Nurse Wake

5/24/2018 Nurse Wake

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Nursery Rhymes in Finnegans WakeAuthor(s): Mabel P. WorthingtonSource: The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 70, No. 275 (Jan. - Mar., 1957), pp. 37-48Published by: American Folklore SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/536500.

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NURSERY RHYMES INFINNEGANS WAKEBY MABEL P. WORTHINGTON

IN JamesJoyce'sFinnegansWake, he storyof Finnegan s thestoryof everymanand every civilization. It is a story, briefly,of birth, sin, fall, and resurrection;ofspring, summer, autumn, and winter which leads to spring again. Vico, Spengler,Yeats, and others as well as Joyce saw all history as moving in such cycles. In theIrish-Americanballad from which Joyce'sgreat work takes its name, Tim FinnegansWake, the hod carrier Finnegan falls from his ladder, is laid out in his coffin andwaked; when, during the wake, some whiskey or water of life spills on him, he sitsup and proclaims that he is not dead at all. The hero of Joyce'swork is not only thehod carrier but Finn McCool (Finn-again) of Irish legend; Humphrey ChimpdenEarwicker, a Dublin pub-keeper; Humpty Dumpty; and other men-and civiliza-tions-which have fallen, and yet survived, sometimes through their children andsometimes through their works, both being forms of creation. Earwicker lives onthrough his sons Shem and Shaun, to whom he has to give way. Joyce the artist liveson through his letter to the world which, though dictated by Anna Livia Plurabelle(as all life comes from the female principle), is set down by Shem the creativegeniusand broadcastby Shaun the man of deeds.

Joyce's book mirrors a life that, for all its apparent chaos, has pattern, a patternrepeated over and over in time and space.To make this point, Joyce weaves into hisnarrativereferencesto all fields of experienceof his time and of the past-the literary,the musical, the historical,the theological, the scientific,the mathematical,the anthro-pological. Finnegans Wake contains, naturally, much of interest to the student offolklore and folkways. As W. Y. Tindall has pointed out, Joyce alludes in his greatmyth to most of the myths, legends, and fairy tales of the world. He alludes also toproverbs, folksongs (there are hundreds of references to Irish, American, and otherfolksongs in Finnegans Wake),' and nurseryrhymes. J. S. Atherton has recently (inAccent, Winter I955) shown the importanceof pantomime in Finnegans Wake-theannual pantomime presentedat the Dublin Gaiety Theatre, which obviously impressedJoyce deeply; one of the favorite pantomimes was Humpty Dumpty.

Although the present article deals with Joyce's use of nursery rhymes in whatShaun calls "this nonday diary, this allnights newseryreel" (p. 489), and lists refer-ences to sixty-eight of these, they cannot be considered in isolation.Joyce uses them ashe uses his other material, to express his idea that Earwicker is everybody.It is clearfrom the general context that Joyce considered folk material an expressionof impor-tant, universal, and ever-recurringexperiencesof the human race. This theory wouldexplain why the material has lasted so long, why it is so widespread,and why it hasbeen subjectto so much and so varied interpretation.2Iona and Peter Opie, in the Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford,

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Journalof AmericanFolklore1952), tell of the age,the range,andthe interpretationf the rhymes.Manyof themhaveendured or tengenerations ndmore;HumptyDumptyis thought o be thous-andsof yearsold; analoguesof Matthew,Mark,LukeandJohncan be tracedback,some think,to Babylon.These two rhymes,and manyothers,areknown in almosteveryEuropean ountry.The rhymes eem ableto cut acrossmanydifferent ultures;HumptyDumptyandLittleMissMuffethavebeentranslatednto Hindustani.Theycanevenpenetratehe ironcurtain;The Queenof Heartsand The House ThatJackBuiltweretranslatedntoRussiann 1936.Studentshavelinkedthe rhymeswith mystical ymbolic ites,with natural orces,with socialand politicalevents,and with realpeople.Sing a Song of Sixpencehasbeendescribed s commenton Tudormonasteries,he printingof the EnglishBible,the malpracticesf the Romanclergy,and theworkingsof the solar ystem.The babyin the treetop has been identifiedas the Egyptianchild Horus,the Old Pretender,and the New EnglandIndian.BothTommyTuckerandOld MotherHubbardhavebeen said to be CardinalWolsey. (AthertonsaysJoyce's"howldmoutherhibbert"e-fersto theEnglishauthorof A Playgoer'sMemories.) s Old King Colea kingof thethirdcentury?A Readingclothier?Or,asSirWalterScottsuggested,hefatherof thegiantFinn McCool?The veryexistenceof so many interpretations,ometo us morefancifulthanothers, howsone thing:the rhymessuggest o people heirexperiencesof or thoughtsaboutrealevents.The factthat a jinglewhichseemson the surface omuch nonsensehas lastedsucha long time andcomesto mindso rapidly n connec-tion with a realpersonor experiencewouldseem to indicate hatthe jingleembodiesa realexperience, n archetypal xperience,whichmay havehistoricalvariations c-cordingto the time, place,andthe personundergoing t but which is at bottomthesame for everybody.HumptyDumptyis an egg, and Earwicker, nd was Churchillin EnglishParliamentary ebateduringthe forties.But the essenceof Humptyisthat he fell from a high place,andthatis a universal xperienceelebratedn epicanddrama rom Greektimes on. WhatJoyceseesin folk material s the archetype-par-ticularly he archetype f deathandrebirth,he phoenixrisingfrom its ashes.Joyce'suse of mythicalmaterialdoes not begin with FinnegansWake.A Por-traitof theArtistbegins,"Onceupona time ..." anditshero s calledDedalus.Thereare references in Ulysses to fairy tales, e.g., lack the Giant Killer, p. 292 (ModernLibrary dition), as well as to folksongs3 nd nursery hymes(e.g., pp. 74, I93,385,476,522, 552). Thereis alsoa discussionn the library ceneof the brothermotif inGrimmandin Irishmyth.In Ulysses he referenceso nursery hymes, airytales,etc.,arerelativelyew andrelativelycasualor incidental(exceptthat,of course,nothingin Joyce s everreallycasualor incidental). n FinnegansWakethereferences remorenumerous nd moreintegrated.A completeanalysisof Joyce'suse of nursery hymes s subject or a muchlongerstudythan the presentone.And muchmorespadeworkmust be donebeforesuchan analysis anevenbe attempted. inally, henursery hymesandtheirusecan-not be consideredn isolation. n the following pages,whicharemerelyan endeavorto suggestand illustrate he way Joyceweavesreferenceso a few rhymes nto histext,it will be necessaryo refer o otherallusionsn a givenparagraphswell.I havetriednot to repeatunnecessarilynything o be foundin JosephCampbell ndHenryMortonRobinson,A SkeletonKey to FinnegansWake,that sine qua non for anyseriousstudentof Joyce o whichI am obviouslyndebted.And whenpossible have

