Joyce's letter to Harriet Shaw Weaver of 15 November 1926

Joyce's letter of 15 November 1926 to Harriet Shaw Weaver provides a partial gloss to the first draft's opening page:

                                       brings us back to Howth Castle &
Environs. Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, had passencore rearrived on the
scraggy isthmus from North Armorica to wielderfight his penisolate war;
nor had steam rocks by the Oconee exaggerated themselse to Laurens
County, Ga, doublin all the time; nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe
to tauftauf thuartpeatrick; not yet, though venissoon after, had a Kidscad
buttended a bland old isaac; not yet, though all's fair in vanessy, were sosie
sesthers wroth with twone jonathan. Rot a peck of pa's malt had Shem or
Shen brewed by arclight and rory end to the regginbrow was to be seen
ringsome on the aquaface. 

Howth (pron Hoaeth) = Dan Hoved (head)
Sir Amory Tristram 1st earl of Howth changed his name to Saint Law-
   rence, b in Brittany (North Armorica)
Tristan et Iseult, passim
viola in all moods and senses
Dublin, Laurens Co, Georgia, founded by a Dubliner, Peter Sawyer, on r. 
   Oconee. Its motto: Doubling all the time.
The flame of Christianity kindled by S. Patrick on Holy Saturday in defi-
   ance of royal orders
Mishe = I am (Irish) i.e. Christian
Tauf = baptise (German)
Thou art Peter and upon this rock etc (a pun in the original aramaic)
Lat: Tu es Petrus et super hane petram
Parnell ousted Isaac Butt from leadership
The venison purveyor Jacob got the blessing meant for Esau
Miss Vanhomrigh and Miss Johnson had the same christian name
Sosie = double
Willy brewed a peck of maut
Noah planted the vine and was drunk
John Jameson      is the greatest Dublin distiller
Arthur Guinness   "  "   "        "      brewer
rory = Irish = red
rory = Latin, roridus = dewy
At the rainbow's end are dew and the colour red: bloody end to the lie
   in Anglo-Irish = no lie
regginbrow = German regenbogen + rainbow
ringsome = German ringsum, around
When all vegetation is covered by the flood there are no eyebrows
   on the face of the Waterworld
exaggerare = to mound up
themselse = another Dublin 5000 inhabitants
Isthmus of Sutton a neck of land between Howth head and the plain
Howth = an island for old geographers
passencore = pas encore and ricorsi storici of Vico
rearrived = idem
wielderfight = wiederfechten = refight
bellowed = the response of the peatfire of faith to the windy words of the
   apostle

Dear Madam:
Above please find prosepiece ordered in sample form. Also key to same.
Hoping said sample meets with your approval
yrs trly
Jeems Joker

Letters I, 247-8