March? 1923: Kevin level one

St Kevin born on the Island of Ireland goes to lough glendalough to live on an Island in the the lake and as there is a pond on the Island and a little island in the pond he builds his hut on the islet and then scoops out the floor to a dept of one foot after which he goes to the brink of the pond and fills his tub with water which he emptys time after time into a cavity of his hut thereby forming a pool having done which he half fills the tub sets it in the middle of the pool, pulls up his frock and seats himself in the tub and mediates with burning zeal the sacrament of baptism or regeneration by water [cite] [from notebook VI.B3.43 (Apr-May?) mid-March?]

[An attack of conjunctivitis in March abated after about a week, and on April 4 six or seven decayed teeth were extracted, the rest a few days later. Joyce stayed in a maison de sante for two weeks recovering. The loss of the teeth did not greatly bother him; he remarked to his son, 'They were no good anyway.' But the seventeen extractions were painful, and made speaking and eating difficult. Then in stages, on April 3, 15, and 26, with this source of infection removed, Borsch performed the sphincterectomy. A month later Joyce felt none of the improvement Borsch had predicted, but by June 10 he was able to read a little, and Borsch assured him that his eye would recover its health fully in a few months. Meanwhile the dentist had finished his new plates, and when these had been inserted on June 10, Joyce and his family left for a holiday in England. In spite of the rigors of the last few months he was feeling better, and had no serious eye trouble for the rest of the year.]


asperger's/autism spectrum
cf Joyce himself: "One day in a wood near Malahide a labourer had marvelled to see a boy of fifteen [1897] praying in an ecstasy of Oriental posture." [PoA04]


St Kevin born on the Island of Ireland goes to lough glendalough to live on an Island in the the lake

Kevin was historical, supposedly 498-618

Ireland is 175 by 300 miles. Lough Glendalough is 30mi south of Dublin, 10mi inland, 2mi long (E-W) and ¼mi wide (N-S) [map] GoogleMaps shows one tiny 'island' about 50ft across at the eastern end of the lake, and another long skinny sort-of island 1500ft long and 100ft across along the northern shore, but these aren't plausible.

Kevin lived at the far end, on the right

St Kevin's Bed

FW2: "Kevin... Procreated on the ultimate ysland of Yreland in the encyclical Yrish archipelago... came... to our own midmost Glendalough-le-Vert... where... on this one of eithers lone navigable lake piously Kevin..."


and as there is a pond on the Island and a little island in the pond

pure fiction, geologically bizarre, to reach 9 layers total [closest real]

FW2: "to its supreem epicentric lake ysle... whereon... Kevin came to where its centre is... an enysled lakelet yslanding a lacustrine yslet"


he builds his hut on the islet and then scoops out the floor to a dept of one foot

hut: sticks, stones, or mud?
measurement motif

FW2: "whereupon... holy Kevin bided... but to build a rubric penitential honeybeehivehut whereof the arenary floor most holy Kevin excavated as deep as to a depth of a seventh part of one full fathom"

after which he goes to the brink of the pond and fills his tub with water which he emptys time after time into a cavity of his hut thereby forming a pool

"a cavity"?
a puddle, more like

FW2: "which excavated, venerable Kevin... proceeded towards the lakeside... collected Gregorian water sevenfold and... as many times receded carrying the lustral domination... which severally seven times into the cavity excavated... most venerable Kevin then effused, thereby letting there be water where was theretofore dry land"


having done which he half fills the tub sets it in the middle of the pool,

FW2: "now... blessed Kevin, exorcised his holy sister water... so that, well understanding, she should fill to midheight his tubbathaltar which hand-bathtub most blessed Kevin ninthly enthroned in the interconcentric centre of the translated water"


pulls up his frock and seats himself in the tub and mediates with burning zeal the sacrament of baptism or regeneration by water

"burning" = fire
the viconian word "regeneration" survives to the last: Kevin ponders regeneration but doesn't necessarily achieve it

FW2: "whereamid... Saint Kevin Hydrophilos, having girded his sable cappa magna as high as to his cherubical loins... sat in... that hipbathtub, whereverafter... he meditated continuously with seraphic ardour the primal sacrament of baptism or the regeneration of all man by affusion of water."

