Chapter 4 of Poems of the Past and the Present is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Poems of the Past and the Present is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GOD-FORGOTTEN I TOWERED far, and lo! I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry. —“The Earth, say’st thou? The Human race? By Me created?
Chapter 4 of Poems of the Past and the Present is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
past form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become
From this reading “By Me created?”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.”
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading “I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.”
any competition
From this reading “The Human race?”
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.”
an old word meaning “to that place”
From this reading “I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.”
past form of “tower” — appear very large or occupy a commanding position
From this reading “GOD-FORGOTTEN I TOWERED far, and lo!”
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading “I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading GOD-FORGOTTEN I TOWERED far, and lo!
react verbally
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
past form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become
From this reading By Me created?
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading GOD-FORGOTTEN I TOWERED far, and lo!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GOD-FORGOTTEN I TOWERED far, and lo!
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading The Human race?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading GOD-FORGOTTEN I TOWERED far, and lo!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GOD-FORGOTTEN I TOWERED far, and lo!
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading By Me created?
used to form the superlative
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
any competition
From this reading The Human race?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading —“The Earth, say’st thou?
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
an old word meaning “to that place”
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading —“The Earth, say’st thou?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
past form of “tower” — appear very large or occupy a commanding position
From this reading GOD-FORGOTTEN I TOWERED far, and lo!
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading I stood within The presence of the Lord Most High, Sent thither by the sons of earth, to win Some answer to their cry.
Chapter 4 of Poems of the Past and the Present by Thomas Hardy holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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.
Chapter 4 holds 114 sentences of Poems of the Past and the Present, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Poems of the Past and the Present by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 4 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 Poems of the Past and the Present by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 854 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3168 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3168, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 71 minutes of reading across 171 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poems of the Past and the Present section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Poems of the Past and the Present 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 Poems of the Past and the Present, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
