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Nancy: A Novel
Nancy: A Novel

Chapter XXXIII

Cover illustration for Nancy: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."
The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!
I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.
Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.
There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.
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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.

Nancy: A Novel

Chapter XXXIII

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."
Line 2
The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!
Line 3
I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.
Line 4
Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.
Line 5
There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.”

Cried noun US /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."”

Hath auxiliary verb US /hæθ/

an old form of “has”

From this reading “"I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!”

Thee pronoun US /ðiː/

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

From this reading “"I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.”

All words in this reading · 67

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

all

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

also

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

From this reading Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

any

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

beast

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

Belle

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

caged

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

criednounUS /cried/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

Dame

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

date

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

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

death-pale

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

departure

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

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

dinner

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

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

fain

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

From this reading Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.

God

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

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

hasten

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

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

Hathauxiliary verbUS /hæθ/

an old form of “has”

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

hopeless

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

house

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

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

intermit

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

kings

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

La

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

lady

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

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

melancholy

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

merci

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

pale

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

penance

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

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

princes

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

reminiscences

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

From this reading Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.

roarings

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

Roger

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

From this reading Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.

sans

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

saw

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

suspend

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

From this reading Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.

taken

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

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

thank

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

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The long penance of dinner is over at last, thank God!

theepronounUS /ðiː/

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.

There

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

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

thrall

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

too

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading There being no lady of the house, I have taken upon myself to hasten the date of our departure.

warriors

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading "I saw pale kings, and princes, too; Pale warriors, death-pale were they all, They cried, 'La Belle Dame, sans merci,' Hath thee in thrall."

zoological

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

From this reading I may intermit my hopeless roarings, melancholy as those of any caged zoological beast.

Zéphine

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

From this reading Roger and Zéphine must also fain suspend their reminiscences.