Chapter 23 of Psyche is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Psyche is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was still dark when Psyche awoke. She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star. Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace. She knew the way. She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.
Chapter 23 of Psyche is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “It was still dark when Psyche awoke.”
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading “She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.”
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading “She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.”
plural of “hall” — an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading “She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.”
plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.”
that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading “It was still dark when Psyche awoke.”
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading “Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.”
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 “She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.”
seek information from
In this reading “She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.”
undergo or live through a difficult experience
In this reading “She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.”
In this reading “She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading It was still dark when Psyche awoke.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was still dark when Psyche awoke.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
plural of “hall” — an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was still dark when Psyche awoke.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She knew the way.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.
that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading It was still dark when Psyche awoke.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
the state of being asleep
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.
not in physical motion
From this reading It was still dark when Psyche awoke.
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
precisely as stated
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading Very gently, so as not to wake her, Psyche rose, and left the terrace.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was still dark when Psyche awoke.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She knew the way.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went through the halls and passages, down the steps, the endless steps.
at the time that
From this reading It was still dark when Psyche awoke.
which person or people
From this reading She looked up at Astra, who sat sleeping, her grey head on her breast; faintly shone her star.
Chapter 23 of Psyche by Louis Couperus holds 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 23 holds 245 sentences of Psyche, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Psyche by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 23 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.
