Chapter 9 of Poems — Volume 3 is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Poems — Volume 3 is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
—But not Philosophy! —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us! That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough. Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait. Philosophy is Life’s one match for Fate.
Chapter 9 of Poems — Volume 3 is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading “—Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!”
look down on with disdain
From this reading “—Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!”
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading “—Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!”
possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading “Philosophy is Life’s one match for Fate.”
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. (Triết học, đạo lý nhân sinh.)
From this reading “—But not Philosophy!”
necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass
From this reading “That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.”
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading “That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading —But not Philosophy!
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
look down on with disdain
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Philosophy is Life’s one match for Fate.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Philosophy is Life’s one match for Fate.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Philosophy is Life’s one match for Fate.
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Philosophy is Life’s one match for Fate.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading Philosophy is Life’s one match for Fate.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading —But not Philosophy!
a mathematical element that when added to another number yields the same number
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Philosophy is Life’s one match for Fate.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. (Triết học, đạo lý nhân sinh.)
From this reading —But not Philosophy!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Am I not heard, my head to Earth shall bow; Like her, shall wait to see, and seeing wait.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading —Ay, be we faithful to ourselves: despise Nought but the coward in us!
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading That way lies The wisdom making passage through our slough.
Chapter 9 of Poems — Volume 3 by George Meredith holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 9 holds 95 sentences of Poems — Volume 3, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Poems — Volume 3 by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 9 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 3 by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2060 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1383 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1383, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 171 minutes of reading across 412 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poems — Volume 3 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Poems — Volume 3 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 3, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