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NurseryRhymesn FinnegansWake 39tried o refer o other olkmaterial,articularlyrish ongs.All referenceso Finne-gansWake re otheVikingPress dition.Theparagraphnp. 6 describeshe wakeof Finneganhehod carrier.Macool,Macool, rrawhyideedye diie?" choeshe lament f MissBiddyO'Brienn TimFinnegansWake:"Arrah im Avourneen,n'whydidye die?" t also dentifiesFinneganwithFinnMcCool,he Irishgiant."Ofa tryinghirstaymournin?"choesthenurseryongandgame,HereWeGoRoundheMulberryush,with tsstanzasdescribingheroutine fthedaysoftheweek:"Thissthewaywewashourclothes,""This s thewaywesweephefloor,"tc.Theweek s a cycleofactivity. hursdaysthedayof Thorthe Thunderercf.thethunderclap),ndtheherodies n a thirstytime(when heworld sa wasteand),andofcourse inneganwas ondofhisdrinkandfellbecauseisheadwasnot so clear s it mighthavebeen."Mournin"uggeststhat his fall was a cause ormourning.And heall gianedn withtheshoutmostshoviality. gogandmagogandtheroundof themagrog" uggestshe opposite.Thesesentencesndthelastonein theparagraph,Tee hetootalof thefluidhangthe twoddle f thefuddled,O "paraphraseinesof the Irish ongPhil theFluter'sBall.Phil,who shaving bad ime-"infact he manwasbruck"-gives party ndpasseshe hat.Philparallels innegann that,downandout,hemakes comeback.ThelinesJoyceusessuggesthe feastof thedescendantsfter hedeathof thehero;"agog ndmagog"uggesthequarrelingrothers."He'sstiff buthe'ssteadys PriamOlim " choesan IrishsongBrianO'Linn,adaptedromanoldnurseryongTomO'Lin.Thenurseryong s anexamplef theEnglishridicule f theprimitive,imple-mindedelt.The Irishsongchangeshispointof viewsubtly; lthough rian s ascrudely ressedsTom,andhasasmanyfoolishaccidents,e always omesbackwitha quip;his will to liveis indestructible.Joyce allsBrianPriam,omparingimtothekingofTroy;Priam ied,buthissonslivedand,accordingo legend,oundedRome."Olim"s a wordJoycemusthaveliked, ince t means oth"in imespast" nd"in imes o come." hewordmayalsobemeanto remind hereader f Aeneas'words o hiscompanions,Forsant haecolim meminisseuvabit"-"Perhapsomedaywemay indpleasuren rememberingever hesehardships."he deathof the oldgodis causeorrejoicings well as sor-row.Brianbrings o mindBrianBoru,Kingof Ireland;relandwasconqueredythe British sTroywasconqueredytheGreekscf."Our o muchovedDublin,heTroyof towns," . 448).In a laterpassagewe learn hat"London ridges fallendown,but Grania'sreed's broad"p. 58). Granias Ireland; erchildren broad(mainlyn America)willcarry nthefight,andAmericawilltakeoverworldead-ershipromEngland, s Romedid fromGreece.But to return,we mustrememberthatPriam-Brians Finnegan,who will alsomakea comeback.They aid himbrawdawnlanglasted.Witha bockalipsf finiskyorehisfeet.And a barrowloadof guenesis oerhis head." Bockalips""Apocalypse")nd"Guenesis""Genesis,"as well as Guinness'le) suggest ndandbeginning;n Vico,the end of onecycleis thebeginningf another.Theallusionsnthisparagraph,hen, ompareinnegan'sake oPhil heFluter'sball,andFinnegano Phil,whosuffered figurativeeathandrebirth. heyalsocompare innegano Priam,whosedescendantsoundedhecitythatovercameheoldenemy;o BrianBoru, piritof Ireland;o BrianO'Linn,whosurvivedovertyandaccident y his nativewit andwill to live.Brian,whenhe fell froma bridge,



