"To bed."

(576.10-577.35)  After two days of readings that were fairly unique within the Wake, we move back toward more "conventional" material today.  The passage begins with a voice saying, "He sighed in sleep."  Another replies, "Let us go back."  A third (or is it the first?) says, "Lest he forewaken."  And finally, we hear, "Hide ourselves."  This bit of dialogue presents a characteristically Wakeian problem:  Who's speaking?  If you believe the parents are still outside of the twins' room, this is HCE and ALP saying they should go back to their own room before Jerry begins to cry again.  If you believe the children are spying on their parents, this is Shaun, Shem, and Isabel hearing HCE sigh and deciding to get back to their rooms before HCE wakes (again).  Of course, it could also be the four peeping old men (whose dialogue often appears in bursts of four short statements), or it could be any combination of these.  Regardless, after a brief wish (asking that "hovering dreamwings, folding around, will hide from fears my wee mee mannikin, keep my big wig long strong manomen, guard my bairn, mon beau" -- this is HCE's desire that he, his wife, and his children will be protected in sleep), a voice says, "To bed."

The remainder of the passage consists of a prayer (to "Prospector projector and boomooster giant builder of all causeways woesoever") requesting guidance and protection for HCE and ALP.  If you think the children were spying on their parents, this could be the children saying their prayers before going to bed.  It could also be HCE praying for himself and his wife.

I won't summarize the prayer here.  It's fairly straightforward on its own.  I do like the various titles given for HCE and ALP, such as "boniface and bonnyfeatures" and "humpered and elf."  I also like that one of the specific requests is for God to "guide them through the labyrinth of their samilikes and the alteregoases of their pseudoselves," since this is sort of what we're asking for as we read through the Wake and come across the many alter egos and pseudoselves of HCE, ALP, and family.  Finally, it's cool how another of the requests incorporates, as McHugh notes, Vico's cycle, as well as the structure of the Wake itself:  "that he may dishcover her, that she may uncouple him, that one may come and crumple them, that they may soon recoup themselves:  now and then, time on time again, as per periodicity."