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Poems — Volume 2
Poems — Volume 2

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience sake,
XIII
Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We livewe die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,
XIV
Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Poems — Volume 2

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered standTwixt fall and fall;—for consciencesake,
Line 2
XIII
Line 3
Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We livewe die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,
Line 4
XIV
Line 5
Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

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.

coil noun US /kɔɪl/

a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops

From this reading “Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.”

Concrete adjective US /kənˈkriːt/

capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary

From this reading “Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.”

experimental adjective US /ɪkˌsperɪˈmentəl/

relating to or based on experiment

From this reading “The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,”

Niagara noun US /naɪˈæɡrə/

waterfall in Canada is the Horseshoe Falls; in the United States it is the American Falls

From this reading “The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,”

rapids noun US /ˈræpədz/

plural of “rapid” — a part of a river where the current is very fast

From this reading “Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,”

rearing noun US /ˈrɪrɪŋ/

the properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child

From this reading “Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.”

reprimand verb US /ˈreprəmænd/

rebuke formally

From this reading “Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.”

sloth noun US /sloʊθ/

a disinclination to work or exert yourself

From this reading “Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

abysms

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

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

bearverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

coilnounUS /kɔɪl/

a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

ConcreteadjectiveUS /kənˈkriːt/

capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

consciencenounUS /ˈkɑːnʃəns/

motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

continuallyadverbUS /kənˈtɪnjuːəli/

seemingly without interruption

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

dareverbUS /der/

take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

dieverbUS /daɪ/

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

DriveverbUS /draɪv/

operate or control a vehicle

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

engageverbUS /enˈɡeɪdʒ/

carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

experimentaladjectiveUS /ɪkˌsperɪˈmentəl/

relating to or based on experiment

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

fallverbUS /fɔːl/

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

fatadjectiveUS /fæt/

having an (over)abundance of flesh

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

firesidenounUS /ˈfaɪərsaɪd/

an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

flood's

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

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

FreshadjectiveUS /freʃ/

recently made, produced, or harvested

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

garmentnounUS /ˈɡɑːrmənt/

an article of clothing

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

God'snounUS /ɡɑːdz/

possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

increasenounUS /ˌɪnˈkriːs/

a quantity that is added

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

leapsnounUS /liːps/

plural of “leap” — a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

liveverbUS /laɪv/

be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

NiagaranounUS /naɪˈæɡrə/

waterfall in Canada is the Horseshoe Falls; in the United States it is the American Falls

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

observeverbUS /əbˈzɜːrv/

discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

onwardadverbUS /ˈɔːnwərd/

forward in time or order or degree

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

peacenounUS /piːs/

the state prevailing during the absence of war

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

ragenounUS /reɪdʒ/

a feeling of intense anger

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

rapidsnounUS /ˈræpədz/

plural of “rapid” — a part of a river where the current is very fast

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

RatheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

rearingnounUS /ˈrɪrɪŋ/

the properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

reprimandverbUS /ˈreprəmænd/

rebuke formally

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

sakenounUS /seɪk/

a reason for wanting something done

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

scornnounUS /skɔːrn/

lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

sinnounUS /sɪn/

estrangement from god

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

slothnounUS /sloʊθ/

a disinclination to work or exert yourself

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

soilnounUS /sɔɪl/

the state of being covered with unclean things

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

Twixt

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

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

unshattered

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

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Drive onward like a flood’s increase;— Fresh rapids and abysms engage;— (We live—we die) scorn fireside peace, And, as a garment, put on rage,

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading The strange experimental land Where men continually dare take Niagara leaps;—unshattered stand ’Twixt fall and fall;—for conscience’ sake,

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

XIIInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one

From this reading XIII

XIVnoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one

From this reading XIV

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Rather than bear God’s reprimand, By rearing on a full fat soil Concrete of sin and sloth;—this land, You will observe it coil in coil.

Chapter 2 of Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 2 of Poems — Volume 2 contain?

Chapter 2 holds 151 sentences of Poems — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 2 of Poems — Volume 2?

Work through the 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 31 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 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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 — Volume 2

Common questions about reading Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Poems — Volume 2?

Yes. All 2831 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Poems — Volume 2 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1382, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Poems — Volume 2 take to read?

About 235 minutes of reading across 567 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Poems — Volume 2 section by section

How to work through Poems — Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of Poems — Volume 2 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 — Volume 2

Words and structures a reader meets early in Poems — Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Picture
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Poems
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.