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Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass

Chapter XXX · Chapter 30

Chapter 30 of Leaves of Grass is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/15 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Darest Thou Now O Soul
Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?
No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.
I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.
Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.
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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.

Leaves of Grass

Chapter XXX · Chapter 30

Chapter 30 of Leaves of Grass is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Darest Thou Now O Soul
Line 2
Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?
Line 3
No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.
/noʊ mæp ðer nɔːr ɡaɪd nɔːr vɔɪs ˈsaʊndɪŋ nɔːr tʌtʃ ʌv ˈhjuːmən hænd nɔːr feɪs wɪð ˈbluːmɪŋ fleʃ nɔːr lɪps nɔːr aɪz ɑːr ɪn ðæt lænd/
Line 4
I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.
Line 5
Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.
/tɪl wen ðə taɪz ˈluːsən ɔːl bʌt ðə taɪz ɪˈtɜːrnəl taɪm ənd speɪs nɔːr ˈdɑːrknəs ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃən sens nɔːr ˈeni baʊndz ˈbaʊndɪŋ ʌs/

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.

blooming noun US /ˈbluːmɪŋ/

the organic process of bearing flowers

From this reading “No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.”

bounding verb US /ˈbaʊndɪŋ/

-ing form of “bound” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading “Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.”

gravitation noun US /ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃən/

(physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface

From this reading “Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.”

inaccessible adjective US /ˌɪnəkˈsesəbəl/

capable of being reached only with great difficulty or not at all

From this reading “I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.”

loosen verb US /ˈluːsən/

make loose or looser

From this reading “Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.”

sounding adjective US /ˈsaʊndɪŋ/

appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms

From this reading “No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.”

ties noun US /taɪz/

plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front

From this reading “Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.”

waits noun US /weɪts/

plural of “wait” — time during which some action is awaited

From this reading “I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.”

All words in this reading · 70

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 I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

blankadjectiveUS /blæŋk/

(of a surface) not written or printed on

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

bloomingnounUS /ˈbluːmɪŋ/

the organic process of bearing flowers

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

boundingverbUS /ˈbaʊndɪŋ/

-ing form of “bound” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

boundsnounUS /baʊndz/

the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

Darest

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

From this reading Darest Thou Now O Soul

darknessnounUS /ˈdɑːrknəs/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

dostauxiliary verbUS /dɑːst/

an old form of “do”, used with “thou”

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

eternaladjectiveUS /ɪˈtɜːrnəl/

continuing forever or indefinitely

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

facenounUS /feɪs/

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

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

fleshnounUS /fleʃ/

the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

followverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊ/

to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

gravitationnounUS /ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃən/

(physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

groundnounUS /ɡraʊnd/

the solid part of the earth's surface

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

guidenounUS /ɡaɪd/

someone employed to conduct others

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

inaccessibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnəkˈsesəbəl/

capable of being reached only with great difficulty or not at all

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

lipsnounUS /lɪps/

plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

loosenverbUS /ˈluːsən/

make loose or looser

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

mapverbUS /mæp/

make a map of; show or establish the features of details of

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading Darest Thou Now O Soul

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading Darest Thou Now O Soul

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

pathnounUS /pæθ/

a course of conduct

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

regionnounUS /ˈriːdʒən/

the extended spatial location of something

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

SoulnounUS /soʊl/

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

From this reading Darest Thou Now O Soul

soundingadjectiveUS /ˈsaʊndɪŋ/

appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

SpacenounUS /speɪs/

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

ThoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading Darest Thou Now O Soul

tiesnounUS /taɪz/

plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

TillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

TimenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

touchverbUS /tʌtʃ/

make physical contact with, come in contact with

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

undream'd

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

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

unknownadjectiveUS /ənˈnoʊn/

not known

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

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

From this reading No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

waitsnounUS /weɪts/

plural of “wait” — time during which some action is awaited

From this reading I know it not O soul, Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us, All waits undream’d of in that region, that inaccessible land.

WalknounUS /wɔːk/

the act of traveling by foot

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, Time and Space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Darest thou now O soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

Chapter 30 of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

What does chapter 30 of Leaves of Grass contain?

Chapter 30 holds 78 sentences of Leaves of Grass, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 30 of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 30 of Leaves of Grass?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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 30 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 30 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 Leaves of Grass

Common questions about reading Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Leaves of Grass?

Yes. All 4156 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1322 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Leaves of Grass is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1322, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Leaves of Grass take to read?

About 346 minutes of reading across 832 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Leaves of Grass section by section

How to work through Leaves of Grass section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 34 chapters of Leaves of Grass 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 Leaves of Grass

Words and structures a reader meets early in Leaves of Grass, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

S-self
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Leaves of Grass; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Simple
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Leaves of Grass; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Separate
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Leaves of Grass; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Person
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Leaves of Grass; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.