the alternating layers suggest an electrical device like a capacitor or battery

May 1923? Kevin level two

?E Kevin born on the island of Ireland in the Irish ocean goes to Lough Glendalough where pious Kevin lives alone on an isle in the lake on which isle is a pond in which is an islet whereon holy Kevin builds a beehive hut the floor of which most holy Kevin excavates to a depth of one foot which done venerable Kevin goes to the lakeside and fills time after time a tub with water which time after time most venerable Kevin empties into the cavity of his hut thereof creating a pool having done which blessed Kevin half fills the tub once with water which tub then most blessed Kevin sets in the centre of the pool after which Saint Kevins pulls up his frock to his loins and seats himself, blessed S. Kevin, in his hiptubbath where, doctor solitarius, he meditates with ardour the sacrament of baptism or the regeneration of man by water [cite] [FDV]

1. ?E Kevin
2. pious Kevin
3. holy Kevin
4. most holy Kevin
5. venerable Kevin
6. most venerable Kevin
7. blessed Kevin
8. most blessed Kevin
9. Saint Kevins
10. blessed S. Kevin
11. doctor solitarius

stages of canonization in Catholic Church: Servant of God → Venerable → Blessed → Saint [wiki]

VI.B25.153: "Kevineen (9 names)"



?E Kevin born on the island of Ireland in the Irish ocean goes to Lough Glendalough where pious Kevin lives alone on an isle in the lake on which isle is a pond in which is an islet

"the Irish ocean" the north Atlantic (the Irish Sea is just between Ireland and England)
"alone" his historical retreat was apparently unaccompanied

FW2: "Kevin... Procreated on the ultimate ysland of Yreland in the encyclical Yrish archipelago [...] came... to our own midmost Glendalough-le-Vert... where... on this one of eithers lone navigable lake piously Kevin... to its supreem epicentric lake ysle, Inis Kevin, whereof its lake is the centrifugal principality, whereon by prime, powerful in knowledge, Kevin came to where its centre is... an enysled lakelet yslanding a lacustrine yslet"


whereon holy Kevin builds a beehive hut the floor of which most holy Kevin excavates to a depth of one foot which done venerable Kevin goes to the lakeside and fills time after time a tub with water which time after time most venerable Kevin empties into the cavity of his hut thereof creating a pool having done which blessed Kevin half fills the tub once with water

VI.B3.11: "first beehive huts" Flood: Ireland, Its Saints and Scholars 115: 'The first Christian architecture in Ireland... missionaries adopted the same style of building that was practised by the natives... They built their small oratories and bee-hive huts within the boundaries of the stone fort or cashel'

he fills his tub full "time after time", then half-full just once

FW2: "whereupon... holy Kevin bided... but to build a rubric penitential honeybeehivehut... whereof the arenary floor most holy Kevin excavated as deep as to a depth of a seventh part of one full fathom, which excavated, venerable Kevin... proceeded towards the lakeside... whereat seven several times he... collected Gregorian water sevenfold and... as many times receded carrying the lustral domination... which severally seven times into the cavity excavated... most venerable Kevin then effused, thereby letting there be water where was theretofore dry land, by him so concreated, who now... blessed Kevin, exorcised his holy sister water... so that, well understanding, she should fill to midheight his tubbathaltar"


which tub then most blessed Kevin sets in the centre of the pool after which Saint Kevins pulls up his frock to his loins and seats himself, blessed S. Kevin, in his hiptubbath where, doctor solitarius, he meditates with ardour the sacrament of baptism or the regeneration of man by water

"tub... tub... hiptubbath"
VI.B3.80 (May?) "S Kevin - hip bath"
"doctor solitarius" a teacher with no students? "solitarius" is good Latin, adopted as one poet's penname

FW2: "which hand-bathtub most blessed Kevin ninthly enthroned in the interconcentric centre of the translated water whereamid... Saint Kevin Hydrophilos, having girded his sable cappa magna as high as to his cherubical loins, at solemn compline sat in his sate of wisdom, that hipbathtub, whereverafter, recreated doctor insularis... he meditated continuously with seraphic ardour the primal sacrament of baptism or the regeneration of all man by affusion of water."

July 1923? Kevin level four

Of Kevin, of God the servant, the miracles, death and life are these......

