Chapter 17 of Messer Marco Polo is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Messer Marco Polo is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man... "'Veni, Domine Jesu. "'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis. Amen!'" "It is very difficult, Marco Polo.
Chapter 17 of Messer Marco Polo is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
a primeval Egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at Thebes
From this reading “Amen!'"”
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading “And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...”
the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “"'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.”
a clergyman; especially a settled minister or parson
From this reading “"'Veni, Domine Jesu.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...”
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...”
an anthology of articles on a related subject or an anthology of the works of a single author
From this reading “"'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.”
Venetian traveler who explored Asia in the 13th century and served Kublai Khan (1254-1324)
From this reading “And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...”
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.
a primeval Egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at Thebes
From this reading Amen!'"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.
the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "It is very difficult, Marco Polo.
a clergyman; especially a settled minister or parson
From this reading "'Veni, Domine Jesu.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is very difficult, Marco Polo.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is very difficult, Marco Polo.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Veni, Domine Jesu.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
an anthology of articles on a related subject or an anthology of the works of a single author
From this reading "'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
above and across; more than
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
Venetian traveler who explored Asia in the 13th century and served Kublai Khan (1254-1324)
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
cut with a saw
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Veni, Domine Jesu.
precisely as stated
From this reading "It is very difficult, Marco Polo.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum omnibus vobis.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And one dusk the moon rose over the Chinese garden, and Marco Polo finished telling her of what John saw on Patmos and he an old man...
Chapter 17 of Messer Marco Polo by Donn Byrne holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 17 holds 92 sentences of Messer Marco Polo, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Messer Marco Polo by Donn Byrne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 17 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 Messer Marco Polo by Donn Byrne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1263 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2058 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2058, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 105 minutes of reading across 253 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Messer Marco Polo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Messer Marco Polo 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 Messer Marco Polo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
