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Poems Household Edition
Poems Household Edition

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Poems Household Edition is here in full — 303 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Poems Household Edition
Context Illustration Reading 14/60 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.
His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.
But meantime voices from far away had reached him.
He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.
Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.
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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 Household Edition

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Poems Household Edition is here in full — 303 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 14/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 66–70

Line 1
He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.
/hiː ˈpɑːrtɪd frʌm hɪz ˈpiːpəl ɪn ɔːl ˈkaɪndnəs bʌt ðə rentʃ wɑːz felt/
Line 2
His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.
Line 3
But meantime voices from far away had reached him.
/bʌt ˈmiːntaɪm ˈvɔɪsəz frʌm fɑːr əˈweɪ hæd riːtʃt hɪm/
Line 4
He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.
/hiː seɪld fɔːr ˈjʊrəp ˈlændəd ɪn ˈɪtəli sɔː ˈsɪtiz ənd ɑːrt ənd men bʌt wʊd nɑːt steɪ lɔːŋ/
Line 5
Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

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.

appealed verb US /əˈpiːld/

past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review

From this reading “Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.”

chiefly adverb US /ˈtʃiːfli/

for the most part

From this reading “Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.”

cities noun US /ˈsɪtiz/

plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading “He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.”

Italy noun US /ˈɪtəli/

a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD

From this reading “He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.”

landed adjective US /ˈlændəd/

owning or consisting of land or real estate

From this reading “He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.”

recently adverb US /ˈriːsəntli/

in the recent past

From this reading “His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.”

sailed verb US /seɪld/

past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)

From this reading “He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.”

wrench verb US /rentʃ/

twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates

From this reading “He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

Angelo

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

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

appealedverbUS /əˈpiːld/

past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading But meantime voices from far away had reached him.

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

chieflyadverbUS /ˈtʃiːfli/

for the most part

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

citiesnounUS /ˈsɪtiz/

plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

EuropenounUS /ˈjʊrəp/

the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading But meantime voices from far away had reached him.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But meantime voices from far away had reached him.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

ItalynounUS /ˈɪtəli/

a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

kindnessnounUS /ˈkaɪndnəs/

the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

landedadjectiveUS /ˈlændəd/

owning or consisting of land or real estate

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

Landor

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

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

meantimenounUS /ˈmiːntaɪm/

the time between one event, process, or period and another

From this reading But meantime voices from far away had reached him.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

MichaelnounUS /ˈmaɪkəl/

(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

OfprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

others

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

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

partedadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːrtɪd/

having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading But meantime voices from far away had reached him.

recentlyadverbUS /ˈriːsəntli/

in the recent past

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

sailedverbUS /seɪld/

past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

stayverbUS /steɪ/

stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Of the dead, Michael Angelo appealed chiefly to him there; Landor among the living.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

voicesnounUS /ˈvɔɪsəz/

plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading But meantime voices from far away had reached him.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading His wife had recently died, he was ill himself, his life seemed to others broken up.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading He sailed for Europe, landed in Italy, saw cities, and art, and men, but would not stay long.

wrenchverbUS /rentʃ/

twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates

From this reading He parted from his people in all kindness, but the wrench was felt.

Chapter 1 of Poems Household Edition by Ralph Waldo Emerson holds 303 sentences, grouped into 61 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 Poems Household Edition contain?

Chapter 1 holds 303 sentences of Poems Household Edition, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Poems Household Edition by Ralph Waldo Emerson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 303 sentences, grouped into 61 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 Household Edition?

Work through the 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 61 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 Household Edition

Common questions about reading Poems Household Edition by Ralph Waldo Emerson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Poems Household Edition?

Yes. All 2204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12843 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Poems Household Edition is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12843, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Poems Household Edition take to read?

About 183 minutes of reading across 441 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Poems Household Edition section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of Poems Household Edition 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 Household Edition

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

Cabot's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems Household Edition; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Prefatory
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems Household Edition; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Riverside
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems Household Edition; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edition
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems Household Edition; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.