Chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die! The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety. WILLIAM WORDSWORTH. A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS.
Chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 69/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 341–345
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.
see with attention
From this reading “My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!”
confined by bonds
From this reading “The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.”
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading “My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!”
plural of “leap” — a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading “My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!”
a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)
From this reading “NICHOLAS.”
righteousness by virtue of being pious
From this reading “The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.”
an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's rays by rain
From this reading “My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!”
a romantic English poet whose work was inspired by the Lake District where he spent most of his life (1770-1850)
From this reading “WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
see with attention
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
confined by bonds
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A VISIT FROM ST.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
plural of “leap” — a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)
From this reading NICHOLAS.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
righteousness by virtue of being pious
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's rays by rain
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A VISIT FROM ST.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading A VISIT FROM ST.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
at the time that
From this reading My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky; So was it when my life began, So is it now I am a man, So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading The child is father of the man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.
a romantic English poet whose work was inspired by the Lake District where he spent most of his life (1770-1850)
From this reading WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.
Chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth) [Editor] Burt holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of Poems Every Child Should Know, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth) [Editor] Burt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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.
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