Chapter 7 of Psyche is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Psyche is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart. But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again. Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera. She beckoned to it, and the Chimera came down. "What do you want, little Psyche?"
Chapter 7 of Psyche is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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 “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading “She beckoned to it, and the Chimera came down.”
(Greek mythology) fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head and a goat's body and a serpent's tail; daughter of Typhon
From this reading “Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.”
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading “Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.”
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading “But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.”
that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading “For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.”
changing location rapidly
From this reading “But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.”
abounding in or exposed to the wind or breezes
From this reading “But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “She beckoned to it, and the Chimera came down.”
In this reading “But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.”
become extinct
In this reading “For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.”
In this reading “For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
anew
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading She beckoned to it, and the Chimera came down.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She beckoned to it, and the Chimera came down.
(Greek mythology) fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head and a goat's body and a serpent's tail; daughter of Typhon
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you want, little Psyche?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She beckoned to it, and the Chimera came down.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "What do you want, little Psyche?"
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
cut with a saw
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
changing location rapidly
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She beckoned to it, and the Chimera came down.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "What do you want, little Psyche?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Far away appeared a cloud, but as it drew nearer it became a horse: it was the Chimera.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading For days had Psyche watched in vain, and all hope died out of her heart.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you want, little Psyche?"
a Caucasian
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
abounding in or exposed to the wind or breezes
From this reading But one windy morning--the thick white clouds were speeding through the air--she saw the desire of her heart again.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you want, little Psyche?"
Chapter 7 of Psyche by Louis Couperus holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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.
Chapter 7 holds 73 sentences of Psyche, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Psyche by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 7 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 Psyche by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2630 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38005 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38005, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 219 minutes of reading across 526 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Psyche section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Psyche 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 Psyche, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
