JAMES JOYCE

The paragraph below, from pages 4-5 of Finnegan's Wake, introduces our antihero HCE in the guise of the hod-carrier Finnegan (from the drinking song "Finnegan's Wake"). He is at once the builder of houses, the builder of Ireland, the builder of history, and the erector of all erections. He is Finn MacCool the giant whose slumbering body underlies the geography of Dublin; he is Adam and he is Moses; he is beer. He is the dreamer who dreams the dream that is Finnegan's Wake, and his nightlight world is as yet only half-formed (it's only page 4 already).
BYGMESTER FINNEGAN, of the Stuttering Hand, freemen's maurer, lived in the broadest way immarginable in his rushlit toofarback for messuages before joshuan judges had given us numbers or Helviticus committed deuteronomy (one yeastyday he sternely struxk his tete in a tub for to watsch the future of his fates but ere he swiftly stook it out again, by the might of moses, the very water was eviparated and all the guenneses had met their exodus so that ought to show you what a pentschanjeuchy chap he was!) and during mighty odd years this man of hod, cement and edifices in Toper's Thorp piled buildung supra buildung pon the banks for the livers by the Soangso. He addle liddle phifie Annie ugged the little craythur. Wither hayre in honds tuck up your part inher. Oftwhile balbulous, mithre ahead, with goodly trowel in grasp and ivoroiled overalls which he habitacularly fondseed, like Haroun Childeric Eggeberth he would caligulate by multiplicables the alltitude and malltitude until he seesaw by the neatlight of the liquor wheretwin 'twas born, his roundhead staple of other days to rise in undress maisonry upstanded (joygrantit!), a waalworth of a skyerscape of most eyeful hoyth entowerly, erigenating from next to nothing and celescalating the himals and all, hierarchitectitiptitoploftical, with a burning bush abab off its baubletop and with larrons o'toolers clittering up and tombles a'buckets clottering down.
 
Bigmaster Finnegan, tippler, freeman builder / freemason [Ger. mauer = wall] lived broadly and without constraint in his torch-lit cottage in prehistory, before the Bible was written or enacted [Adam]. (One yesterday / day of yeasty beer drinking he stuck his head [Fr. tete = head] in a tub in order to wash the features of his face / watch his future fate [bobbing for apples], but before he took it out again, by the might of Moses, the very water had evaporated / turned to a viper [the sea parted], and all the Guiness had run out / Genesis people had made their exodus [from Eden/Egypt]; so that ought to show you what a man of the pentateuch / punch-and-judy showman [God] he was!). And during many very odd years he [HCE] in the drinkers' village piled building [Ger: bildung = education] above building on the banks for those who lived by the river / on the banks of the Liffey for the public. He had a little wife [ALP], Annie; he loved/feared the little creature. With her hair in his hands / hare and hounds he took up his partner / stuck his part in her. Often bibulous [tipsy], mitre / Mithra ahead [Mithraism preceded Christianity], trowel in hand, in oilskin overalls that he habitularly / at home loved and cared for, he would calculate by multiplication the altitude and mass [of his buildings] until he tipsily saw by nightlight of neat liquor and double-vision, the old roundtable landscape rise in wonderous undressed masonry [Fr. maison = house] (Joy granted! / Joy of granite!) a whale of a skyscraper / Woolworth tower of most awful height entirely [Eiffel and Howth towers], originating from next to nothing and rising heavenward above the Himalayas and all, heirarchically haughtily lofty, with a burning bush for a top bauble, and lines of toolers [Laurence O'Toole] going up and tumbling buckets [Tomas a Beckett] clambering down.
. James Joyce Links :
 
Ulysses for Dummies Animated gifs of each chapter; Nausicaa (ch. 13) is hilarious!
Joyce Sites on the WWWeb Large list of good links by category
James Joyce: Ulysses E-text
Finnegans Web Hypertectitiptitoplofitical, plus e-text of Ulysses
The Brazen Head: A James Joyce Public House
In Bloom: James Joyce -- Links Many links