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Journalof AmericanFolklore0exclaimedblithely,"We'llgo homeby water "Water is a symbolof rebirth,as thewhiskey hatrevivesFinnegan s the waterof life.On pp.57-58s an accountof thetrialand deathof oneof themanifestationsf thearchetypal uilty man. The passagedescribeshe deathin termsof primitiveritual.Also it tells us that "Hisbeneficiariesrelegionin the parthe created . . ."That is,the deathof the old king leavesthe world to his sons,who will reenact he father'srole."Ashollyday n his houseso was he priestand king to that:ulvy came,envysaw, ivy conquered"inks everyman's fate with Caesar's.And The Holly and theIvy is both a Christmas ong and a nursery ong abouta father's egacyto his son("Myfatherleft me threeacresof land") and the cycleof activityof the son ("Iplowedit ... and sowedit ... I harrowedt ... andreaped t . . ."). (Cf. "Holly-merry, visad .. ,"p. 588.) "Theyhavewavedhis greenboughso'erhim"linkstheold ritual death of the hero with the fall of the man who has diedfightingfor Irishfreedom.The heroin the Irishsong Wrap he GreenFlag RoundMe urgeshis com-radesto go on and meet the foe; thoughhis bodywill moulder,his spiritwill be onthe battlefieldwith his comrades. n truth this has beenIreland'shistory; n everygenerationorcenturies ewmenrose o carryon thewar in whichtheirancestors adfallen. The themeis continued n "Longtong's reach s fallendown but Graunya'sspreed's broad."England(the maleprinciple,here) is finished,butIreland's reed'sabroad.Also the sentencecelebrateswomanas the carrier n of life. She spreads heboardat the wake. (See p. 7, "Grampupuss fallen down but grinny spridstheboord.")"Ahdostay,eedailyones"ot only continues his idea but by its suggestionof "Adeste,Fideles"inks the deathof the god with the birthof Christ,and remindsone of the death and rebirthof the God who was Christ."And feels the Flucher'sbawlsfor the totalof yourflouts s notfit to fanhisfettle,O "echoesPhil theFluter'sBall and seemsto indicatethe superiority f the old king over the incumbents, sdoes "Andof courseall chimeddin with the eatmostboviality." Boviality"uggeststhe sacrifice f thebull,andthegreedybestiality f the newcomers: newstagebeginswithbarbarians,sJoyce ays ater(pp.373-380).Anna Liviaas river,as lifegiver,as woman, s described n pp. 209-211. Shegoes"arundgirond"nd"aringarouma"cf. Ring-a-ring 'Roses,alwaysreferred o in con-nectionwith ALP, or the femaleprinciple);hermovements uggest hecycleanddasEwig Weiblichewhichgoeson forever, or a circlehas no end.AnnaLiviaembracesall herchildrenandgivesthempresents.Oneversionof Ring-a-ring ontinues:"Onefor Jack,and one for Jim,and one for littleMoses."The proverb"Outof the paun-schaupon to thepyre" aysthatthegiftsAnnagives ("thebirthday iftstheydreamtthey gabeher")havebeenleft with her as thingsareleft in a pawnshop;all men'screationsand achievements rereturned o the EternalMother,who gives themoutagainto the nextgeneration.The giftsgo to the pyre, he altarof sacrifice; nd fireisman, as water is woman. Also variousartifactsare forged in fire. "Aringarung"againindicatesher circularmovement.Now, like a pedlarwoman,she reaches ntoher"culdee accoof wabbash"RiverWabbash, ndrubbish)andgivesouthergifts.To eachaccordingo his needseems o be Anna'smotto.Shegives"needles ndpins"to herdaughters.The nurseryinglegoes"Needlesandpins,needlesandpins,/ Whena man marrieshis troublebegins."Anna equipsher daughters or marriage.Thenfollowsa listof variousgiftsAnnagivesto various ypesof humanity."Saara hilpot"is SarahCurran,daughterof JohnPhillpotCurranand fianceeof RobertEmmet,



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NurseryRhymesn FinnegansWakeIrish patriotexecuted in I80o; "ajordan vale" seems to suggest consolation in religion,while "tearorne" eems to suggest that she might sublimate her grief in writing, likeSarah Orne Jewett. Kitty of Coleraine is a song about a girl so startled at the sightof a young man that she dropped and broke her pitcher of buttermilk. "Seumas"isan Irish form of James; though regarded as of little importance,he will receive a bigcrown-or a crown he will feel to be big. "SunnyTwinjim," Shaun or the more extra-verted aspect of Shem (cf. "Sunny Sim," p. 305, which directly refers to Shem thewriter), will get something to make him less sunny, illness and a sense of guilt. Jack,the broth of a boy, will get Jill, the spoon of a girl; he will spoon with her, and shewill scoop him up. "Shemus O'Shaun the Post" seems to be both Shem and Shaun."A sunless map of the month" suggests a connection with "Sunny Twinjim," and itis indicated that the "sunny"man or the "sunny"side of the double-man's characterneeds less sun; or perhaps Shem, son of Shaun, will get no son. The "sunlessmap ofthe month" combines the ideas of space and time, an opposition that Joyce was con-cerned with and interestedin reconciling."Swordand Stamps"are symbolsof anotherpair of oppositions, war and letters. Anna, then, gives each child what he needs-thesunny extrovert gets a "tibertine'spile and a Congoswood cross" (Clongowes wasthe Jesuit school Joyce attended as a child); the introvert with his sense of inferioritygets a "crown he feels big"; each extreme gets a gift of the other extreme which willserve to balance and make him more of a whole man. The last phrase in the para-graph seems to be an intuition on Joyce's part of his death before his prime.The chorus of girls on pp. 235-236sing the praises of Shaun. The girls hold outto the man who conforms, who asks the right questions and gives the right answers,the lure of marriage, with its accompaniments of a home in the suburbs,social life,food and drink, but above all the license of sex. The married man, they say, will beenvied by his unmarried brother. The couple will entertain Prince Le Monade andLady Marmela Shortbred,and promote a match between them. The tone of the pas-sage suggests that the girls are not talking merely about social life, nor about eating(though one of the attractionsmarriagehas for a man is the prospectof regularhome-cooked meals); Freud noted the connection between eating and sex, and the wealthof sexual connotations throughout this section is evidence that the girls are using themost potent lure of their kind. "He's not going to Cork till Cantalamesse"echoes HowMany Miles to Babylon? There will be no sex until marriage.But then: "The Fomor'sin his Fin, the Momor's her and hin." Like the Farmer in the Dell, he will take awife. They will be a "paaralone"and Dublin will be all adin. They will "sing a songof sixpence"(cf. "Psing a psalm of psexpeans. .. ,"p. 642). "And you'll too and you'll"promises that every day will be like Christmas;life will be a perpetual holiday. "Comeon, ye wealthy gentrymen" suggests God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen and the Irish"come-all-ye.""Wib frufrocksful of fun" is at first somewhat puzzling, becausePruf-rock did not have much fun. But he was a "gentryman"and so a desirableacquaint-ance for the girls. Also, he probably representsthe aspectof every man which hangsback, partly out of a sense of inadequacy, who does not ask the question; and thegirls persuade him by suggesting to him that he has capacitiesfor "fun." The Hollyand the Ivy is a Christmas ("crispness") song as well as a nursery rhyme about aman coming into his inheritance.The last lines of the paragraphunderscorethe sexualallure of the girls. "And jessies,push the pumkik round" ("Jessie,pass the plumcakeround") is a line from Polly, Put the Kettle On; the phrase is at least a double-en-

