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Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series)
Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series)

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) is here in full — 308 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series)
Context Illustration Reading 4/61 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
[1] Avoca.
A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.
The name signifies "The Meeting of the Waters."
JOCK O' HAZELDEAN.
"Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?
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.

Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series)

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) is here in full — 308 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 4/61 · 5 reading units · Lines 16–20

Line 1
[1] Avoca.
Line 2
A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.
Line 3
The name signifies "The Meeting of the Waters."
/ðə neɪm ˈsɪɡnəfaɪz ðə ˈmiːtɪŋ ʌv ðə ˈwɔːtərz/
Line 4
JOCK O' HAZELDEAN.
Line 5
"Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?

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.

County noun US /ˈkaʊnti/

(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government

From this reading “A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.”

Ireland noun US /ˈaɪərlənd/

a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921

From this reading “A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.”

jock noun US /dʒɑːk/

a person trained to compete in sports

From this reading “JOCK O' HAZELDEAN.”

signifies verb US /ˈsɪɡnəfaɪz/

third-person singular of “signify” — denote or connote

From this reading “The name signifies "The Meeting of the Waters."”

tide noun US /taɪd/

the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon

From this reading “"Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?”

valley noun US /ˈvæli/

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading “A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.”

Waters noun US /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading “The name signifies "The Meeting of the Waters."”

weep verb US /wiːp/

shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain

From this reading “"Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?”

All words in this reading · 25

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.

1

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

From this reading [1] Avoca.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

Avoca

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

From this reading [1] Avoca.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?

CountynounUS /ˈkaʊnti/

(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

HAZELDEAN

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

From this reading JOCK O' HAZELDEAN.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

IrelandnounUS /ˈaɪərlənd/

a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

JOCKnounUS /dʒɑːk/

a person trained to compete in sports

From this reading JOCK O' HAZELDEAN.

ladie

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

From this reading "Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?

MeetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

From this reading The name signifies "The Meeting of the Waters."

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading The name signifies "The Meeting of the Waters."

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading JOCK O' HAZELDEAN.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

signifiesverbUS /ˈsɪɡnəfaɪz/

third-person singular of “signify” — denote or connote

From this reading The name signifies "The Meeting of the Waters."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

tidenounUS /taɪd/

the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon

From this reading "Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?

valleynounUS /ˈvæli/

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

WatersnounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading The name signifies "The Meeting of the Waters."

weepverbUS /wiːp/

shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain

From this reading "Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading "Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?

Wicklow

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

From this reading A valley and river in the County of Wicklow, Ireland.

yepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading "Why weep ye by the tide, ladie?

Chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) by O. J. [Annotator] Stevenson holds 308 sentences, grouped into 62 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 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) contain?

Chapter 1 holds 308 sentences of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series), unabridged, divided into 62 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) by O. J. [Annotator] Stevenson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 308 sentences, grouped into 62 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 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series)?

Work through the 62 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 62 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series)

Common questions about reading Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) by O. J. [Annotator] Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series)?

Yes. All 1760 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13184 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #13184, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) take to read?

About 146 minutes of reading across 352 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) section by section

How to work through Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) 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 Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series)

Words and structures a reader meets early in Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Professor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
English
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ontario
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Agricultural
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.