wagon used in Cork City, Ireland, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This had not occurred to me until I looked it up in the dictionary this time.
    The novel's other main character, Mr Bloom, also dines at Ormond's restaurant. His wife's lover, Boylan, is now on his way to the hotel in a carriage and describes the sound of the carriage. Cork is Simon's home town. Note that the carriage in which Boylan is riding is not a covered carriage.

  3. The bed fittings in Mr Bloom's house ring with jingle. Episode 4, passage.

    "No. She didn't want anything. he heard then a warm heavy sigh, softer, as she turned over and the loose brass quoits of the bedstead jingled."  (U46.59)

    It is implied that Boylan plans to stop here in Ormond before going to the Bloom family.

 

Cantrell Cochrane is a beverage manufacturer.

 

There is a mirror in the bar advertising the company, with the words 'ginger ale' written in gold. 

His spellbound eyes went after, after her gliding head as it went down the bar by mirrors, gilded arch for ginger ale, hock and claret glasses shimmering, a spiky shell, where it concerted, mirrored, bronze with sunnier bronze (U219.410)

(”His” is "Boylan's").

 

It would be a mirror like this. It doesn't say ginger ale, though.

 


Ginger ale was invented by Thomas Cantrell (1827-1909), a Dublin-born apothecary and surgeon. In 1852, he set up his own business and started a drinks business in Belfast. In 1868, Cantrell was working with Henry Cochrane (1836 - 1904) in Dublin and merged their businesses to form Cantrell & Cochrane Limited (now known as C&C Group plc), a manufacturer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, cider and soft drinks.

 

 In Episode 5, Mr Bloom noticed an advertisement for Cantrell & Cochrane on a street corner. He is interested because his profession is advertisement taking.

Mr Bloom stood at the corner, his eyes wandering over the multicoloured hoardings of Cantrell and Cochrane's Ginger Ale ( Aromatic).  (U62.193)

 

He then recalls the company's Ginger Ale afterwards.

The priest was rinsing out the chalice: then he tossed off the dregs smartly. Wine. Makes it more aristocratic than for example if he drank What they are used to Guinness's porter or some temperance beverage Wheatley's Dublin hop bitters or Cantrell and Cochrane 's ginger ale (aromatic).  (U67.389)


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51(U540.1773)

On the roadway which they were approaching 


51st cast. page 540, line 1773. 

 

 On the roadway which they were approaching whilst still speaking beyond the swingchains a horse, dragging a sweeper, paced on the paven ground, brushing a long swathe of mire up so that with the noise Bloom was not perfectly certain whether he had caught aright the allusion to sixtyfive guineas and John Bull. He inquired if it was John Bull the political celebrity of that ilk, as it struck him, the two identical names, as a striking coincidence.


Episode 16. At around 2.00 am. Mr Bloom has just left the cabman’s shelter to Beresford Place to take Stephen to his home. This passage immediately after the 32nd issue of the blog.


John Bull (composer)

File:John Bull (composer).jpg - Wikimedia Commons


They talk about their musical tastes. Stephen is a lover of Elizabethan English music, such as John Bull, and want to buy a lute for 65 guineas. (One guinea is 21 shillings, or approximately one pound. One pound in 1904 was about 80 pounds in today's value, so 65 guineas is 5200 pounds in today's value. )

 

Episode 16 is deliberately written in bad language and is difficult to capture the meaning.

 

 First of all, it is not clear what "swingchains" are.

 

 The later part of this passage states

 

Side by side Bloom, profiting by the contretemps, with Stephen passed through the gap of the chains, divided by the upright, and, stepping over a strand of mire, went across towards Gardiner street lower, Stephen singing more boldly, but not loudly, the end of the ballad.” (U543.1880

 

 I suppose these could be chains stretched across the poles to separate the roadway from the pavement.

 

The two men appear to get out from the pavement side of Beresford Place towards the roadway in order to cross towards Gardiner Street. There is a horse-drawn sweeper on the roadway side, beyond the chain-link fence. (the cabman’s shelter is located around ).

 


"swathe" means a line of grass or corn cut by the scythe.I think "a long swathe of mire" means a wide strip after the mud has been brushed away.

 

"Certain" and "aright" are redundant and the repetition of "truck" and "striking" is not smart.

 

John Bull are (i) a national personification of the United Kingdom and (ii) the name of an English Elizabethan keyboard player and composer. Mr Bloom knew the former but not the latter.


John Bull (left figure)

File:Bruin become Mediator or Negotiation for Peace.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

 

There is a reason why Mr Bloom was astonished by the ’coincidence’. Today, he had a lot of coincidences. I will count them up for another time, but here I only mention the coincidences in Episode 16.

 

①Stephen says in conversation with the sailors that 'Shakespeares were as common as Murphies.', and the sailor says that his name iss Murphy. (U509.364) (U510.415)

 

②The sailor says he knows Stephen's father, Simon Dedalus, but it must have been someone else with the same name. (U510.414)

 

③The Greek who tattooed the sailor is called Antonio, the same name as the character in Shakespeare's play. (U520.839)

 

④When Stephen praises the ancient Italians, Dante, Da Vinci and Thomas Aquinas, Mr Bloom also admires the ancient statues in the museum today. (U525.890)


⑤It is a coincidence, Mr Bloom muses, that the unsettled sailors and vagabonds are gathered together in this way, a microcosm of the world. (U528.1222)

 

⑥Mr Bloom muses, it is a coincidence that the unsettled sailors and vagabonds are gathered together in this way, a microcosm of the world. (U528.1222)

 

⑦And finally, the coincidence of this passage.

 


horse-drawn street sweeper

File:Eckert Kehrmaschine.jpg - Wikimedia Commons


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