Born on the island of Ireland in the Irish ocean, come his feast of holy angels, Kevin, having been granted the privilege of a priest's portable altare cum bath, came to midmost Glendalough by archangelical guidance where amiddle of the river Slaney and the Liffey river on this lone lake piously Kevin amidships of his conducible altar super bath centripetally rafted servant diaconal of orders Hibernian, to its lake isle, whereof its lake is principality, whereon, powerful in knowledge, Kevin came to where its centre is among the circumfluent watercourses of Ishgagrana and Ishgacarrara a lakelet islanding an islet whereupon with beached raft subdiaconal bath propter altar, with oil anointed, accompanied by prayer, holy Kevin bided but to build a honey beehivehut wherein to live in fortitude, acolyte of virtues, whereof the floor most holy Kevin excavates as deep as a depth of a seventh of a full fathom which excavated venerable Kevin, taking counsel, proceeds to the lakeside of the isletshore whereat seven several times he fills with Gregorian water and with eucharistic joy of heart recedes carrying the lustral domination contained within his most portable privileged altar unacumque bath which severally seven times, a lector of water levels, most venerable Kevin effuses into the cavity excavated thereby letting there be water where before there was dry land having created which, confirmed a strong and perfect Christian, blessed Kevin exorcises holy water so that understanding it may fill to midheight his tubbath altar which handbathtub most blessed Kevin enthrones in the intercentre of the translated water whereamid saint Kevin, having girded his frock to his cherubical loins, solemnly seats himself in his seat of wisdom, that hiptubbath, whereverafter, doctor solitarius, keeper of the door of meditation, he meditates with seraphic ardour the initial sacrament of baptism or the regeneration of man by water. [cite]

most of the additions at this level are clever/showoff-y Catholic patterns, mechanical rather than expressive



Of Kevin, of God the servant, the miracles, death and life are these......

Browning's 'The Ring and the Book' includes the palindromic lines: 'The Life, Death, Miracles of Saint Somebody, / Saint Somebody Else, his Miracles, Death and Life' [ebook]


Born on the island of Ireland in the Irish ocean, come his feast of holy angels, Kevin, having been granted the privilege of a priest's portable altare cum bath,

"feast of holy angels" October 2
"granted the privilege" by a king?
"priest's" (does this imply he's not yet a priest?)
St Patrick used a portable altar
"portable altare cum bath" using the altar as a bathtub would presumably require extra-special permission

VI.B10.13: "Fr Bern. Vaughan granted privilege of portable altar" Irish Times 1 Nov 1922, 5/3: 'As a mark of special favour in 1916 Father Vaughan received a letter from Pope Benedict XV, congratulating him upon his jubilee in the priesthood and granting him the privilege of a portable altar' ie, not restricted to one location

Joyce embeds nine levels of angelic hierarchy in descending order: Angels Archangels Principalities Powers Virtues Dominions Thrones Cherubim Seraphim

Joyce embeds seven levels of ecclesiastical hierarchy, also in descending order: priest deacon [diaconal] subdeacon acolyte exorcist lector doorkeeper (but he'll swap exorcist and lector)

the descending orders suggest that his self-isolation is impoverishing him spiritually

FW2: "Of Kevin, of Increate God the servant... the miracles, death and life are these... Procreated on the ultimate ysland of Yreland in the encyclical Yrish archipelago, come their feast of precreated holy whiteclad angels... Kevin, having been graunted the praviloge of a priest's postcreated portable altare cum balneo..."


headwaters of Slaney and Liffey

came to midmost Glendalough by archangelical guidance where amiddle of the river Slaney and the Liffey river on this lone lake piously Kevin amidships of his conducible altar super bath centripetally rafted servant diaconal of orders Hibernian,

past tense
"midmost... amiddle... amidships... centripetally" (vs ROC's centrifugal repulsion?)
"by archangelical guidance"
"lone lake" (not true-- other lakes are equally amiddle)
"amidships" meaningless, given its tiny size
"conducible altar super bath" conducible = useful? super
Ancient Order of Hibernians (Irish Catholic fraternal organisation) [wiki]

Joyce embeds the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost in reverse order: fear-of-the-Lord piety knowledge fortitude counsel understanding wisdom

