"Cry not yet! There's many a smile to Nondum, with sytty
maids per man, sir, and the park's so dark by kindlelight. But
look what you have in your handself! The movibles are scrawl-
ing in motions, marching, all of them ago, in pitpat and zingzang
for every busy eerie whig's a bit of a torytale to tell. One's upon
a thyme and two's behind their lettice leap and three's among the
strubbely beds. And the chicks picked their teeths and the domb-
key he begay began. You can ask your ass if he believes it..."
The illustration depicts two girls, ALP (Anna Livia Plurabelle) and HCE's (Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker) daughter Issy, along with her reflection. They are observed by the three soldiers, representing their sons Shem and Shaun, and their unified nature known as Shemshaun. This scene is symbolic and timeless, representing the conflict and unity of generations.
ALP, referred to as Nan, is portrayed as the mother of the text, symbolising the life force and unifying energy of the Wake. Like a river flowing into the sea, she encompasses all waters, washing away and preserving all of history. She is eternal and mutable, and the Wake makes readers aware of their own connection to history and experiences.
The writing depicted in the claybook encompasses all forms of writing throughout time. The carvings on the passage tombs, like those on kerbstone 52 of the Newgrange passage tomb, represent the beginnings of writing and are approximately 5,000 years old, contemporaneous with Egyptian hieroglyphs.
At the end of the passage, Joyce cautions readers not to become overly preoccupied with deciphering every detail of the text. The name "Doublends Jined" refers to Dublin's Giant, Finn or HCE. In terms of reading The Wake, the two ends that can be joined signify the circularity of the narrative. Joyce encourages readers to embrace the circular nature of the Wake, acknowledging that it may not be fully decipherable in a linear sense, and allowing the text's complexities to resonate with their own experiential frameworks.
Overall, this passage delves into the depth and complexity of Finnegans Wake's narrative, its connections to history, and its circular nature that invites readers to explore and interpret the text in their own unique ways.
