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Chapter 1 (Telemachus), pg 8, line 242-44: Buck Mulligan has just down from the tower parapet, leaving Stephen to brood. He looks across the water...
"Woodshadows floated silently by through the morning peace from the stairhead seaward where he gazed. Inshore and farther out the mirror of water whitened, spurned by lightshod hurrying feet..."
I'm missing the basis for the metaphor "spurned by lightshod hurrying feet". Can anyone explain it? Thanks.
I'm wondering if the hurrying feet are the reflections of birds on the water, far out? Or maybe they are overcast, passing clowds casting their shadows over the water. Either way, Stephen Dedalus seems to be lending them human-like qualities.
Birds did occur to me. It's the word "spurned" that I can't fit. To be spurned is to be shunned and the metaphor falls flat because I can't figure out why the water gets spurned. However, here's a possible thought: maybe it's a typo? Maybe the word should have been "spurred" which then makes sense. Mmm?
It's talking about the white foam on the waves. 'Shod' means a horse shoe, and spurned can mean 'kick or trample underfoot' in this context. The motion of the white foam on the waves as they go to and fro resembles horses charging. This is also referenced in chapter 3, where it talks about "whitemaned seahorses".
Ah! That's a definition of spurned I didn't know! Thanks -- explained now.
Yes, I think that hanzklein has the key here. Look into the horses of Manannan Mac Lir. Joyce uses this Irish god whose steeds symbolize the seafoam of the ocean's waves. Also, think about "O'Donohue's Mistress" by Thomas Moore. Joyce was definitely aware of Moore's songs, and he uses a white horse motif that is tied to Moore in "The Dead."
Excellent.Quote:
Originally Posted by hanzklein