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Journalof American Folkloretendre;the rhyme has sexualovertoneswherever t appears cf. the slang phrase"havinga party").The last word celebrateshe miracleof womanhood:Hallelujahfor AnnaLivia

The longparagraphn pp. 373-380s abouteveryman andeverynation;HCE andIrelandaretypical.The historys one of sin,guilt,accusation,rial,punishment, eath,and the endlessrepetitionof the sequence.HCE hearsvoicesof accusation aisedagainsthim; the voicesarethoseof the mobandprojectionsf hisown senseof guilt."BruniLanno'swoollies on BraniLonni'shairyparts"efers not only to BrunoofNola, the man of opposites,but to BrianO'Linn,as the phrase"hiding hatshape nhis goat"shows. Brian,"hardup for a coat/ Borrowed he skin of a neighboringgoat."He "hadno breeches o wear"and"gothim a sheepskino makehim a pair."HCE is a combination f opposites, nd is not whathe seemsto the world."Hairy-parts"and "goat" uggestthe primitive,of which Brian is usuallya symbol n Fin-negansWake(cf. "caveman haseandsaharaex ... ,"p.60) hiddenunder heveneerof the civilized.The id will out out.The proverb"Whenyou'vebled till you'reboneit cropsout in yourflesh" einforces his ideaof originalsin."Totell how yourmeadof, mard, s made of"echoes he nursery hymequestion"Whatarelittleboysmadeof, madeof?" with its answer"Frogsand snailsandpuppydogs'tails."A variationasks "Whatare young men madeof?" and answers"Sighsand leers and crocodiletears."Clearlythe reference s again to originalsin and dissimulation "crocodiletears")."Hung Chung Egglyfellanow speakhe tell numptywumptyopsawysbe-longahimpidgin.Secretthingsotherpersonsplacetherecoverednot. How you fellfromstoryto story ike a sagasando lie"brings n Humpty DumptyandFinneganas incarnations f HCE, known even to thosewho speakpidginEnglish."Howyoufell from storyto story" uggestsnot only the fall of Finneganbut the repetitionofthe tale of the Fall all through iterature-"down hroughall christianminstrelsy"(p. 3). "Onthe becauseallegingto havinga fingera fuddingin puddingand pie"refersto "GeorgiePorgie,"who kissedthe girls and made them cry,but ran awaywhen the boys appeared.Againwe have a parallel o HCE anda hint of the sexualnatureof his guilt."The housethatjukebuilt" eems o refer o theworld.The Jukeswerea familyfoundliving in primitivedegeneracy, egeneracyausedchieflyby in-breeding.Againwe havea reference o the sexualnatureof the crime.This timethesuggestion s that of incest;an earlierreferencen the paragrapho "ascarewinde"suggestsanotherperversion.Referenceso Maggieand Jiggs (Joyce ovedAmericancomicstrips)and to Diarmuidand Grania uggestotherparallelso HCE, onefromheroicdaysandone frommodernvulgardemocraticife.Somewhatater n thepara-graphwe learnthat the cycleof life is repeatingtself."Thegroomis in the green-house,gattlingout his. Gun ,"echoingSing a Song of Sixpence, ellsHCE thattheyoung folk are carryingon. "Thatlad'sthe stylefor. Lannigan'sball "we aretold.Lannigan'sBall is the nameof a song describing n Irishrough-and-readyhindig."Lannigan"f course uggestsBrunoof Nola, thedouble-man,ndBrianO'Linn, heprimitive.We have here "Lann-again"s we have had "Finn-again."Postumus"(Post humus) maybe an observer t the new goings-on,dressedn a boy'ssailor-suit."We'llsplit to see you mouldemimparvious"uggeststhat HCE will be his owndescendant.As Humptyfell andbroke ntomanypieces, o doesthefather, hepiecesbeing his descendants. Mouldem mparvious"s "multum n parvis"and "mouldthemimpervious." herefollowsa passage uggesting he crucifixion, ndone about

