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Browning's Shorter Poems
Browning's Shorter Poems

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Browning's Shorter Poems is here in full — 325 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/65 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
* * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!
Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?
Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!
Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.
And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Browning's Shorter Poems

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Browning's Shorter Poems is here in full — 325 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/65 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
* * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!
Line 2
Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?
/drɔː raʊnd maɪ bed ɪz ˈænselm ˈkiːpɪŋ bæk/
Line 3
Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!
Line 4
Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.
Line 5
And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.
/ənd æz ʃiː daɪd soʊ mʌst wiː daɪ aʊərˈselvz ənd ðens jiː meɪ pərˈsiːv ðə wɜːrldz ə driːm/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

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

Anselm noun US /ˈænselm/

an Italian who was a Benedictine monk; was archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109; one of the founders of scholasticism; best known for his proof of the existence of God

From this reading “Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?”

envied verb US /ˈenvid/

inflected form of “envy” — feel envious towards; admire enviously

From this reading “Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.”

Nephews noun US /ˈnefjuːz/

plural of “nephew” — a son of your brother or sister

From this reading “Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!”

perceive verb US /pərˈsiːv/

to become aware of through the senses

From this reading “And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.”

preacher noun US /ˈpriːtʃər/

someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel

From this reading “* * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!”

thence adverb US /ðens/

from that place or that time

From this reading “And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.”

tomb noun US /tuːm/

a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)

From this reading “* * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!”

world's noun US /wɜːrldz/

possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere

From this reading “And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.”

All words in this reading · 71

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

15

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

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

5

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

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

ah

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

From this reading Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

AnselmnounUS /ˈænselm/

an Italian who was a Benedictine monk; was archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109; one of the founders of scholasticism; best known for his proof of the existence of God

From this reading Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

BISHOPnounUS /ˈbɪʃəp/

a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

CHURCHnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

deg

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

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

dieverbUS /daɪ/

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

DrawverbUS /drɔː/

cause to move by pulling

From this reading Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

enviedverbUS /ˈenvid/

inflected form of “envy” — feel envious towards; admire enviously

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

fairadjectiveUS /fer/

free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

Gandolf

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

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?

keepingnounUS /ˈkiːpɪŋ/

conformity or harmony

From this reading Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?

NephewsnounUS /ˈnefjuːz/

plural of “nephew” — a son of your brother or sister

From this reading Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

ORDERSnounUS /ˈɔːrdərz/

plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

ourselvespronounUS /aʊərˈselvz/

used when we are both doing the action and receiving it

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

perceiveverbUS /pərˈsiːv/

to become aware of through the senses

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

PRAXED'S

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

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

preachernounUS /ˈpriːtʃər/

someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

ROMEnounUS /roʊm/

capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?

SAINTnounUS /seɪnt/

a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

saith

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

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

sonsnounUS /sʌnz/

plural of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading Nephews--sons mine ... ah God, I know not!

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

thenceadverbUS /ðens/

from that place or that time

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

TOMBnounUS /tuːm/

a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

VanitynounUS /ˈvænəti/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading * * * * * THE BISHOP ORDERS HIS TOMB AT SAINT PRAXED'S CHURCH ROME, 15-- Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

What's

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

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

world'snounUS /wɜːrldz/

possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

yepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world's a dream.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Well, She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf deg. envied me, so fair she was! deg.5 What's done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since.

Chapter 4 of Browning's Shorter Poems by Robert Browning holds 325 sentences, grouped into 65 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 4 of Browning's Shorter Poems contain?

Chapter 4 holds 325 sentences of Browning's Shorter Poems, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Browning's Shorter Poems by Robert Browning exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 325 sentences, grouped into 65 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 4 of Browning's Shorter Poems?

Work through the 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 65 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

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Vocabulary met early in Browning's Shorter Poems

Words and structures a reader meets early in Browning's Shorter Poems, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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