Chapter 13 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
V Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints. Grant them peace be fugitive! Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila! my Attila!
Chapter 13 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
king of the Huns; the most successful barbarian invader of the Roman Empire (406-453)
From this reading “Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.”
possessive form of “attila” — king of the Huns; the most successful barbarian invader of the Roman Empire (406-453)
possessive form of “fellow” — a boy or man
plural of “flint” — a hard kind of stone; a form of silica more opaque than chalcedony
From this reading “Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.”
someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
From this reading “Grant them peace be fugitive!”
plural of “horseman” — a man skilled in equitation
From this reading “Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.”
a large number or amount
From this reading “Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.”
the act of perceiving the odor of something
From this reading “Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.”
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
king of the Huns; the most successful barbarian invader of the Roman Empire (406-453)
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
possessive form of “attila” — king of the Huns; the most successful barbarian invader of the Roman Empire (406-453)
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Grant them peace be fugitive!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
possessive form of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
plural of “flint” — a hard kind of stone; a form of silica more opaque than chalcedony
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
From this reading Grant them peace be fugitive!
a relatively small granular particle of a substance
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
let have
From this reading Grant them peace be fugitive!
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
plural of “horseman” — a man skilled in equitation
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading my Attila!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading Grant them peace be fugitive!
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
a large number or amount
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
a protective covering or structure
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
the act of perceiving the odor of something
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Iron-capped and iron-heeled, Each against his fellow’s shield Smote the spear-head, shouting, Live, Attila!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Grant them peace be fugitive!
the separation of grain or seeds from the husks and straw
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading V
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
plural of “warrior” — someone engaged in or experienced in warfare
From this reading Round the banquet-table’s load Scores of iron horsemen rode; Chosen warriors, keen and hard; Grain of threshing battle-dints; Attila’s fierce body-guard, Smelling war like fire in flints.
Chapter 13 of Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 13 holds 150 sentences of Poems — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 13 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 — Volume 2 by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2832 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1382, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 236 minutes of reading across 567 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poems — Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Poems — Volume 2 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 — Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
