Line 7: "With her bunyans all complainin' she escapes the Settee o' Destraction and beguines her evrydaily Millgrimage towar's ridemption or towords the Wholly Sea; to wards, the tranquilisity of night."
The Non-Lucy-Lips Version: "With her bunions complaining, she escapes the site/city of distraction/destruction and begins her daily pilgrimage toward redemption or towards the Holy City/Sea/See; towards the tranquility of night."
"bunyans"
John Bunyan, the author of The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which is to Come, an allegorical story about a man on the path from the material world to spiritual redemption (Christian redemption, of course). This entire sentence is itself an analogy in that Lucia has become Christian, the everyman from The Pilgrim's Progress, making the same journey from the material world to the Holy City. Bunyan is one of the central touchstone characters in Jerusalem as is William Blake. William Blake drew illustrations for The Pilgrim's Progress in much the same way that Alma has done illustrations of her brother's pilgrimage in the afterlife, or, more literally, the book Jerusalem itself. It's also probably that Lucia Joyce living her version of The Pilgrim's Progress is meant as a subtle allegory of Alan Moore having lived through his version of Ulysses although in Northampton instead of Dublin.
"bunyans all complainin'"
Perhaps John Bunyan would complain about her method of traversing the path from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City?
"Settee o' Destraction"
Christian, the protagonist of The Pilgrim's Progress, leaves the City of Destruction (the material world) in search of redemption. Here Lucia does the same although slightly different. Her city, the asylum, is also simply a city of distraction due to its sounds and residents and medications and doctor's orders. Her "city" is also a "settee," a place where she and the other inmates would sit and rest and breakfast as opposed to journey. So the City of Destruction is also a Settee of Distraction, keeping people bound to, or seated on, the material world. Comfort and distraction help to keep pilgrims from every starting a journey toward heaven.
"beguines"
A combination of begins and beguiles (possibly in the literary sense of "to pass time pleasantly"). But probably more importantly, it is the name of a dance. Lucia Joyce was a professional dancer up until the age of 23 or so when she gave it up completely, possibly not of her own accord. Perhaps the sense of beguiling (both in passing time and in being charmed by somebody or something) fits with the dancing, as Lucia's journey toward the Celestial City would never have started if she had never given up dance. So she "begins" her journey in a reference where she avoids being beguiled by the beguines, or dancing.
"evrydaily"
Every day/daily.
"Millgrimage"
Obviously a play on "pilgrimage" but why capitalized? Without the capitalization, I would believe it references Blake's poem, Jerusalem, and its "dark Satanic Mills" and, well, look at that! I looked up Blake's written version to see if he capitalized "Satanic" and discovered that he also capitalized "Mills". So that's probably it! The dark Satanic Mills combined with the rest of the word "grim age," paint a stark picture of Lucia's starting point in her journey.
"towar's ridemption"
Here the idea is that Lucia is not just starting out on a journey to redemption but riding off to war to fight for it.
"towords the Wholly Sea"
Her entire journey is made through words, and not just regular words! But words that mean a whole bunch of things at once (the Wholly Sea (sea also being a sense of the subconscious)). The Wholly Sea points most directly at being "the Holy City" or Celestial City of Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. "The Holy See" is also the entire area of the Pope's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. So pretty much the entirety of the Church (the Holy City also possibly being simply a reference to Vatican City or the Vatican).
"to wards, the tranquilisity of night."
Lucia's journey always leads her back to the wards at night where she must return. And it isn't simply "tranquil" because it's peaceful; it is tranquil because she is possibly often "tranquilized."
The Non-Lucy-Lips Version: "With her bunions complaining, she escapes the site/city of distraction/destruction and begins her daily pilgrimage toward redemption or towards the Holy City/Sea/See; towards the tranquility of night."
"bunyans"
John Bunyan, the author of The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which is to Come, an allegorical story about a man on the path from the material world to spiritual redemption (Christian redemption, of course). This entire sentence is itself an analogy in that Lucia has become Christian, the everyman from The Pilgrim's Progress, making the same journey from the material world to the Holy City. Bunyan is one of the central touchstone characters in Jerusalem as is William Blake. William Blake drew illustrations for The Pilgrim's Progress in much the same way that Alma has done illustrations of her brother's pilgrimage in the afterlife, or, more literally, the book Jerusalem itself. It's also probably that Lucia Joyce living her version of The Pilgrim's Progress is meant as a subtle allegory of Alan Moore having lived through his version of Ulysses although in Northampton instead of Dublin.
"bunyans all complainin'"
Perhaps John Bunyan would complain about her method of traversing the path from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City?
"Settee o' Destraction"
Christian, the protagonist of The Pilgrim's Progress, leaves the City of Destruction (the material world) in search of redemption. Here Lucia does the same although slightly different. Her city, the asylum, is also simply a city of distraction due to its sounds and residents and medications and doctor's orders. Her "city" is also a "settee," a place where she and the other inmates would sit and rest and breakfast as opposed to journey. So the City of Destruction is also a Settee of Distraction, keeping people bound to, or seated on, the material world. Comfort and distraction help to keep pilgrims from every starting a journey toward heaven.
"beguines"
A combination of begins and beguiles (possibly in the literary sense of "to pass time pleasantly"). But probably more importantly, it is the name of a dance. Lucia Joyce was a professional dancer up until the age of 23 or so when she gave it up completely, possibly not of her own accord. Perhaps the sense of beguiling (both in passing time and in being charmed by somebody or something) fits with the dancing, as Lucia's journey toward the Celestial City would never have started if she had never given up dance. So she "begins" her journey in a reference where she avoids being beguiled by the beguines, or dancing.
"evrydaily"
Every day/daily.
"Millgrimage"
Obviously a play on "pilgrimage" but why capitalized? Without the capitalization, I would believe it references Blake's poem, Jerusalem, and its "dark Satanic Mills" and, well, look at that! I looked up Blake's written version to see if he capitalized "Satanic" and discovered that he also capitalized "Mills". So that's probably it! The dark Satanic Mills combined with the rest of the word "grim age," paint a stark picture of Lucia's starting point in her journey.
"towar's ridemption"
Here the idea is that Lucia is not just starting out on a journey to redemption but riding off to war to fight for it.
"towords the Wholly Sea"
Her entire journey is made through words, and not just regular words! But words that mean a whole bunch of things at once (the Wholly Sea (sea also being a sense of the subconscious)). The Wholly Sea points most directly at being "the Holy City" or Celestial City of Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. "The Holy See" is also the entire area of the Pope's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. So pretty much the entirety of the Church (the Holy City also possibly being simply a reference to Vatican City or the Vatican).
"to wards, the tranquilisity of night."
Lucia's journey always leads her back to the wards at night where she must return. And it isn't simply "tranquil" because it's peaceful; it is tranquil because she is possibly often "tranquilized."
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