(276.11-278.6) The reading for today is an interesting one that recalls moments from the book (like Finnegan's actual wake) and emphasizes its important themes. With the archetypal father and mother figures up in their bedroom, night has arrived. The dogs are singing in the darkness, and the shepherds are turning in for the evening. It's going to be a long night: "long 'tis till gets bright that all cocks waken and birds Diana with dawnsong hail."
As the bats flap about outside, "Tam Fanagan's" wake is still going strong. The drinks are flowing like rivers, calling to mind the eternal river (and ALP), which renews continually. We will dream our dreams and drink our drinks until the father returns. And we're not the only ones awaiting his return, for others throughout both the country and the city "look for its being ever yet."
But lest we focus too much on rebirth and renewal, the narrator states that "it's time that all paid tribute to this massive mortiality, the pink of punk perfection as photography in mud." We need to learn that in order to escape death, we must embrace it: "Some may seek to dodge the gobbet for its quantity of quality but who wants to cheat the choker's got to learn to chew the cud." In a sense, this maxim ties together the lessons we've covered thus far in this chapter.
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