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Sarrasine
Sarrasine

Chapter I

Cover illustration for Sarrasine
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.
I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.
The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.
Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.
The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Sarrasine

Chapter I

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.
Line 2
I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.
Line 3
The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.
Line 4
Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.
Line 5
The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.”

Everybody pronoun US /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading “I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.”

Partly noun US /partly/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.”

Struck noun US /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.”

Watered noun US /ˈwatered/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.”

All words in this reading · 78

Every word is available to listen to. 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 was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

able

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

background

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

barely

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

Bell

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

Bernard

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

buried

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

Charles

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

Clara

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

clock

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

From this reading The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.

cloudy

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

concealed

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

contemplate

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

covered

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

curtain

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

du

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

Elysee-Bourbon

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

From this reading The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

evening

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

everybodypronounUS /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

festivities

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

folds

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

formed

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

frivolous

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

garden

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

Grail

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

grayish

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

indistinctly

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

just

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

From this reading The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.

leisure

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

man

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

mansion

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

midnight

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

From this reading The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.

midst

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

Monsieur

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

moon

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

most

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

others

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

outlined

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

partly

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

passing

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

profound

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

recess

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

reveries

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

Seated

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

silk

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

sky

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

snow

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

strucknounUS /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The clock on the Elysee-Bourbon had just struck midnight.

subject

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

Translated

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

From this reading Translated by Clara Bell and others To Monsieur Charles Bernard du Grail.

trees

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

undulating

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

uproarious

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

waterednounUS /ˈwatered/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading I was buried in one of those profound reveries to which everybody, even a frivolous man, is subject in the midst of the most uproarious festivities.

whitened

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

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.

window

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

From this reading Seated in a window recess and concealed behind the undulating folds of a curtain of watered silk, I was able to contemplate at my leisure the garden of the mansion at which I was passing the evening.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The trees, being partly covered with snow, were outlined indistinctly against the grayish background formed by a cloudy sky, barely whitened by the moon.