Finnegans Wake Notes

474-77: The four old men find the exhausted Yawn on a midden heap 

477-83: They interrogate Yawn 

483-85: Yawn angrily reproaches his interrogators 

485-91: Inquiry continues as Yawn explains his relationship to his brother

491-99: The voice of ALP through Yawn discusses HCE's indiscretion

499-506: A ghost voice through Yawn discusses the Fall 

506-10: Regarding Toucher "Thom" 5 10-20: Regarding the Wake 

520-23: The interrogation takes a turn for the worse and tempers flare 

523-26: Treacle Tom gives his version of the encounter in the park 

526-28: Issy talks to her mirror image 

528-30: Matt Gregory takes over the inquiry and recalls the constable 

530-31: Kate is called upon to testify 

532-39: HCE himself is called to the stand and delivers his self-defense

539-46: HCE boasts of the great city he has founded and rules 

546-54: HCE recounts the conquest of ALP 

Detailed Analysis of Page 474 of Finnegans Wake

Summary

Page 474 continues the description of Yawn, a somnolent and semi-divine figure whose monologue has ended but whose presence remains central to the narrative. The scene blends mythic and pastoral imagery as Yawn lies on a hillock in a dreamlike state, embodying themes of storytelling, temporality, and renewal. His passivity contrasts with the approach of four figures—three kings and a crowner—who represent judgment, authority, and mythic cycles.

This page is rich in symbolic language and musical cadence, featuring motifs of sleep, lamentation, and historical echoes. Joyce’s playful use of Hiberno-English and references to Irish culture enrich the text with layered meanings and humour.

Line-by-Line Analysis

474.01
"Lowly, longly, a wail went forth. Pure Yawn lay low."

• The opening line establishes a tone of lament and introspection, with "lowly" and "longly" creating an assonant, mournful cadence.
• The phrase "Pure Yawn" evokes the idea of purity in stasis, aligning Yawn with a mythic or eternal quality. This can be read as a subtle reference to the mythical Irish hero Oisín, who also lies dormant, representing a bridge between human time and mythic cycles.

474.02-474.03
"On the mead of the hillock lay, heartsoul dormant mid shadowed landscape, brief wallet to his side, and arm loose, by his staff of citron briar, tradition stick-pass-on."

• The imagery of the "mead of the hillock" is pastoral and mythic, invoking traditional Irish landscapes. The "staff of citron briar" suggests an object of authority or storytelling, akin to a bard's staff.
• "Tradition stick-pass-on" emphasises the continuity of oral tradition and cultural memory, a recurring theme in Joyce’s work.

474.04
"His dream monologue was over, of cause, but his drama parapolylogic had yet to be, affact."

• The phrase "dream monologue" ties Yawn’s presence to the dreamscape of the book.
• "Parapolylogic" suggests a multi-layered, complex narrative yet to unfold, highlighting Joyce’s interest in polysemy and narrative plurality.

474.06-474.08
"Most distressfully (but, my dear, how successfully!) to wail he did, his locks of a lucan tinge, quickrich, ripely rippling, unfilleted."

• The description of Yawn’s "locks of a lucan tinge" may reference St. Luke or Lucan in Dublin, linking the character to Irish geography and hagiographic traditions.
• The juxtaposition of "distressfully" and "successfully" reflects Joyce’s use of humour and contradiction to destabilise meaning.

474.10-474.11
"Ouze of his sidewiseopen mouth the breath of him, evenso languishing as the princeliest treble treacle or lichee chewchow purse could buy."

• Joyce layers sensual imagery with comedic undertones. The "sidewiseopen mouth" and "treacle" suggest languid indulgence, while the "lichee chewchow purse" adds exoticism and absurdity.

474.12-474.13
"Yawn in a semiswoon lay awailing and (hooh!) what helpings of honeyful swoothead (phew!), which ear-piercing dulcitude!"

• The exclamations "(hooh!)" and "(phew!)" mimic both astonishment and humour, playing with the reader's engagement.
• "Ear-piercing dulcitude" is an oxymoron, encapsulating Joyce’s playful merging of contradictory ideas.

474.16-474.18
"When, as the buzzer brings the light brigade, keeping the home fires burning, so on the churring call themselves came at him, from the westborders of the eastmidlands, three kings of three suits and a crowner, from all their cardinal parts, along the amber way where Brosna's furzy."

• The "three kings of three suits" echoes the biblical Magi but also satirises authority figures.
• "Brosna's furzy" references the River Brosna in Ireland, tying the scene to Irish geography and folklore.

474.19-474.20
"To lift them they did, senators four, by the first quaint skreek of the gloaming and they hopped it up the mountainy molehill, traversing climes of old times gone by of the days not worth remembering;"

• The "senators four" could allude to mythic or historical figures, blending classical and Irish traditions.
• "Mountainy molehill" parodies epic language, juxtaposing grandeur with triviality.

Themes and Motifs

Mythic and Biblical Parody

• The "three kings" and "senators four" reframe traditional narratives in a humorous, Irish context. Joyce subverts epic and religious archetypes to explore cyclical storytelling.

Time and Memory

• The description of "climes of old times gone by" suggests the passage of forgotten histories, aligning with Joyce’s focus on the persistence of cultural memory.

Orality and Tradition

• Yawn’s "tradition stick-pass-on" symbolises the transmission of Irish oral traditions, blending Hiberno-English with Joyce’s neologisms.

Playful Sexual Innuendo

• Descriptions of Yawn’s "fleshasplush cushionettes" and "honeyful swoothead" evoke both sensuality and absurdity, showcasing Joyce’s bawdy humour.

Humour and Satire

• The exaggerated descriptions of Yawn and the absurd procession of kings parody epic tropes, blending high and low culture.

Conclusion

Page 474 is emblematic of Joyce’s intricate layering of myth, history, and humour. Through Yawn’s dreamlike figure, Joyce explores themes of tradition, memory, and renewal, punctuated by playful language and satirical imagery. The text’s rich use of Hiberno-English and references to Irish culture ground it in a specific national identity while engaging universal themes of storytelling and human folly.