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After the Divorce: A Romance
After the Divorce: A Romance

Chapter XV

Cover illustration for After the Divorce: A Romance
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

After the Divorce: A Romance

Chapter XV

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
Line 2
It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
Line 3
The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
Line 4
A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
Line 5
Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Along preposition US /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.”

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.”

Colours noun US /ˈcolours/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.”

Silence noun US /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading “The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.”

All words in this reading · 100

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

adorned

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

away

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

barley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

bird

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

branches

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

breeze

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

broom

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

clear

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

cliffs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

cloths

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

clumps

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

coloursnounUS /ˈcolours/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

decked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

die

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

distance

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

drowned

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

drunk

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

edges

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

fay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

fields

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

flowering

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

flowers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

forbidding

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

fragrance

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

garlands

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

gleamed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

gold

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

grass

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

green

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

greenish

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

hand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

Isalle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

lay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

liquid

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

loftiest

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

meadows

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

molten

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

month

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

narcissuses

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

note

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

nuggets

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

occasionally

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

out

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

pagan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

peeping

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

pierce

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

pranked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

ranunculuses

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

ravine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

reckless

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

reflecting

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

rippled

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

rugged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

scattering

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

scents

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

see

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

shrubs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

sky

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

smiling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

some

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

spendthrift

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.

starry

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

stretches

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

sun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

sunlight

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

sweet

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

tall

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

then

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

usually

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

valley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

very

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

water

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

wild

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.