Chapter 5 of De Profundis is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of De Profundis is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said. Apollo had been victor. The lyre had vanquished the reed. But perhaps the Greeks were mistaken. I hear in much modern Art the cry of Marsyas.
Chapter 5 of De Profundis is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
(Greek mythology) Greek god of light; god of prophecy and poetry and music and healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis
From this reading “Apollo had been victor.”
possessive form of “dante” — an Italian poet famous for writing the Divine Comedy that describes a journey through Hell and purgatory and paradise guided by Virgil and his idealized Beatrice (1265-1321)
From this reading “When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.”
plural of “greek” — the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages
From this reading “But perhaps the Greeks were mistaken.”
a harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment
From this reading “The lyre had vanquished the reed.”
tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites
From this reading “The lyre had vanquished the reed.”
a sheath for a sword or dagger or bayonet
From this reading “When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.”
the lower part of the female reproductive tract; a moist canal in female mammals extending from the labia minora to the uterus
From this reading “When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.”
past form of “vanquish” — come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading “The lyre had vanquished the reed.”
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.
(Greek mythology) Greek god of light; god of prophecy and poetry and music and healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis
From this reading Apollo had been victor.
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading I hear in much modern Art the cry of Marsyas.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Apollo had been victor.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But perhaps the Greeks were mistaken.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading I hear in much modern Art the cry of Marsyas.
possessive form of “dante” — an Italian poet famous for writing the Divine Comedy that describes a journey through Hell and purgatory and paradise guided by Virgil and his idealized Beatrice (1265-1321)
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
plural of “greek” — the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages
From this reading But perhaps the Greeks were mistaken.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading I hear in much modern Art the cry of Marsyas.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I hear in much modern Art the cry of Marsyas.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I hear in much modern Art the cry of Marsyas.
plural of “limb” — one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
a harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment
From this reading The lyre had vanquished the reed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading But perhaps the Greeks were mistaken.
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading I hear in much modern Art the cry of Marsyas.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
used to form the superlative
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I hear in much modern Art the cry of Marsyas.
not any; not one
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
by chance
From this reading But perhaps the Greeks were mistaken.
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites
From this reading The lyre had vanquished the reed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
a sheath for a sword or dagger or bayonet
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
the act of using
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
the lower part of the female reproductive tract; a moist canal in female mammals extending from the labia minora to the uterus
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
past form of “vanquish” — come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading The lyre had vanquished the reed.
a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
From this reading Apollo had been victor.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But perhaps the Greeks were mistaken.
at the time that
From this reading When Marsyas was 'torn from the scabbard of his limbs'--_della vagina della membre sue_, to use one of Dante's most terrible Tacitean phrases--he had no more song, the Greek said.
Chapter 5 of De Profundis by Oscar Wilde holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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.
Chapter 5 holds 147 sentences of De Profundis, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of De Profundis by Oscar Wilde exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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.
Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.
Common questions about reading De Profundis by Oscar Wilde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 764 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #921 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #921, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 63 minutes of reading across 153 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through De Profundis section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of De Profundis to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in De Profundis, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