Joyce embeds the seven sacraments in semi-reverse order: matrimony holy-orders extreme-unction penance eucharist confirmation baptism

FW2: "came... to our own midmost Glendalough-le-Vert by archangelical guidance where amiddle of meeting waters of river Yssia and Essia river on this one of eithers lone navigable lake piously Kevin... amidships of his conducible altar super bath rafted centripetally, diaconal servent of orders Hibernian"


to its lake isle, whereof its lake is principality, whereon, powerful in knowledge, Kevin came to where its centre is among the circumfluent watercourses of Ishgagrana and Ishgacarrara a lakelet islanding an islet whereupon with beached raft subdiaconal bath propter altar, with oil anointed, accompanied by prayer, holy Kevin bided but to build a honey beehivehut wherein to live in fortitude, acolyte of virtues,

Yeats: The Lake Isle of Innisfree (poem about retreat)
past tense
"Ishgagrana and Ishgacarrara" ishga ?= uisce = water
grana/carrara??? (changed to wild/clear)
Carrara = province of Italy?
"beached" changed from on-water to on-land
Latin propter: beside


FW2: "to its supreem epicentric lake ysle, Inis Kevin, whereof its lake is the centrifugal principality, whereon by prime, powerful in knowledge, Kevin came to where its centre is among the circumfluent watercourses of Yshgafiena and Yshgafiuna, an enysled lakelet yslanding a lacustrine yslet, whereupon with beached raft subdiaconal bath propter altar, with oil extremely anointed, accompanied by prayer, holy Kevin bided... but to build a rubric penitential honeybeehivehut in whose enclosure to live in fortitude, acolyte of cardinal virtues"


whereof the floor most holy Kevin excavates as deep as a depth of a seventh of a full fathom which excavated venerable Kevin, taking counsel, proceeds to the lakeside of the isletshore whereat seven several times he fills with Gregorian water and with eucharistic joy of heart recedes carrying the lustral domination contained within his most portable privileged altar unacumque bath

present tense (revised to past)
"proceeds... recedes"
"Gregorian water" a holy water recipe attributed to Pope Gregory
Latin una cumque: one, however

FW2: "whereof the arenary floor most holy Kevin excavated as deep as to a depth of a seventh part of one full fathom, which excavated, venerable Kevin, anchorite, taking counsel, proceeded towards the lakeside of the ysletshore whereat seven several times he... collected Gregorian water sevenfold and with Ambrosian eucharistic joy of heart as many times receded carrying the lustral domination contained within his most portable previliged altar unacumque bath"


which severally seven times, a lector of water levels, most venerable Kevin effuses into the cavity excavated thereby letting there be water where before there was dry land having created which, confirmed a strong and perfect Christian, blessed Kevin exorcises holy water so that understanding it may fill to midheight his tubbath altar

present tense (revised to past)
Genesis 1:9: 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear' 

FW2: "which severally seven times into the cavity excavated, a lector of water levels, most venerable Kevin then effused, thereby letting there be water where was theretofore dry land, by him so concreated, who now, confirmed a strong and perfect Christian, blessed Kevin, exorcised his holy sister water... so that, well understanding, she should fill to midheight his tubbathaltar"


which handbathtub most blessed Kevin enthrones in the intercentre of the translated water whereamid saint Kevin, having girded his frock to his cherubical loins, solemnly seats himself in his seat of wisdom, that hiptubbath, whereverafter, doctor solitarius, keeper of the door of meditation, he meditates with seraphic ardour the initial sacrament of baptism or the regeneration of man by water.

present tense (revised to past)
Latin translatus: carried across 
Litany of Blessed Virgin Mary: 'Seat of wisdom' (Angelical salutation)

FW2: "which hand-bathtub most blessed Kevin ninthly enthroned in the interconcentric centre of the translated water whereamid... Saint Kevin Hydrophilos, having girded his sable cappa magna as high as to his cherubical loins, at solemn compline sat in his sate of wisdom, that hipbathtub, whereverafter, recreated doctor insularis of the universal church, keeper of the door of meditation... he meditated continuously with seraphic ardour the primal sacrament of baptism or the regeneration of all man by affusion of water."