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Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.
Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.
Context Illustration Reading 1/75 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.
Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.
But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.
"What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"
"It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."
0:00 / 0:00
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.

Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/75 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.
Line 2
Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.
/səmˈtaɪmz aɪ θɔːt ɪt wɑːz ə bɜːrd maɪ soʊl hæd tʃɑːrdʒd wɪð ˈsɔːrsəri səmˈtaɪmz ɪt siːmd maɪ oʊn hɑːrt hɜːrd ˈɪnlænd ðə ˈsɑːroʊ ʌv ðə siː/
Line 3
But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.
Line 4
"What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"
/wʌt vɔɪs ɪz ðæt aɪ hiːr ˈkraɪɪŋ əˈkrɔːs ðə puːl/
Line 5
"It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

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.

antique adjective US /ænˈtiːk/

made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age

From this reading “But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.”

Inland adjective US /ˈɪnlænd/

situated away from an area's coast or border

From this reading “Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.”

marvelled verb US /mɑːrˈveld/

inflected form of “marvel” — be amazed at

From this reading “They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.”

Oft adverb US /ɔːft/

many times at short intervals

From this reading “They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.”

Pan verb US /pæn/

make a sweeping movement

From this reading “They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.”

primrose noun US /ˈprɪmroʊz/

any of numerous short-stemmed plants of the genus Primula having tufted basal leaves and showy flowers clustered in umbels or heads

From this reading “But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.”

sorcery noun US /ˈsɔːrsəri/

the belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world

From this reading “Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.”

violets noun US /ˈvaɪələts/

plural of “violet” — any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers

From this reading “But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.”

All words in this reading · 72

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading "What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"

amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

antiqueadjectiveUS /ænˈtiːk/

made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

birdnounUS /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

bitternessnounUS /ˈbɪtərnəs/

a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

chargedadjectiveUS /tʃɑːrdʒd/

of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

clearverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

cooladjectiveUS /kuːl/

neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

CryingadjectiveUS /ˈkraɪɪŋ/

demanding attention

From this reading "What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

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

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

dimadjectiveUS /dɪm/

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

DownadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

elder-thickets

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

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

greyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

hangverbUS /hæŋ/

be suspended or hanging

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading "What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

InlandadjectiveUS /ˈɪnlænd/

situated away from an area's coast or border

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

languidlyadverb

in a languid and lethargic manner

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

lovelinessnoun

the quality of being good looking and attractive

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

marvelledverbUS /mɑːrˈveld/

inflected form of “marvel” — be amazed at

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

OftadverbUS /ɔːft/

many times at short intervals

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

PanverbUS /pæn/

make a sweeping movement

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

poolnounUS /puːl/

an excavation that is (usually) filled with water

From this reading "What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"

primrosenounUS /ˈprɪmroʊz/

any of numerous short-stemmed plants of the genus Primula having tufted basal leaves and showy flowers clustered in umbels or heads

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

sangnounUS /sæŋ/

North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

seanounUS /siː/

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

sealverbUS /siːl/

make tight; secure against leakage

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

setsnounUS /sets/

plural of “set” — a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/

having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

SometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

sorceries

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

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

sorcerynounUS /ˈsɔːrsəri/

the belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

sorrownounUS /ˈsɑːroʊ/

an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

TearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

twilightnounUS /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

valleysnounUS /ˈvæliz/

plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

violetsnounUS /ˈvaɪələts/

plural of “violet” — any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers

From this reading But even where the primrose sets The seal of her pale loveliness, I found amid the violets Tears of an antique bitterness.

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading "What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "What voice is that I hear Crying across the pool?"

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading They told me Pan was dead, but I Oft marvelled who it was that sang Down the green valleys languidly Where the grey elder-thickets hang.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Sometimes I thought it was a bird My soul had charged with sorcery; Sometimes it seemed my own heart heard Inland the sorrow of the sea.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "It is the voice of Pan you hear, Crying his sorceries shrill and clear, In the twilight dim and cool."

Chapter 1 of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. by Walter De la Mare holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 1 of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. contain?

Chapter 1 holds 379 sentences of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I., unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. by Walter De la Mare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 1 of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.?

Work through the 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 76 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.

Common questions about reading Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. by Walter De la Mare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.?

Yes. All 774 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12031 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12031, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. take to read?

About 64 minutes of reading across 155 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. section by section

How to work through Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 2 chapters of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I. to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.

Words and structures a reader meets early in Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Marvelled
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Green
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Valleys
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Languidly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes. Volume I.; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.