To the new version of those
segments of the abortive section of II, ii which he chose to conserve Joyce
added several paragraphs dealing mainly with Isy's letter, the juvenile version
of the "Revered Letter." I have attempted below to draw together the earliest
drafts of these paragraphs in order to present the reader with a more
comprehensive picture of the growth of the chapter. There is no available fair
copy of these pages, which appear to postdate even the revised version of the
abortive material.
Though I am not certain of the exact order in which Joyce
composed the new passages, more than likely they evolved in the following
manner. Rough versions of and notes for Isy's letter were made in the
Scribbledehobble (pp. 754-756) and used in 1924 when Joyce composed chapter
I, v. Some years later, when he returned to the notebook for inspiration, the
author rediscovered the concept of the primer exercise and began to take
extensive notes for the juvenile letter (MS pp. 229—305). These he numbered to
indicate their order in the first-draft version. He then wrote the primer
passage (MS p. 312), and later drafted the second half of the paragraph which is
now FW 278—281. The opening paragraph (MS p. 301) apparently came next. Finally,
he composed the "Margaritomancy . . ." paragraph (FW 281) incorporating in it
some elements from the dismembered abortive version of FW 275—282.
Woefor, were rich cake never so paraclithic [and the way if a Flabby with Flappers ever so unclyunctous] must she to send him a chain letter on her modesty' service, to be slipped on, to be slept on, to be conned, to be kept a dayclear azure, resilkbrocaded, a mouldernlousy, a lieperstoad because of this c's penning heures for that one from I-sold-the-blend to Threefingered Carrot, as from the Still-a-vain-essay from Capture Make Hitch.
The following remains unlocated:
"Regretfeeling that this is that girl he looks back to her for his to try not to
love her or art though she knows its hard."
All but one of the following passages appear
under the heading "letter." I am including in the text only the elements
numbered by Joyce for insertion in the assembled version:
1. Come, cool of my slate, to the beat of my blush
2. with all this gelded youth about I just feel the thrills and ills of
like putting an end to myself
3. You sh'u'dn't write you ca'nt if you w'u'dn't pass for underdevelopmented
4. If it's me chews to swallow all you saidn't you can eat my words for it, as sure as their's a key in my kiss. I learned all the values of the gamest game ever from my old norse Asa [and she vicking well knowed them heartwises. A most adventuresting trot is her.] Quick erit faciofacey when we'll conjugate tomorrow at amare hour.
5. I intend to take silk to grigg all my juniors when I'm mineteen
6. (Nature tells everybody about it)
8. Wasn't it too just divining that dog of a day as I sat on the Drewitt's altar, as cooled as a culcumber with you offering me up insilse illscents & the horners stagstruck on the leasward.
9. the good father with the twinkle in his eye will always have cakes in his pocket to bethroat us with for our allmicheal good.
10. for, troth being stronger than fortuitous
fiction, it's the surplice, money, my young friend & sweet creature, [(flash
if you stand for it, blush if you're touched)] buys the bed with the
clothes.
The remainder, many of which were crossed
out in pencil and used in the footnotes, are reproduced below:
Insertion (incipit epistola)
May the bridies feed the sweetnesses no
more
moremirror mornings from my
lips
lisplips,
pipette, nor the dye of the wood's bluebells write no more kisslines or my tiny
fives. Your other one may have her picture photo leaning against her Piggott's
piano she's not a patch on pretties you saw the manys the times I climbed the
tries.
Letter
fairy lives
Boaster! That women faint around you when you enter!
----
while waiting for that when where both will for the parriage priest.
----
he proud of the cockhold of his hat & she pleased to be wearing the trousseaurs.
----
wherefor Luiz can write what Ella can't read or veesyversy, how about it?
Letter
till usquebaughing changes him and she sells her auctors by minction.
blish blast by Bethlem God, by Vainas Estherti,
from this posthouse
As you haste to pass
Tis
with
over your litter
I
wept
weeped my last
Well —
& borrows the clothes both (as slick as Cipollo & as sane as Susina,
flimsy—filmsy.
