Chapter 4 of Sappho's Journal is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Sappho's Journal is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Justice is rightly placed among the stars. On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one. He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face. “So Aesop made them?” he said. “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
Chapter 4 of Sappho's Journal is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
Greek author of fables (circa 620-560 BC)
From this reading ““So Aesop made them?” he said.”
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “ On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.”
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading “ On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.”
-ing form of “describe” — give a description of
From this reading “ On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.”
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading “Justice is rightly placed among the stars.”
any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
From this reading ““It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.”
with honesty
From this reading “Justice is rightly placed among the stars.”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “Justice is rightly placed among the stars.”
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 “He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.”
In this reading “Justice is rightly placed among the stars.”
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 He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
Greek author of fables (circa 620-560 BC)
From this reading “So Aesop made them?” he said.
Greek lyric poet of Lesbos; reputed inventor of Alcaic verse (611-580 BC)
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Justice is rightly placed among the stars.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
-ing form of “describe” — give a description of
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Justice is rightly placed among the stars.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading Justice is rightly placed among the stars.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “So Aesop made them?” he said.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading Justice is rightly placed among the stars.
any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
with honesty
From this reading Justice is rightly placed among the stars.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “So Aesop made them?” he said.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So Aesop made them?” he said.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Justice is rightly placed among the stars.
not in physical motion
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Justice is rightly placed among the stars.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He felt them carefully—too slowly—a sad expression on his face.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading On my next visit to Alcaeus, I took my clay animals and placed them in his hands, describing each, one by one.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It’s good you have them...proof that his world is still here.
Chapter 4 of Sappho's Journal by Paul Alexander Bartlett holds 463 sentences, grouped into 93 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 4 holds 463 sentences of Sappho's Journal, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Sappho's Journal by Paul Alexander Bartlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 463 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 4 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 Sappho's Journal by Paul Alexander Bartlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3050 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39467 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39467, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 610 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sappho's Journal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Sappho's Journal 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 Sappho's Journal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
