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Poems — Volume 2
Poems — Volume 2

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Poems — Volume 2
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.
XXXIV
But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;
XXXV
As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Poems — Volume 2

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.
Line 2
XXXIV
Line 3
But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;
/bʌt ðæt ðə ˈsensɪz stɪl ˌjuːˈsɜːrp ðə ˈsteɪʃən ʌv ðer ˈɪʃuː maɪnd hiː wʊd hæv bɜːrst ðə ˈkrɪsəlɪs ʌv ðə blaɪnd æz jet hiː wɪl/
Line 4
XXXV
Line 5
As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

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.

chrysalis noun US /ˈkrɪsəlɪs/

pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon

From this reading “But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;”

elf noun US /elf/

(folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous

From this reading “As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—”

fruits noun US /fruːts/

plural of “fruit” — the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant

From this reading “As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—”

glee noun US /ɡliː/

great merriment

From this reading “This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.”

prays verb US /preɪz/

third-person singular of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer

From this reading “As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—”

shifting adjective US /ˈʃɪftɪŋ/

continuously varying

From this reading “As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—”

Usurp verb US /ˌjuːˈsɜːrp/

seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession

From this reading “But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;”

wily adjective US /ˈwaɪli/

marked by skill in deception

From this reading “As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

awakenedness

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

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

blindnounUS /blaɪnd/

people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

burstverbUS /bɜːrst/

come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

chrysalisnounUS /ˈkrɪsəlɪs/

pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

devilnounUS /ˈdevəl/

(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

distempered

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

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

elfnounUS /elf/

(folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

feelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

fruitsnounUS /fruːts/

plural of “fruit” — the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

gleenounUS /ɡliː/

great merriment

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

gluttonnoun

a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

issueverbUS /ˈɪʃuː/

prepare and issue for public distribution or sale

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

joynounUS /dʒɔɪ/

the emotion of great happiness

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

originnounUS /ˈɔːrədʒən/

the place where something begins, where it springs into being

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

praysverbUS /preɪz/

third-person singular of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

raysnounUS /reɪz/

plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

SelfnounUS /self/

your consciousness of your own identity

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

sensesnounUS /ˈsensɪz/

plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

shiftingadjectiveUS /ˈʃɪftɪŋ/

continuously varying

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

SpiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

stationnounUS /ˈsteɪʃən/

a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

sternadjectiveUS /stɜːrn/

of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

UsurpverbUS /ˌjuːˈsɜːrp/

seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

wilyadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪli/

marked by skill in deception

From this reading As yet he will, she prays, Yet will when his distempered devil of Self;— The glutton for her fruits, the wily elf In shifting rays;—

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

woenounUS /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading This life and her to know For Spirit: with awakenedness of glee To feel stern joy her origin: not he The child of woe.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

XXXIVadjective

being four more than thirty

From this reading XXXIV

XXXVadjective

being five more than thirty

From this reading XXXV

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading But that the senses still Usurp the station of their issue mind, He would have burst the chrysalis of the blind: As yet he will;

Chapter 8 of Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith holds 153 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 8 of Poems — Volume 2 contain?

Chapter 8 holds 153 sentences of Poems — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 153 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 8 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 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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.