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Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.
But my thoughts were wakeful.
And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.
There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.
It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.
Line 2
But my thoughts were wakeful.
Line 3
And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.
Line 4
There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.
/ðer ɑːr ðoʊz huː ɪn ə streɪndʒ lænd ˈevər lʌv tuː vjuː ɪt baɪ naɪt/
Line 5
It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

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.

dreamt verb US /drɛmt/

Experienced dreams during sleep.

From this reading “Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.”

elevated adjective US /ˈeləveɪtɪd/

raised above the ground

From this reading “It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.”

groves noun US /ɡroʊvz/

United States general who served as military director of the atomic bomb project (1896-1970)

From this reading “It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.”

magical adjective US /ˈmædʒɪkəl/

possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate to supernatural powers

From this reading “And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.”

obeying verb US /oʊˈbeɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “obey” — be obedient to

From this reading “And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.”

situated adjective US /ˈsɪtʃuːeɪtɪd/

situated in a particular spot or position

From this reading “It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.”

starlight noun US /ˈstɑːrlaɪt/

the light of the stars

From this reading “And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.”

surrounding adjective US /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/

closely encircling

From this reading “It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.”

All words in this reading · 63

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 And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

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 And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

arrivalnounUS /ərˈaɪvəl/

accomplishment of an objective

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But my thoughts were wakeful.

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

DaynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

dreamsnounUS /driːmz/

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

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

dreamtverbUS /drɛmt/

Experienced dreams during sleep.

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

DuringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

elevatedadjectiveUS /ˈeləveɪtɪd/

raised above the ground

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

grovesnounUS /ɡroʊvz/

United States general who served as military director of the atomic bomb project (1896-1970)

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

impulsenounUS /ˈɪmpəls/

an instinctive motive

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

magicaladjectiveUS /ˈmædʒɪkəl/

possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate to supernatural powers

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

Mardi

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

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

Media's

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

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading But my thoughts were wakeful.

NightnounUS /naɪt/

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

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

obeyingverbUS /oʊˈbeɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “obey” — be obedient to

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

Odonoun

French pope from 1088 to 1099 whose sermons called for the First Crusade (1042-1099)

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

others

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

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

plainsnounUS /pleɪnz/

plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

restlessadjectiveUS /ˈrestləs/

worried and uneasy

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

situatedadjectiveUS /ˈsɪtʃuːeɪtɪd/

situated in a particular spot or position

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

sleptverbUS /slept/

inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

starlightnounUS /ˈstɑːrlaɪt/

the light of the stars

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

stolenounUS /stoʊl/

a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

surroundingadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/

closely encircling

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading But my thoughts were wakeful.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

viewnounUS /vjuː/

a way of regarding situations or topics etc.

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

wakefuladjective

carefully observant or attentive; on the lookout for possible danger

From this reading But my thoughts were wakeful.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading It has been said, that the opening in the groves where was situated Media’s city, was elevated above the surrounding plains.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading There are those who in a strange land ever love to view it by night.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading And while all others slept, obeying a restless impulse, I stole without into the magical starlight.

Yillah

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

From this reading Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day During the night following our arrival, many dreams were no doubt dreamt in Odo.

Chapter 23 of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Herman Melville holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 23 of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) contain?

Chapter 23 holds 133 sentences of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Herman Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 23 of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2)?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Common questions about reading Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Herman Melville on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2)?

Yes. All 4668 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13720 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #13720, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) take to read?

About 389 minutes of reading across 934 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) section by section

How to work through Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2) 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 Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Words and structures a reader meets early in Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Courses
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Topsails
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Coral-hung
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Anchor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mardi, and a voyage thither, Vol. 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.