Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mary Pickering [Translator] Nichols • Curated US English Learning Edition

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_BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

It was first brought to the notice of the modern world in the year 1817, the only original manuscript now known to exist having been discovered about that time in the castle Ambras in the Tyrol, among other manuscripts which had been collected by the Emperor Maximilian I.

(1493-1519).

Narrator

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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.

Chapter I Reading 1/58

Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic Mary Pickering [Translator] Nichols

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

_BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface. The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race. It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied. It was first brought to the notice of the modern world in the year 1817, the only original manuscript now known to exist having been discovered about that time in the castle Ambras in the Tyrol, among other manuscripts which had been collected by the Emperor Maximilian I. (1493-1519).

Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/58 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

_BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

Line 2

The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

Line 3

It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

Line 4

Line 5

(1493-1519).

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.

attributed verb US /əˈtrɪbjətɪd/

past form of “attribute” — attribute or credit to

From this reading “It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.”

epic adjective US /ˈepɪk/

very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)

From this reading “The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.”

Houghton noun US /ˈhɔːtən/

United States publisher who founded a printing shop that became an important book publisher (1823-1895)

From this reading “_BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.”

Lied noun US /laɪd/

a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano

From this reading “It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.”

manuscripts noun US /ˈmænjəskrɪpts/

plural of “manuscript” — the form of a literary work submitted for publication

From this reading “It was first brought to the notice of the modern world in the year 1817, the only original manuscript now known to exist having been discovered about that time in the castle Ambras in the Tyrol, among other manuscripts which had been collected by the Emperor Maximilian I.”

Riverside noun US /ˈrɪvərsaɪd/

the bank of a river

From this reading “_BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.”

thirteenth adjective US /ˈθɜːr.tiːnθ/

Constituting number thirteen in a sequence.

From this reading “It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.”

twelfth adjective US /twelfθ/

coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position

From this reading “It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

thirteenth century adjective + noun

In this reading “It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.”

epic poem adjective + noun

a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

In this reading “The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.”

original manuscript adjective + noun

In this reading “It was first brought to the notice of the modern world in the year 1817, the only original manuscript now known to exist having been discovered about that time in the castle Ambras in the Tyrol, among other manuscripts which had been collected by the Emperor Maximilian I.”

most important adverb + adjective

In this reading “The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.”

latter part adjective + noun

In this reading “It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.”

modern world adjective + noun

the circumstances and ideas of the present age

All words in this reading · 80

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.

1493

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

From this reading (1493-1519).

1519

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

From this reading (1493-1519).

1817

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

From this reading It was first brought to the notice of the modern world in the year 1817, the only original manuscript now known to exist having been discovered about that time in the castle Ambras in the Tyrol, among other manuscripts which had been collected by the Emperor Maximilian I.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

Ambras

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

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

attributedverbUS /əˈtrɪbjətɪd/

past form of “attribute” — attribute or credit to

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

BOSTONnounUS /ˈbɑːstən/

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

CambridgenounUS /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/

a university in England

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

castlenounUS /ˈkæsəl/

a large and stately mansion

centurynounUS /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

collectedadjectiveUS /kəˈlektəd/

brought together in one place

CompanynounUS /ˈkʌmpəniː/

an institution created to conduct business

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

datenounUS /deɪt/

the specified day of the month

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

DCCC

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

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

discoveredadjectiveUS /dɪˈskʌvərd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

EmperornounUS /ˈempərər/

the male ruler of an empire

epicadjectiveUS /ˈepɪk/

very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

existverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪst/

have an existence, be extant

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

GermannounUS /ˈdʒɜːrmən/

a person of German nationality

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

Gu-drun

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

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

HoughtonnounUS /ˈhɔːtən/

United States publisher who founded a printing shop that became an important book publisher (1823-1895)

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

importantadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

of great significance or value

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

LiednounUS /laɪd/

a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

literaryadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəreri/

of or relating to or characteristic of literature

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

LXXXIX

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

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

MnounUS /em/

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

manuscriptnounUS /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.

manuscriptsnounUS /ˈmænjəskrɪpts/

plural of “manuscript” — the form of a literary work submitted for publication

Maximilian

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

Mifflin

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

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

modernadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdərn/

belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

Nibelungen

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

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

noticenounUS /ˈnoʊtəs/

an announcement containing information about an event

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

originaladjectiveUS /ərˈɪdʒənəl/

preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

poemnounUS /ˈpoʊəm/

a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

PrefacenounUS /ˈprefəs/

a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

PressverbUS /pres/

exert pressure or force to or upon

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

racenounUS /reɪs/

any competition

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

RiversidenounUS /ˈrɪvərsaɪd/

the bank of a river

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

subsequentadjectiveUS /ˈsʌbsəkwənt/

following in time or order

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

thirteenthadjectiveUS /ˈθɜːr.tiːnθ/

Constituting number thirteen in a sequence.

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

twelfthadjectiveUS /twelfθ/

coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position

From this reading It is attributed to the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, and to a date a little subsequent to that of the Nibelungen Lied.

Tyrolnoun

a picturesque mountainous province of western Austria and northern Italy

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

worksnounUS /wɜːrks/

buildings for carrying on industrial labor

From this reading The epic poem of Gu-drun is one of the most important early literary works of the German race.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

YORKnounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading _BOSTON AND NEW YORK_ Houghton, Mifflin and Company _The Riverside Press, Cambridge_ M DCCC LXXXIX Preface.

Chapter 1 of Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic by Mary Pickering [Translator] Nichols holds 293 sentences, grouped into 59 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 Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic contain?

Chapter 1 holds 293 sentences of Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic by Mary Pickering [Translator] Nichols exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 293 sentences, grouped into 59 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 Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic?

Work through the 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 59 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.

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Yes. All 3513 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46109 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #46109, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 292 minutes of reading across 703 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic

Words and structures a reader meets early in Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Boston: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Company: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gudrun: A Mediaeval Epic; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I

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