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Children of the Night

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Children of the Night is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edwin Arlington Robinson • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Children of the Night

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Children of the Night

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Children of the Night is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

Line 2

What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

Line 3

Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

Line 4

I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

Line 5

Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

All words in this reading · 66

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.

a

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

an

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

and

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

are

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

at

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

Away

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

awful

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

But

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

by

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

Christ

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

come

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

conscience

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

devils

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

Do

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

From this reading Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

does

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

Dominie

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

fall

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

fiend

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

from

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

From this reading Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

get

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

gods

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

heaven

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

hell

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

I

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

ignorance

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

in

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

is

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

it

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

knowing

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

laughed

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

like

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

lives

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

lost

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

May

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

me

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

mean

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

mixed

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

of

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

or

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

our

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

From this reading Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

ourselves

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

From this reading Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

own

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

From this reading Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

poor

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

Pulled

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

puppets

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

salvation

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

From this reading Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

shut

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

From this reading Do we shut from ourselves our own salvation, -- Or what do we do!

sins

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

Slaves

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

tell

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

the

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

then

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

There

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

thing

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

Though

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

times

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

to

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

us

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

warn

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

we

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

What

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

When

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

whisper

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

From this reading Though conscience May come like a whisper of Christ to warn us Away from our sins, it is lost or laughed at, -- And then we fall.

whole

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

From this reading But tell me, What does the whole thing mean?

without

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

From this reading What are we, -- Slaves of an awful ignorance? puppets Pulled by a fiend? or gods, without knowing it?

you

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

From this reading I tell you, Dominie, There are times in the lives of us poor devils When heaven and hell get mixed.

Chapter 4 of Children of the Night by Edwin Arlington Robinson holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Children of the Night contain?

Chapter 4 holds 98 sentences of Children of the Night, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Children of the Night by Edwin Arlington Robinson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 Children of the Night?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Children of the Night

Common questions about reading Children of the Night by Edwin Arlington Robinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Children of the Night?

Yes. All 491 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #313 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Children of the Night is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #313, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Children of the Night take to read?

About 40 minutes of reading across 99 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Children of the Night section by section

How to work through Children of the Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 4 chapters of Children of the Night to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Children of the Night

Words and structures a reader meets early in Children of the Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Maine: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Printing: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edition: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Italicized: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.