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Messer Marco Polo
Messer Marco Polo

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Messer Marco Polo is here in full — 13 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Messer Marco Polo
Context Illustration Reading 1/2 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.
"Give me the black tress that's over your heart."
And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.
"Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.
I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."
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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.

Messer Marco Polo

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Messer Marco Polo is here in full — 13 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/2 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.
Line 2
"Give me the black tress that's over your heart."
Line 3
And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.
Line 4
"Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.
Line 5
I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."
/aɪ hæv pɑːrt ʌv hɜːr hiːr ənd let juː pʊt ɪn ðə ˈɡɑːrdən ðə ˈætməsfɪr ʃiː lʌvd/

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.

atmosphere noun US /ˈætməsfɪr/

a particular environment or surrounding influence

From this reading “I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."”

magician noun US /məˈdʒɪʃ.ən/

A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.

From this reading “"Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.”

perfumed adjective US /pərˈfjuːmd/

filled or impregnated with perfume

From this reading “And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.”

Polo noun US /ˈpoʊloʊ/

Venetian traveler who explored Asia in the 13th century and served Kublai Khan (1254-1324)

From this reading “The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.”

sing verb US /sɪŋ/

deliver by singing

From this reading “"Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.”

tress noun US /tres/

a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair

From this reading “"Give me the black tress that's over your heart."”

undercoat noun US /ˈʌndərkoʊt/

seal consisting of a coating of a tar or rubberlike material on the underside of a motor vehicle to retard corrosion

From this reading “And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.”

undid verb US /ˌʌnˈdɪd/

inflected form of “undo” — cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect

From this reading “And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.”

All words in this reading · 54

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 "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

atmospherenounUS /ˈætməsfɪr/

a particular environment or surrounding influence

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading "Give me the black tress that's over your heart."

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.

coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

fineadjectiveUS /faɪn/

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

GiveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading "Give me the black tress that's over your heart."

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

hearingnounUS /ˈhiːrɪŋ/

(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading "Give me the black tress that's over your heart."

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

LinounUS /liː/

a soft silver-white univalent element of the alkali metal group; the lightest metal known; occurs in several minerals

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

lovedadjectiveUS /lʌvd/

held dear

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

magiciannounUS /məˈdʒɪʃ.ən/

A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

Marco

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

From this reading The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading "Give me the black tress that's over your heart."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

perfumedadjectiveUS /pərˈfjuːmd/

filled or impregnated with perfume

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

PonounUS /poʊ/

a radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

PolonounUS /ˈpoʊloʊ/

Venetian traveler who explored Asia in the 13th century and served Kublai Khan (1254-1324)

From this reading The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

Sanang

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

From this reading The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.

sark

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

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading I have part of her here, and let you put in the garden the atmosphere she loved."

she'll

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

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

singverbUS /sɪŋ/

deliver by singing

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

songnounUS /sɔːŋ/

a short musical composition with words

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

that's

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

From this reading "Give me the black tress that's over your heart."

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The Sanang came over to Marco Polo.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

tressnounUS /tres/

a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair

From this reading "Give me the black tress that's over your heart."

undercoatnounUS /ˈʌndərkoʊt/

seal consisting of a coating of a tar or rubberlike material on the underside of a motor vehicle to retard corrosion

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

undidverbUS /ˌʌnˈdɪd/

inflected form of “undo” — cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect

From this reading And Marco Polo undid his coat and his undercoat and his fine sark and took out the perfumed hair, and gave it to the Sanang.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Let you sing a little song, Li Po," the magician said, "the way she'll be hearing and come.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Give me the black tress that's over your heart."

Chapter 20 of Messer Marco Polo by Donn Byrne holds 13 sentences, grouped into 3 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 20 of Messer Marco Polo contain?

Chapter 20 holds 13 sentences of Messer Marco Polo, unabridged, divided into 3 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Messer Marco Polo by Donn Byrne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 13 sentences, grouped into 3 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 20 of Messer Marco Polo?

Work through the 3 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 3 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 20 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 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 Messer Marco Polo

Common questions about reading Messer Marco Polo by Donn Byrne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Messer Marco Polo?

Yes. All 1263 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2058 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Messer Marco Polo is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2058, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Messer Marco Polo take to read?

About 105 minutes of reading across 253 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Messer Marco Polo section by section

How to work through Messer Marco Polo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 21 chapters of Messer Marco Polo 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 Messer Marco Polo

Words and structures a reader meets early in Messer Marco Polo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Nearing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Messer Marco Polo; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Night
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Messer Marco Polo; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Messer Marco Polo; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Spring
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Messer Marco Polo; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.