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.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
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.
Lake Trasimenus (modern Lake of Perugia). It is only about twenty feet deep. [40] holy maidens. The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta. Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
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 50/61 · 5 reading units · Lines 246–250
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.
the table in Christian churches where communion is given
From this reading “The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.”
a female deity
From this reading “Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.”
plural of “maiden” — an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading “[40] holy maidens.”
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading “Lake Trasimenus (modern Lake of Perugia).”
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.”
(Roman mythology) goddess of the hearth and its fire whose flame was tended by vestal virgins; counterpart of Greek Hestia
From this reading “The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.”
of or relating to Vesta
From this reading “The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.”
plural of “virgin” — a person who has never had sex
From this reading “The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [40] holy maidens.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It is only about twenty feet deep.
the table in Christian churches where communion is given
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
confined by bonds
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
the act of burning something
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading It is only about twenty feet deep.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It is only about twenty feet deep.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
a female deity
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading [40] holy maidens.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is only about twenty feet deep.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is only about twenty feet deep.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading Lake Trasimenus (modern Lake of Perugia).
plural of “maiden” — an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading [40] holy maidens.
take in marriage
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading Lake Trasimenus (modern Lake of Perugia).
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lake Trasimenus (modern Lake of Perugia).
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
and nothing more
From this reading It is only about twenty feet deep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lake Trasimenus (modern Lake of Perugia).
place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lake Trasimenus (modern Lake of Perugia).
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading It is only about twenty feet deep.
(Roman mythology) goddess of the hearth and its fire whose flame was tended by vestal virgins; counterpart of Greek Hestia
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
of or relating to Vesta
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
plural of “virgin” — a person who has never had sex
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Vesta was the goddess of the home, and the vestal virgins were bound by oath never to marry.
belonging to which person
From this reading The vestal virgins, whose duty it was to keep the fire burning on the altar in the temple of Vesta.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Common questions about reading Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) by O. J. [Annotator] Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1760 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13184 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13184, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 352 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) 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 Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
