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Harold — Volume 04
Harold — Volume 04

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Harold — Volume 04 is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Harold — Volume 04
Context Illustration Reading 1/13 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.
"Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.
"Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.
"Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."
Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:
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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.

Harold — Volume 04

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Harold — Volume 04 is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.
Line 2
"Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.
Line 3
"Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.
Line 4
"Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."
Line 5
Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:

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.

dwells verb US /dwelz/

third-person singular of “dwell” — think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading “"Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."”

Egyptian noun US /ɪˈdʒɪpʃən/

a native or inhabitant of Egypt

From this reading “At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.”

mused verb US /mjuːzd/

past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject

From this reading “Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:”

prophetic adjective US /prəˈfetɪk/

foretelling events as if by supernatural intervention

From this reading “"Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.”

sphinx noun US /sfɪŋks/

an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret

From this reading “At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.”

uneasy adjective US /əˈniːzi/

lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance

From this reading “At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.”

unusual adjective US /əˈnjuːʒuːəl/

not usual or common or ordinary

From this reading “"Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.”

woke verb US /woʊk/

inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there

From this reading “At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.”

All words in this reading · 58

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 Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

calmverbUS /kɑːm/

make calm or still

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

dawnnounUS /dɔːn/

the first light of day

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

devoutnessnoun

piety by virtue of being devout

From this reading "Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.

dreamsnounUS /driːmz/

plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

dwellsverbUS /dwelz/

third-person singular of “dwell” — think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

EarlnounUS /ɜːrl/

a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount

From this reading "Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.

EgyptiannounUS /ɪˈdʒɪpʃən/

a native or inhabitant of Egypt

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

fairadjectiveUS /fer/

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

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

forfendverb

prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

From this reading "Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

Godwin

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

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

Harold

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

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:

Hilda

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

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

musedverbUS /mjuːzd/

past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject

From this reading Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

OurdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.

pausenounUS /pɔːz/

a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

From this reading Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:

propheticadjectiveUS /prəˈfetɪk/

foretelling events as if by supernatural intervention

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

redeverb

give an interpretation or explanation to

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading "Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading Harold mused, and after a short pause, he said:

slumbers

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

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

sphinxnounUS /sfɪŋks/

an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

TellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

uneasyadjectiveUS /əˈniːzi/

lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

unusualadjectiveUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəl/

not usual or common or ordinary

From this reading "Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.

unutterablyadverb

to an inexpressible degree

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

Vala

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

From this reading "Have thy dreams been prophetic, son of Godwin?" said the Vala.

voicesnounUS /ˈvɔɪsəz/

plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading "Tell them, and let me read the rede; sense dwells in the voices of the night."

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Our Lord forfend," replied the Earl, with unusual devoutness.

wokeverbUS /woʊk/

inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there

From this reading At dawn, Harold woke from uneasy and broken slumbers, and his eyes fell upon the face of Hilda, large, and fair, and unutterably calm, as the face of Egyptian sphinx.

Chapter 2 of Harold — Volume 04 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton holds 66 sentences, grouped into 14 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 2 of Harold — Volume 04 contain?

Chapter 2 holds 66 sentences of Harold — Volume 04, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Harold — Volume 04 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 66 sentences, grouped into 14 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 2 of Harold — Volume 04?

Work through the 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 14 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 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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 Harold — Volume 04

Common questions about reading Harold — Volume 04 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Harold — Volume 04?

Yes. All 590 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7675 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Harold — Volume 04 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #7675, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Harold — Volume 04 take to read?

About 49 minutes of reading across 118 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Harold — Volume 04 section by section

How to work through Harold — Volume 04 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of Harold — Volume 04 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 Harold — Volume 04

Words and structures a reader meets early in Harold — Volume 04, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

While
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harold — Volume 04; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Harold
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harold — Volume 04; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sleeps
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harold — Volume 04; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pause
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harold — Volume 04; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.