Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Poems
Poems

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Poems is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 1 of Poems by Alan Seeger holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 1 of Poems contain?

Chapter 1 holds 138 sentences of Poems, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Poems by Alan Seeger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 Poems?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 Poems

Common questions about reading Poems by Alan Seeger on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Poems?

Yes. All 1614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #617 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Poems is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #617, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Poems take to read?

About 134 minutes of reading across 323 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Poems section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 12 chapters of Poems 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 Poems

Words and structures a reader meets early in Poems, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Produced
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Light
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Italicized
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Words
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for Poems
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Produced by Alan Light
[Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.
Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.
Some obvious errors have been corrected.]
[Alan Seeger, American (New York) Poet.
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.

Poems

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Poems is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Produced by Alan Light
Line 2
[Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.
Line 3
Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.
Line 4
Some obvious errors have been corrected.]
Line 5
[Alan Seeger, American (New York) Poet.
All words in this reading · 45

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

78

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

Alan

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

From this reading Produced by Alan Light

American

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

From this reading [Alan Seeger, American (New York) Poet.

and

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

are

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

as

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

been

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

From this reading Some obvious errors have been corrected.]

broken

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

by

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

From this reading Produced by Alan Light

capitalized

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

characters

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

continuation

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

corrected

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

From this reading Some obvious errors have been corrected.]

errors

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

From this reading Some obvious errors have been corrected.]

have

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

From this reading Some obvious errors have been corrected.]

in

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

indented

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

is

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

Italicized

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

Light

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

From this reading Produced by Alan Light

Lines

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

longer

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

marked

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

needed

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

New

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

From this reading [Alan Seeger, American (New York) Poet.

Note

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

obvious

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

From this reading Some obvious errors have been corrected.]

on

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

or

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

otherwise

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

phrases

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

placed

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

Poet

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

From this reading [Alan Seeger, American (New York) Poet.

Produced

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

From this reading Produced by Alan Light

quotes

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

Seeger

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

From this reading [Alan Seeger, American (New York) Poet.

single

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

Some

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

From this reading Some obvious errors have been corrected.]

spaces

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

text

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

than

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

the

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

two

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

From this reading Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuation is indented two spaces.

words

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

From this reading [Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are capitalized, placed in single quotes, or otherwise marked as needed.

York

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

From this reading [Alan Seeger, American (New York) Poet.