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NurseryRhymesn FinnegansWakethejustices,Matthew,Mark,Luke,andJohn,havinga feast."Laying hecloth, o foreof them. And thanking he fish,in coreof them"echoesan Americandrinkingsong,"GloriousGlorious /Onekeg of beerfor the four of us Glorybe to hob there'snomore of us / For I could kill this all alone "Hereis the Wake themeagain,andthejoyfulcelebration,n the communion, f the deathof the father,whichleavesAnniefreeagain. (All this is verylike Freud'saccountof the "primeval orde,"he killingandeatingof the father, he lustof thesons forthe mother.)"One ledge,onebrood"-we are all partakers f the natureof the fatherandso arebrothers.The killedgodis the unknownsoldier, he Irishpatriotwho giveshis life for his country, verybodyfrom Methuselahdown throughBulleyand Cowlieand HickoryDickoryDock tobusinessas usual (from the age of the giantsto the age of the heroes-BrutusandCassius-to the manin the street n our democraticworld)."Tiemoremoretis isturbbadday "s the medievalLatin "Timormortisconturbatme.""Moretis"s "youwilldie";the fate of HCE is universal ndapplies o you,too,asyou remember n a badday.And when the "playgue"s over,the "rats"will desert he sinking shipand thecycle will begin again. The father'ssuccessors eitherlearn from historynor payattention o "Gramm'saws."The referenceshroughouthispassageareto Irishhis-tory."When t'sapedto foul a delphiann the Mahnung" araphraseslinefrom anIrish song aboutan emigrantwho is "off to Philadelphian the morning."Laterreference o "TimmottyHall" indicates he continuation f IrishhistoryamongtheIrish n America."Followhim up too,Carlow "paraphrases line from the patrioticsong, Follow Me Up to Carlow,which describesheroic events in the Elizabethanperiodand calls on Irishmen o finishthe fight and sendthe head of Lord Fitzwil-liam, the queen's ord deputy,"dripping ed,to Lizzie and her ladies."Carlow,asJoycehaspunctuatedhe sentence, eemsto referto the memoryof the placeanditsassociations, hich will followthe Irishman venin Americaandbeoneof theforcesimpellinghim to repeat he old pattern."Give him another or to volleyholleydood-lem " echoes he American olk songPolly WollyDoodle,whose chorusruns,"Fareye well, fareye well,/ Fareye well, my fairyfay,/ For I'm goin'to Louisiana or tosee my Susy-anna,/Singingpolly wolly doodleall the day "The voicesof the mobseem to be saying,"Givehim another o send him on his wayto hisAnnie,"or "Givehim another o send him on his way to repeating he samepatternof polly wollydoodle.""Fearyou will,"below,is a properwarningand/or comment n eithercase.Joycehere has recapitulatedhe patternof the man and the nation.Neithermannor nation learnsfromhistory,and thereforemustrepeat t. The sons of the fatherdo as he has done.The Irish also repeat heir historicalpattern.NeitherYeatsnorJoycesaw the Irish FreeState as the millennium;onlyhumansympathy ndunder-standingand forgiveness an breakthe tyrannyof history.The victorious rish, ikethe participantsn thecommunion, on'trememberwhattheyarecelebrating.Allwewants is to get peacefor possession,"hey say,and "We dinnedunnerstunnedwhyyousassadabout hurteen o aloafen, or,kindlyrepeat "

PAGE REFERENCES TO NURSERY RHYMES IN FINNEGANS WAKE4I. Humpty Dumpty. P. 3, "The great fall of the offwall . . ."; p. I2, "And even ifHumpty shell fall frumpty times. . . ."; p. 44-47, "THE BALLAD OF PERSSEO'REILLY"; p. 99, "Mumpty Mike room for Rumpty "; p. io6, "Of all the Wide Torsos...."; "... Lumptytumtumpty had a Big Fall ...."; p. I63, "... and that whiles eggs will

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fall cheapened all over the walled.... "; p. I75, "Cleftfoot from Hempal must tumpel....";p. 184, "... (the umpple does not fall very far from the dumpertree).... "; p. 219, "afterhumpteendumpteenrevivals.Beforeall the King'sHoarserswith all the Queen'sMum,";p. 230, ". .. eggspilled him out of his homety dometry... ."; p. 285, "Arthurgink's hussiesand Everguin's men."; p. 294, "By his magmasine fall. Lumps, lavas and all."; p. 314, ".. .humptadump.. ."; "... that mortar scene so cwympty dwympty . . ."; p. 37, "Humpseadumpsea .. ."; p. 3I9, "Save Ampsterdampster that had...."; "... such a satuation ...down to the ground."; p. 320, "And hopy dope sagd he...."; p. 325, "... you're iron slidesand so hompety domp...."; p. 341, ". .. absolutionally romptyhompty successfulness.";p. 352, "Hump to dump Tumbleheaver "; p. 372, "... (chalkem up, hemptyempty )....";p. 374, "Hung ChungEgglyfellanow speak...."; p. 375, "Thenold Hunphydunphyville'llbe blasted ...."; p. 386, "... and the hempty times and the dempty times ...."; p. 422,"... all the King's paunches. . ."; p. 434, "Leg-before-Wicked lags-behind-Wall.. .";p. 455. ". ?. what a humpty daum earth looks... ."; p. 466, "With your dumpsey diddelydumpsey die...."; p. 496, "Bumbty, tumbty, Sot on a Wall... ."; p. 504, ". . . playinghopptociel bommptaterre. . . ."; pp. 550-51, ". .. I, dizzed and dazed by the lumptythumpty. .. ."; p. 567, "... shall cast welcome . . . umptydum dumptydum."; ".. . thereto all the king's aussies and all their king's men...."; p. 568, "Arise, sir Pompkey Domp-key "; p. 606, "He may be humpy, nay, he may be dumpy...."; p. 619, "... and he beingas bothered . .. by the fallth of hampty damp."; p. 624, "Humps, when you . . . dousedus ";p. 627, "Nor for all our wild dances n all their wild din."2. A was an archer. P. 5, "Hootch is for husbandman handling his hoe."; p. I9, "Thikis for thorn...."; p. 72, "Vee was a Vindner...."; p. 80, "... ah for archer...."; p. 250,"Lel lols for libelman libling his lore."; p. 293, ". . . A is for Anna like L is for liv."; p. 302,"Ohr for oral, key for crib... ."; p. 314, "Rutsch is for rutterman. ..."; p. 319, "But Timeis for talerman. . . ."; p. 376, ". . . Hubert was a Hunter . . ."; p. 404, ". . . Or for Royal...."; p. 603, "Batch is for Baker...."3. Ring-a-ringo' roses. . . Onefor Jackand one for Jim and one for little Moses.P. 6,"... a roof for may and a reef for hugh butt under his bridge suits tony... ."; p. 147, "Aring a ring a rosaring ";p. 209, "Well,arundgirondn a waveney yne aringarouma.....p. 210, ". .. aringarung .... "; p. 215, "Sudds for me ... for JoeJohn."; p. 225, "Ring weround, Chuff "; p. 239, "Yet the ring gayed rund rorosily... ."; p. 295, "Gyre 0, gyre 0,gyrotundo "; p. 330, "... a tease for Ned ... for Peer Pol."; p. 459, ".. . chaplets of ringa-rosary...."; p. 494, "Her sheik to Slave ... to Guygas."; p. 552, ". hoops for her ...Neeblow'sgarding."4. Needlesand pins. P. 6, "Mastabatoom,mastabadtomm, hen a mon merrieshis luteis all long "; p. I31, ". .. till he was buried howhappy was he.. ."; p. 210,"... a jigsawpuzzle of needles and pins and blanketsand shins... ."; p. 336, "Maltomeetim.. shuntershoveon."

