Chapter 1 of Hyperion is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Hyperion is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is? Why, fool, a Poet is as much as one should say,--a Poet!" And thou, reader, dost thou know what a hero is? Why, a hero is as much as one should say,--a hero! Some romance-writers, however, say much more than this.
Chapter 1 of Hyperion is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading “In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?”
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “Why, fool, a Poet is as much as one should say,--a Poet!"”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “And thou, reader, dost thou know what a hero is?”
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading “Some romance-writers, however, say much more than this.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?”
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading “In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?”
a person who enjoys reading
From this reading “And thou, reader, dost thou know what a hero is?”
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And thou, reader, dost thou know what a hero is?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Why, fool, a Poet is as much as one should say,--a Poet!"
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading Why, fool, a Poet is as much as one should say,--a Poet!"
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading And thou, reader, dost thou know what a hero is?
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Some romance-writers, however, say much more than this.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Some romance-writers, however, say much more than this.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Why, fool, a Poet is as much as one should say,--a Poet!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Why, fool, a Poet is as much as one should say,--a Poet!"
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
a person who enjoys reading
From this reading And thou, reader, dost thou know what a hero is?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some romance-writers, however, say much more than this.
express in words
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why, fool, a Poet is as much as one should say,--a Poet!"
term of address for a man
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some romance-writers, however, say much more than this.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Some romance-writers, however, say much more than this.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Some romance-writers, however, say much more than this.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading In John Lyly's Endymion, Sir Topas is made to say; "Dost thou know what a Poet is?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, fool, a Poet is as much as one should say,--a Poet!"
Chapter 1 of Hyperion by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow holds 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 1 holds 51 sentences of Hyperion, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Hyperion by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 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.
Common questions about reading Hyperion by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3743 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5436 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5436, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 311 minutes of reading across 749 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hyperion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Hyperion 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 Hyperion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
