X: Writings ’79–’82

Writing for the Fourth Time through Finnegans Wake

In January 1979, Louis Mink wrote me an excellent letter saying that having been reading my first Writing he noticed that I had invented the impure mesostic. A pure mesostic, he said, would not permit the appearanceof either letter between two of the name. This criticism fascinated me and I profited from it by writing a third time through Finnegans Wake. That text resembles the first, whereas the following fourth Writing, which follows the same rule, like the second does not permit the reappearanceof a given syllable for a given letter of the name. It is the shortest of the four writings. WRITING FOR THE FOURTH TIME THROUGH FINNEGANS WAKE i wroth with twone nathandjoe 3 A Malt jhEm Shen pftjschute Of finnegan that the humptYhillheadof humself is at the knoCk out in thE park Jiccup 4 the fAther My shining thE Soft Judges Or helviticus sternelY watsCh futurE of his I febel 5 And heed it May half havE hiS back and the derryjellybies 6 arOund fancYmud ereCtion dimb hE fjord his bAywinds' hiM hEr 7 innS Jamey Our 8 paddY is a ffrinCh tip this is bullEt that byng mons injun this is the Alps hooping to sheltershock the three lipoleuMs with thEir book of Stralegy Jinnies is a willingdOne phillippY 9 dispatCh to irrigatE 2 Jinnies to fontAnnoy bode belchuM bonnEt to buSby waxing ranjymad 10 fOr hneY Cry willingdonE JiglAnthern Month and onE and Such Jist II dOes till bYes will be fliCk flEckflinging its pixylighting Job of 12 bAndy Mounds likE So mujikal 13 bOx mirY inCabus usEd 3 11 11 mammon lujius in his grAnd old historioruM wrotE annalS f. up Jerrybuilding 15 tO the Year aCross us frEsh Junipery or Alebrill Mahan it is 16 wE kraalS Jute let us swOp hats Yutah hasatenCy i trumplE i rimimirim Jute one eyegonblAck ghinees hies good for you Mutt how woodEn i not know old grilSy Just 17 hOw bY a riverpool Clompturf rEx 4 of objects 19 Alfrids corMacks and arE See Jadesses with mOuths and saY too us niCk sons littlEsons Jined 20 mAy his Mud sundEr it cloSeth Jarl van 21 lamphOuse laYing Cold hands on himsElf and his Jiminies cousins of cAstle derMot prankquEan a roSy one up the Jiminy with sOft mY earin stop to tauCh him his shE 5 Just 27 doAt with his postMan's knock round his oldE lauS Jane's a cOming theY're sure a tourCh of flamE no Jugglywuggly with her wAr souvenir Murial assurE a Sure there majesty 31 who wAs or often feigned to be froM inquirE what had cauSed Jubilee drOgheda sYmbolising puritas doCtrina businEss 6 Jom grAy in his house in the Mourning crustEd roadSide the Juke 33 at One time under the haY C. suggEstion of Jesses 34 ripe occAsion to provoke theM whilE iS thaw tool in Jew me dinner 35 Ouzel fin a nice You-do in poolblaCk timE Jurgensen's shrApnel goodMan ovEr South at work and commutative Justice 36 nOt tYpe of heidelberg 37 mannleiChmannleiCh Ethics 7 Jointly kem the quiet dArkenings of Mr aftEr callouS Jesuit's ^g clOth Yet in the faCts was sEcondary Jenny 39 eglAndine's choicest housingrooM 4° abidE with my horSe delayed nom num. the many Jiffies 41 pOtlids theY Curiously thosE Joined 4^ Apply toMorrow casual and a variEty juSt been Juiced after 43 Over at tarrY the Clings hEr 8 mountjoy 45 of All Milk opEnair choruS mr J.f. 48 colemAn of fenn Mac nEach paSt with Juxta- 51 explanation was put in exrace eYes lokil Calour arE said with Jedburgh 57 Acquitted contestiMony with 5 8 clErgy madthing haS done him Judgements thOse malrecapturable daYs in whiCh widE 9 John 61 leAned Moult instEnch of gladSome hejirite 62, silentiOussuemeant under deep Your luCtuous pEasant Jink ghostly As were he to condeMn so thEy might him firSt pharoah Jumphet 64 frOm plaYing on the raglar roCk to dulyn prisEd astrollajerries for the love of the sAunces Machinsky or othEr muSclebound from being too pulled a large Jugful 65 sOmeplace slY where he Could mixErs 10 swift and Jolly 66 mrs hAhn dorMant in a hErm a houSe of meatjutes 67 On said simplY Captain you did in Error Josephine 71 with inkermAnn Midnight biblE tyrannous blau clay tight in conjunction yg gArrotted...