With a comb and mirror in her hand

[Terrance]

> 
> Mark
> p.s. Where is that comb and mirror?!!

'Twas in a sailor's bar, years ago, in the Village in NYC. A
man with a guitar and a salty dog get up was singing sailor
songs. 

Oh a captain's  ship
for an ocean trip
and that captain's  ship was fine
but oh, oh, oh, the wind did blow
and trouble this captain's mind
blah, blah, blah, di di di dum

can't remember 

but he is saved by a sea girl
with a comb and a mirror in her hand

and the land lovers lie down be LOOOOOOOOOOOOW
And the land lovers lie down below OH OH OH OH
And the land lovers lie down below. 

Paola is the girl to keep an eye on--the most important
female in the book, imho. That white comb of death will
become part of her sea story, she another Penelope. But she
is an enigma, note that turns all the men into pigs, that
she speaks in tongues, that she does that prostitute gig, as
in VL and M&D. Winsome thinks she is a girl of the
decadence, but should be trust Winsome, he's been turned
into a pig. 

Always helpful, is the hyperart pynchon.

http://www.hyperarts.com/pynchon/v/venus.html

The passage here is from Chapter 22 "The Triple Muse" 

Why do poets invoke the muse? This was discussed here a bit,
Milton and so forth, excellent posts are in the archives,
search under "muse." 

In the name of the father son and holy ghost, the three, not
four seasons, and the wind cries Mary, and Constantine
officially abolishes Mary-worship...