5. Here we go round the mulberrybush.P. 6, "... of a tryingthirstaymournin?";p. I76, "This is the Way we sow the Seed of a long and lusty Morning ... ."; p. 237, "...(meaning Mullabury mesh .. .)"; p. 490, "This is the way we. Of a redtettetterdaymorn-ing."; p. 512, ".. . like a Dublin bar in the moarning."; p. 58I, "... till the latest up to dateso early n the morning...."6. Tom O'Lin (Brian O'Linn).5P. 6, "He's stiffbut he'ssteady s PriamOlim ";p. I7,"I could snore to him . . . did Briand' of Linn.";p. 60, "BrianLynsky,the cub curser..."; p. 70, ". the Lynn O'Brien, a meltoned lammswolle.. ."; p. 148, "... like a rugi-lant pugilant Lyon O'Lynn... ."; p. 275, "... Bryan Awlining Erin's hircohaired culo-teer."; p. 328, ". .. when your pullar beer turns out Bruin O'Luinn ..."; p. 372, "And thatwhistlingthief, O'RyneO'Rann.";p. 373, "BruniLanno'swoollies on BraniLonni'shairy-parts."

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Nursery Rhymesin Finnegans Wake7. This is the house thatJackbuilt. P. 8, "This is the flag ... thatbangthe flagof theProoshious."; . i8, "In the ignorance hat implies impression. .the ensuanceof existen-

tiality."; p. 80. "... the ward of the wind ... that Jove bolt...."; p. io6, "... His is theHouse that Malt Made .. ."; p. 205, "This is the Hausman . . . and hennad his Egg.";p. 271, "This is the glider . .. the gardenGough gave.";p. 274, ". . . in that jackhousethat jerrybuilt...."; p. 369, "... the tout that pumpedthe stout . . . that Joaxpilled.";p. 375, "Andkick kick killykickfor the house thatjuke built ";p. 5II, "-So this was thedope . . . that hugged the mort?-That legged in the hoaxthat joke bilked.";P. 580, ". ..the slave of the ring . .. that boughtthe ballad that Hosty made."8. Ten LittleInjuns.P. Io, "... a runalittle,doalittle .. pelfalittlegnarlybird."; . 588,"Two prettymistletots .. winking underhoods....";9. As I was going to St. Ives.P. 12, ". . . thougheverycrowd has ... pointof its own.. .";p. 47, "And all the holly.And some the mistleand it SaintYves."(See below,"TheHolly and the Ivy."); p. 215, "Hadn't he seven dams to wive him? . . . had a differingcry.";p. 291, "... of SaintYvesby Landsendcornwer . ," "... till the ivesof Man....";p. 330, "Yetevery lane had its lively spark... had some trick of her trade... ."; p. 523,"... the deponent, he man fromSaintYves...."; p. 552,"MysevenwyndsI trailed .. allthese closesflaggedwith the gust...."10. Taffy was a Welshman.P. 14, "Caddywent to Winehouseand wrote o peaceafarce.";p. 323, "Reeferwas a wenchman.";p. 390, ". .. Tom Tim Tarpey,the Welshman..."; p. 433, ". . . or Minxy was a Manxmaidwhen Murrywor a Man."

11. See-saw,sacradown.P. i8, " O'c'stle,n'wc'stle,tr'c'stle,crumbling Sell me sooththe fare for Humblin ";p. 555, ". . . esker,newcsle,saggard,crumlin,dell me, donk, theway to wumblin.Follow me beelineandyou'rebumblin,esker,newcsle,saggard,crumlin."I2. What are little boysmadeof? P. 20, "Forthat (the raptone warns) . . . missesinprints.";p. 374, "To tell how your meadof, mard,is madeof.";p. 513, "-And whit wasLillabilIssabilmaideve,maid at? .. . Trists and thranesand triniesand traines.";p. 558,"... with gleeful criesof what is nice toppingshaunmadeof made for .. ."13. How many miles to Babylon?P. 20, "There'smany a mile ... so darkby kindle-light.";p. 236, "He'snot going to Corktill Cantalamesse...."14. Eena, meena, mina, mo. I5. One-ery, wo-ery, ckery,Ann. P. 21, "Soweenybeeny-veenyteeny."; . 94, "Enamilo melomon .. woe is we ",p. 26I, ". . . denary,danery,don-nery, domm. . . ."; p. 314, "Hillaryrillarygibbousgrist to our millery "i6. When Adam delve. P. 2I, "... when Adamwas delvinandhis madameen pinning

watersilts . . ."17. Polly,put the kettleon. P. 23, "Andthe duppyshot the shutterclup. . . . And theyall drankfree.";p. I6I, "... till Duddy shut the shopperop... .";p. 229, "Sotheyfishedin the kettle . . . all hat tiffinfor thea.";p. 236, "And,jessies,push the pumkikround.";p. 330, "Wherethey pulled down the kuddleand they made fray. .. ."; p. 332, "... forhe put off the ketyl and they made three (for fie ). . . ."; p. 372, "While the dumb heshootsthe shopperrope.And they all pourforth.";p. 585, "Humbo, ock yourkekkleup. .. Younever wet the tea "i8. GeorgiePorgie,puddingand pie. P. 37, ". .. Lukanpukanpilzenpie . . ."; p. 375,".. .a fingera fudding in puddingand pie."I9. My father left me threeacresof land. (See also the Christmas arol,The Holly andthe Ivy.) P. 58, "As hollyday n his house . . . ivy conquered."; . 147."And all the holly.And some the mistle and it Saint Yves.";p. I52, ". . . there'sholly in his ives.";p. 236,"Thejolly and thel ively . . . and sing a missaltoo.";p. 291, ". . . till the ives of Man . . .hollyboys, all... ."; p. 421, "All reddy berried. Hollow and eavy."; p. 468, "Hammisandi-vis. . .. "; p. 505, "... creatures f the wold approaching im, hollowmid ivy...."; p. 556,"... When she growedup one Sunday,SaintHoly and SaintIvory. . ."; p. 588, "Holly-

