Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs is here in full — 255 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Robert Bloomfield • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

'I love you well, my Girls and Boys; 'GOD bless you all;'--so said his eyes---- For, as he spoke, a big round drop Fell bounding on his ample sleeve; A witness which he could not stop, A witness which all hearts believe.

Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

_The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

WALTER AND JANE: or, THE POOR BLACKSMITH.

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Chapter I Reading 17/51

Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs Robert Bloomfield

Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise! 'I love you well, my Girls and Boys; 'GOD bless you all;'--so said his eyes---- For, as he spoke, a big round drop Fell bounding on his ample sleeve; A witness which he could not stop, A witness which all hearts believe. Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_. _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest. WALTER AND JANE: or, THE POOR BLACKSMITH.

Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs is here in full — 255 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 17/51 · 5 reading units · Lines 81–85

Line 1

Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

Line 2

Line 3

Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

Line 4

_The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

Line 5

WALTER AND JANE: or, THE POOR BLACKSMITH.

Learner Dictionary

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.

benignly adverb US /bəˈnaɪnli/

in a benign manner

From this reading “Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.”

blacksmith noun US /ˈblæksmɪθ/

a smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil

From this reading “WALTER AND JANE: or, THE POOR BLACKSMITH.”

bounding verb US /ˈbaʊndɪŋ/

-ing form of “bound” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading “'I love you well, my Girls and Boys; 'GOD bless you all;'--so said his eyes---- For, as he spoke, a big round drop Fell bounding on his ample sleeve; A witness which he could not stop, A witness which all hearts believe.”

filial adjective US /ˈfɪliəl/

designating the generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation

From this reading “Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.”

lowly adjective US /ˈloʊli/

low or inferior in station or quality

From this reading “_The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.”

luscious adjective US /ˈlʌʃɪs/

having strong sexual appeal

From this reading “Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.”

Mug noun US /mʌɡ/

the quantity that can be held in a mug

From this reading “Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!”

supremely adverb US /suːˈpriːməli/

to the maximum degree

From this reading “_The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.”

All words in this reading · 88

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading 'I love you well, my Girls and Boys; 'GOD bless you all;'--so said his eyes---- For, as he spoke, a big round drop Fell bounding on his ample sleeve; A witness which he could not stop, A witness which all hearts believe.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

ampleadjectiveUS /ˈæmpəl/

more than enough in size or scope or capacity

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

benignlyadverbUS /bəˈnaɪnli/

in a benign manner

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

BLACKSMITHnounUS /ˈblæksmɪθ/

a smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil

From this reading WALTER AND JANE: or, THE POOR BLACKSMITH.

blessverbUS /bles/

give a benediction to

blestadjectiveUS /blest/

highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

boundingverbUS /ˈbaʊndɪŋ/

-ing form of “bound” — move forward by leaps and bounds

BoysnounUS /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

brightadjectiveUS /braɪt/

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

despiseverbUS /dɪˈspaɪz/

look down on with disdain

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

dropverbUS /drɑːp/

let fall to the ground

DweltverbUS /dwelt/

inflected form of “dwell” — think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

FellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

FILIALadjectiveUS /ˈfɪliəl/

designating the generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

gain'd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

GirlsnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

GODnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

GoodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

grovenounUS /ɡroʊv/

a small growth of trees without underbrush

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

half-shed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

heartsnounUS /hɑːrts/

a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

JANE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WALTER AND JANE: or, THE POOR BLACKSMITH.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

lowlyadjectiveUS /ˈloʊli/

low or inferior in station or quality

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

lusciousadjectiveUS /ˈlʌʃɪs/

having strong sexual appeal

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

Man'snounUS /mænz/

possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

MugnounUS /mʌɡ/

the quantity that can be held in a mug

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

NightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading WALTER AND JANE: or, THE POOR BLACKSMITH.

PAIRnounUS /per/

a set of two similar things considered as a unit

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

partingnounUS /ˈpɑːrtɪŋ/

the act of departing politely

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

PIETYnounUS /ˈpaɪəti/

righteousness by virtue of being pious

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

raisingnounUS /ˈreɪzɪŋ/

the event of something being raised upward

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

ReturnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

ringverbUS /rɪŋ/

sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

SawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

sinkverbUS /sɪŋk/

fall or descend to a lower place or level

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

sleevenounUS /sliːv/

the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

stopverbUS /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

strengthen'd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

SunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

supremelyadverbUS /suːˈpriːməli/

to the maximum degree

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

tearverbUS /ter/

separate or cause to separate abruptly

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

thankfuladjectiveUS /ˈθæŋkfəl/

feeling or showing gratitude

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

ThoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

VoicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

WALTERnounUS /ˈwɔːltər/

German conductor (1876-1962)

From this reading WALTER AND JANE: or, THE POOR BLACKSMITH.

weaknessnounUS /ˈwiːknəs/

a flaw or weak point

From this reading Then, (raising still his Mug and Voice,) 'An Old Man's weakness don't despise!

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

wertauxiliary verbUS /wɜːrt/

an old form of “were”, used with “thou”

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading _The Return home._ With thankful Hearts and strengthen'd Love, The poor old PAIR, supremely blest, Saw the Sun sink behind the grove, And gain'd once more their lowly rest.

witnessnounUS /ˈwɪtnəs/

someone who sees an event and reports what happened

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Thou, FILIAL PIETY, wert there; And round the ring, benignly bright, Dwelt in the luscious half-shed tear, And in the parting word--_Good Night_.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

Chapter 1 of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs by Robert Bloomfield holds 255 sentences, grouped into 51 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.

What does chapter 1 of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs contain?

Chapter 1 holds 255 sentences of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs by Robert Bloomfield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 255 sentences, grouped into 51 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs?

Work through the 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 51 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.

Questions about reading Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs

Common questions about reading Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs by Robert Bloomfield on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs?

Yes. All 524 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9093 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9093, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs take to read?

About 43 minutes of reading across 105 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs

Words and structures a reader meets early in Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Bensley: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bolt-court: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fleet-street: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Preface: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I · Chapter 1

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Vocabulary met early in Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs