Chapter 16 of Light is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Light is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man. I am in a bed, in a room. There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive. The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row. A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
Chapter 16 of Light is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.”
a state of extreme confusion and disorder
From this reading “MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.”
plural of “horizon” — the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading “There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.”
third-person singular of “imprison” — lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
From this reading “The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.”
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading “There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.”
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.”
V-shaped sleeve badge indicating military rank and service
From this reading “A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.”
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 I am in a bed, in a room.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am in a bed, in a room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I am in a bed, in a room.
make calm or still
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
a state of extreme confusion and disorder
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
plural of “horizon” — the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
third-person singular of “imprison” — lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
not any; not one
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I am in a bed, in a room.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
V-shaped sleeve badge indicating military rank and service
From this reading A long floor goes in stripes as far as the distant door.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading There is no noise--a tragedy of calm, and horizons close and massive.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading MORNING I went to sleep in Chaos, and then I awoke like the first man.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The bed which imprisons me is one of a row that I can see, opposite another row.
Chapter 16 of Light by Henri Barbusse holds 242 sentences, grouped into 49 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.
Chapter 16 holds 242 sentences of Light, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Light by Henri Barbusse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 242 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 16 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 Light by Henri Barbusse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5323 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12904 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12904, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 443 minutes of reading across 1065 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Light section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Light 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 Light, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