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Journal f American olkloremerry, ivysad...."; p. 616. "Onceyou are balladproofyou are unperceableo haily, icy,and missilethroes."20. LondonBridge is fallen down. P. 58, "Longtong'sbreach s fallen down...."; p.239, "Lonedom's reachlay foulendup...."21. When good King Arthurruled this land. P. 79, ". . did most all the scavengingfrom good King Hamlaugh'sgulden dayne...."; p. 555, "Sonat by night by naught bynaket,in thosegood old lousy daysgone by...."22. Handy spandy,Jack-a-Dandy. . 92, ". . with their dindy dandysugarde candy.. . ."; p. 279 n, "This isabellaI'm on knows the ruellesof the rut and she don'tfearandymandy.";p. 534-35, "Jiggety ig my jackadandyline "23. Ride a cock-horse.P. I02, "... speckson her eyeux,. .. cockneze";p. 104,"Arcsin His CeilingFlee Chinx on the Flur ...."; p. 348-49,"Your RhodaCockardes hat areraday .. boils on their taws."

24. Rock-a-bye, abyon the treetop.P. 104, "... RockabillBoobyin the WaveTrough..."; p. 248, "Pullthe boughpeeto see how we sleep.";p. 278, "Rockaby,babel,flattenawall."; p. 294, "Byhis magmasine all. Lumps,lavasand all.";p. 472,"Thegoogoosof thesuckabollyn the rockabeddy...."; p. 546, "Till dayboughbreaknd showshadows lee.";p. 582,"Andsaidsheyou rockaby...."25. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickledpeppers.P. 104, ". . PeterPeoplerPickedaPlot to Pitch his Poppolin ...."; p. 346, "... PeadharPiper...."; p. 6x6, "... PeeterthePicker...."26. Christmascomes but once a year. P. 113, ". .. when Christmascomes his onceayear."27. Monday'schild is fair of face.P. 117, ". . now godsunshine on menday'sdaugh-ter. . .."; p. 487,"... Freeday's hild is loving andthieving."28. There was an old man named MichaelFinnigan.P. 117, ". .. such is manowife'slot of loseandwin again,like he'sgruenquhiskers n who's chinagain,sheplucketed hemout but they grown in again.";p. 358, ". .. how thatwin a gain was in again."29. Sing a song of sixpence.P. 129, "... a sing a song a sylble. ." 34-35,"...the king was in his cornerwall ... and pump gun they goes...."; p. I47, "And my waitingtwenty classbirds, itting on their stiles ";"When their bridewas marriedall my bellesbeganti ting.";p. 236, "We'llsinga songof Singlemonthandyou'lltoo andyou'll.";p. 242,"Psinga psalmof psexpeans,apocryphul f rhyme ";p. 300, "SICKUS A SOCK WITHSOME SEDIMENT IN IT FOR THE SAKE OF OUR DARNING WIVES.";p. 364,"Whata mazing month of budsomemissesthey aremaking,so wingty-wish o flit befloretheirkin "; p. 377, "The groomis in the greenhouse, attlingout his. Gun ";p. 450, ".. .my twittyniceDorianblackbudds hthonicsolphiaoff my singasongapiccolo..."30. Baa, baa,blacksheep.P. 133, ". . . passedfor baabaablacksheepill he grew whitewoo woo woolly... ."; p. I48, "Why,the boy in sheeps' aneknowsthat.";p. 300 n, "Bagbag blockcheap,have you any will?"; p. 301, "Ask for bosthoon, ate for Mass,prayforblaablaablackheep."31. Jackand Jill.P. 141, "... jackinjills... ."; p. 211, ... Jill,the spoonof a girl, forJack,the brothof a boy... ."; p. 290n, "Jokeand Jiltwill havetheirtilt."32. A frog he would a-wooinggo.

P. 152, ". .. and a Mookse he would a walkinggo ... supperof gammonandspittish...."

33. Tom, he was a piper's son. P. I76, ". .. Thom Thom the Thonderman.. ."; p.37I-73,"Dourdouchywas . . . watherpartedfrom the say.";"Forbe all rules... watherpartedfrom the say.";"FromDancingtree . . watherpartedfrom the say.";"His blud-geon'sbruk . . . partedfromthe sea.";"The gangstair's train . . parted romthe say."34. There was a crookedman. P. 190-91, ". . . an Irishemigrantthe wrong way out,

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NurseryRhymesn FinnegansWakesitting on your crookedsixpennystile... ." (Referencealso to the song, "Lamentof anIrishEmigrant,"which begins,"I'msitting on the stile, Mary.")35. Tinker, tailor,soldier,sailor.P. 202. "Tinker,tilar, souldrer,salor,Pieman Peaceor Polistaman."36. Little Nancy Etticoat.P. 208, "Quick, ook at her cute and saiseher quirk for thebickershe lives the slickershe grows."37. 1 had a little hobbyhorse. P. 225, "And Shim shallaveshome.";p. 554, . . . andnod nod noddies...."