The interest of this passage is such that I am
reproducing below - the first typescript which appears to have been made or
dictated by Joyce himself. It was typed on a sheet of graph paper similar to
that used for the notes.
THE LETTER
Come, smooth of my slate to the beat of my blosh. With all
these gelded ewes jilting about and the thrills and ills of laylock blessoms
there's so more plants than chants for cecilies that I was thinking fairly
killing times of putting and end to myself and my malody when I
remembered allyour erringnesses. You sh'udn't write you can't if you w'udn't
pass for undevelopemented. This is the propper way to say that. If it's
me chews to swallow all you saidn't you can eat my words for it as sure as
there's a key in my kiss.
Quick erit faciofacey when we will conjugate together
toloseher tomaster tomiss while morrow fans amare hour [verbe de vie and
verve to vie,] with love ay loved have I on my back spine and does for
ever. My intended who I'm thrown away on I'll
take silk
get my decree and take seidens
when I'm not ploughed first by some
lassing lad
Rolando the Lasso and flaunt on
the flimsyfilmsies for to grig my collage juniorees who though they
flush fuchsia & blench - - - - are they
twentyeight
octette and virginity
in my shade but always my figurants. [They
may be yea of my year but [they're] nay of my day. [Wait
till spring has sprung in spickness and prigs beg in to pry they'll be
plentyprime of housepets to pimp and pamper my.]] Nature tells everybody
about it but I learned all the runes of the gamest game ever from my old nourse
Asa. A most adventuresting trot is her and she vicking well knowed them all
heartswise and fourwords. How Olive D'Oyly and Winnie Carr bejupers they
reized a Saladmon & how a peeper coster & salt sailor med a mustied poet
atweemem. Sago sound, rite go round, kill kackle, kook kettle and bolt
the thor. Auden. Wasn't it just divining that dog of a day as I sat
uppum their Drewitt's altar, as cooledas a culcumbwe, with you offering me
clouts of illscents and them homers stagstruck on the leasward! Don't be of red,
you blanching mench. The good father with the twingling in his eye will always
have cakes in his picket to bethroat us with for our alimicheal good. Amum.
And Amum again. For tough troth is stronger than fortuitous fiction and it's the
surplice money, oh my young friend and ah me sweet creature, what buys the bed
while wits borrows the clothes.
Below this typescript Joyce wrote in ink:
"(enough bad times) on the road to
maternity." The heading of the next
typescript (MS pp. 309—311) was changed from
"THE LETTER" to
"Footnote,"
a sign that Joyce originally intended to include
Isy's effusion in the body of the text.
Of the primer letter passage, which Joyce
wrote in two segments, we have only the partial first draft included below:
Such is, A.N. date intended Dear (name of desired
subject) And, well, I go on to. Teach me how to carve deer, tease me how to
curve Treat me all I'll long to till I turtle like a
dove
durve. And I near bruk the one to two tooth! I had (misha! misha!) on
your same old superior quality tufftuff buffstag as
Pop
Mop and Pop knows it nosed donekiss years after, buck luck to it.
Here's my hate come in back to me mate the swoon I
moil you when you'd maid me when you named yourself as virgin as
before you after hich your sole desire was to cease to be.
Indeed the most incredible experiences have everywhen
concomitated to indue upon the lissom limbs of this pious and pure fair one
whose fount Bandusian plays liquick sunlight, whose afterodour sighs of musk
regretted, whose silence shines as sphere of silver, behold then, these
unmatchables, her driers, hereover till latter Lammas is led in by both our
washwives a weird of wonders tenebrous as the
that evil
thorngarth blithe as this blowing wild.
I have not been able to place the following
marginal notes: "which was all your ~—--
middle ages replies of the poetics, Mr Faithful & Fervent, to my fine silver
hallmarked as familli teapot" and
"clutched yourself."
David Hayman: Joyce, James / A first-draft version of Finnegans wake