Chapter 12 of Psyche is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Psyche is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes. And she awoke from her swoon with a smile. She lay still and did not move, but looked about her. She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory. She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.
Chapter 12 of Psyche is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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 solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
From this reading “She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.”
spectators at a golf or tennis match
From this reading “She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.”
a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses
From this reading “She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.”
plural of “pillar” — a fundamental principle or practice
From this reading “She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.”
plural of “pipe” — a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading “When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.”
that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading “When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.”
the act of assuming or maintaining a reclining position
From this reading “She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.”
pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading “And she awoke from her swoon with a smile.”
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.
In this reading “When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.”
In this reading “She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.”
In this reading “She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.”
In this reading “She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.”
In this reading “She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.”
keep or lay aside for future use
In this reading “She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.”
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 And she awoke from her swoon with a smile.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And she awoke from her swoon with a smile.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading And she awoke from her swoon with a smile.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.
a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
From this reading She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.
opinion or judgment
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And she awoke from her swoon with a smile.
spectators at a golf or tennis match
From this reading She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.
a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses
From this reading She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.
plural of “pillar” — a fundamental principle or practice
From this reading She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.
plural of “pipe” — a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.
the act of assuming or maintaining a reclining position
From this reading She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading And she awoke from her swoon with a smile.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
not in physical motion
From this reading She lay still and did not move, but looked about her.
pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading And she awoke from her swoon with a smile.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was reclining upon a soft bed of purple, on a couch of ivory.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She lay in a crystal palace; round the palace were pillars of crystal and a round crystal gallery.
at the time that
From this reading When Psyche opened her eyes, she heard the soft music of two pipes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And she awoke from her swoon with a smile.
Chapter 12 of Psyche by Louis Couperus holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 12 holds 94 sentences of Psyche, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Psyche by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 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 12 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.