38. 0 dear, what can the matterbe? P. 225, "Yet,ah tears,who can her materbe?. so longed and so faredand so forth.";p. 275, "Todayis well thine but where'smaytomorrowbe."39. Little Bo-Peep.40. 1 have a little sister.P. 227, "All runawaysheep . .. behindthem.";p. 248, "Pull the boughpee .. Peepette ";,p. 435, "See ittle poupeepshe'sfirshtashleep.";p. 508, "... I everbopeepedat...."; p. 624,"... for to pippupandgopeep...."4I. Hokey, pokey, whiskey, thum. P. 234, "Hovobovo hafogate hokidimatzi inkamicha ";p. 254, "... Hocus Crocus,Esquilocus...."; p. 256,".... helpwith yourhokeyor mehokeypoo. .."; p. 368, "... smellingokey boney ...."; p. 542, "... set theirsoakyepokeys...."; p. 558, "... ay, by the hodypokerand blazier...."42. The farmerin the dell. P. 236, "The Fomor's in his Fin. . . . And Dublin's alladin.";p. 262, "The babbersply the pen.... turningtin for ten."43. Mary had a little lamb. P. 250, "Whileall the fauns' flares widens wild to see afloral'sschool.";p. 440. "I used to follow MaryLiddlelambe'slitsytales...." (Referenceto MaryLamb'sTales from Shakespeare.)44. This is the way the ladiesride.45. Here goes my lord.P. 257, ". .. whilestnin ninnin nin that Boorman'sclock, a winny on the tinny side, ninned nin nin nin nin....";p. 554, ". .. my priccopinggents. . .. Kick Playup ";p. 583, "The datter, o, io .. . goesit a gallop,a gallop."46. Elsie Marley.P. 257, ". . . about old FatherBarleyhow he got up... Wold For-resterFarley...."47. Mary, Mary, quite contrary.P. 272, "Leda, Lada, aflutter-afraida,o does yourgirdle grow "p. 321,"Withwinkleswhelksand cocklesentelks."48. Whereareyou going, my prettymaid?P. 273 n, "Mysix is no secret,sir,shesaid.";p. 336, ".. . (his placeis his poster,sure,they said,and we'regoing to markit, sore,theysaid.. ."49. The first day of Christmas.P. 277, ". . or a little blackrose a truant in a thorntree."("Littleblack rose" s a poeticname for Ireland.)50. Where,0 where has my little dog gone? P. 282 n, "Butwhere, 0 where, is melickle dig done?"51. "Will you walk into my parlor?"said the spiderto the fly. P. 287 n, "Will youwalk into my wavetrap? aid the spiterto the shy."52. A dillar,a dollar. P. 288, "... for a dillon a dollar... ."; p. 427, "... poor twelveo'clockscholars. . ."53. Peaseporridgehot. P. 289, ". . that not allsodsof esoupcans hat's in the queen'spottagepost .... "54. Rub-a-dub-dub.P. 290, "... and his washawash tubatubtub ...."; p. 35I,"Togatogtug."55. Pat-a-cake. . 294 n, "Makeacakeache."56. Knock, knock Who's there? P. 330, "Knockknock. War's where Which war?The Twwinns. Knockknock.Woos without Withoutwhat? An apple.Knockknock."57. Clap hands. P. 346. ". .. bealtingpots to dubrindin for old daddamdomstom totomband wamb...."

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Journalof AmericanFolklore58. This little pig went to market.P. 368, "... this little figgy and arrakybellokythislittle pink into porker... ."; p. 496, "This liggy piggy wantedto go to the jampot.Andthis leggy peggy speltpea.And theeseluckypuckersplayedat poopingtooletom."59. Hickory, dickory,dock.P. 378, "FromMotometusolumhroughBulleyand Cowlieand Diggerdiggerydockdown to bazeness'susual?"60. Old Mother Hubbard.P. 388, "... howldmoutherhibbertectures....6I. Simple Simon. P. 408, "Thosesembal simon pumpkelpiemanyers "62. Little JackHorner.P. 465, "He'sJackot he Hornerwho boxedin his corner....";p. 623, "Enoughof thathornercorner "63. Do you know the mufin man? P. 491, "Who you know the musselman... Helovesa drary ane."64. Good morning,FatherFrancis.P. 512, "-The parkis gracerthan the whole, saysshe, but shekleton'smy fortune?-Eversought of being artained?You'vesoft a say withye, FlatterO'Ford,that, honey, I hurdleychew ye." (Cf. also the songs Father O'Flynnand Johnny, hardlyknewye.)65. Bye, baby bunting.P. 529, "... child'skilts, bibbybuntingsand wellingtons..."66. Little Polly Flinders.P. 562, ". . . or silly Polly Flinders."67. Old King Cole. P. 569, "Sing: Old Finncoole,he's a mellow old saoul when heswills with his fuddlersfree "(Cf. Scott's dea that Auld King Coul was the fabledfatherof the giant Finn M'Cool. See Opie's Dictionaryof NurseryRhymes,p. I35.); p. 6I9,"With pipe on bowl. Terce for a fiddler,sixt for makmerriers, one for a Cole."68. Matthew,Mark,Luke, and John.P. 598, "Mildew,murk,leak and yarnnow wantthe badthat they lied on.""Andshe'saboutfettedup now with nonseryreams."FW, p. 6I9.

NOTES1See MabelP. Worthington, American olk Songsin FinnegansWake,"AmericanLit.,XXVIII (I956), I97-2Io. Furtherwork will deal with other,particularly rish, folksongsin Joyce.2 One of the booksJoyce ookwith him whenhe leftParisat the timeof theNazioccupationwas HenryBett'sNurseryRhymesand Tales:TheirOriginand History(London, 924). SeeThomasE. Connolly,ThePersonalLibrary f James oyce Buffalo, 955).3See JosephPrescott, Noteson Joyce'sUlysses,"MLQ,XIII (June1952), and "LocalAllu-sionsin Joyce'sUlysses," MLA,LXVIII(Dec. 1953);VernonHall, Jr.,"Ulyssses, VI,"TheExplicator (Feb. 1954); Mabel P. Worthington, "Joyce'sUlysses, XVI," The Explicator (Feb.

1954), and "IrishFolk Songs in Joyce'sUlysses,"PMLA, LXXI (I956), 32I-339.4 All nursery rhymes quoted here excepting Nos. 4, 5, I8, 28, 42, 5I, and 63, may be foundin the OpieDictionary cited in text). The sevenexceptions ppear n othernursery hymecollections.5The wordsof BrianO'Linnare foundin KathleenHoagland, ooo Yearsof IrishPoetry(New York, I947), pp. 252-254.Temple UniversityPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania

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Nurse Wake