Chapter 8 of Narcissus is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Narcissus is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The sun went out of sight. The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds. The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost. May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park. She wanted to feel, not to think.
Chapter 8 of Narcissus is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading “The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.”
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading “The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.”
for a limitless time
From this reading “May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.”
held up in the air
From this reading “The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.”
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading “May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.”
a coniferous tree
From this reading “The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.”
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading “The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.”
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading “The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.”
become less in amount or intensity
In this reading “The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “The sun went out of sight.”
undergo or live through a difficult experience
In this reading “The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.”
In this reading “The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.”
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading She wanted to feel, not to think.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
for a limitless time
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
destroyed or killed
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
held up in the air
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She wanted to feel, not to think.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sun went out of sight.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The sun went out of sight.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
a coniferous tree
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She wanted to feel, not to think.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The sun went out of sight.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
not in physical motion
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun went out of sight.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sun went out of sight.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading She wanted to feel, not to think.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The sound that went through them died away in peace, in the happiness of being lost.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She wanted to feel, not to think.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading She wanted to feel, not to think.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The sun went out of sight.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading May felt as if something of her had gone forever into the wide still sky and the dead shadowless park.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The wind lifted the pine boughs and they moved as if in terror against the torn clouds.
Chapter 8 of Narcissus by Evelyn Scott holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 8 holds 426 sentences of Narcissus, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Narcissus by Evelyn Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 8 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 Narcissus by Evelyn Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Narcissus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Narcissus 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 Narcissus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
