Chapter 1 of Second April is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Second April is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
To what purpose, April, do you return again? Beauty is not enough. You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily. I know what I know. The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
Chapter 1 of Second April is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading “To what purpose, April, do you return again?”
any of numerous low-growing plants of the genus Crocus having slender grasslike leaves and white or yellow or purple flowers; native chiefly to the Mediterranean region but widely cultivated
From this reading “The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.”
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading “The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.”
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.”
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.”
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.”
a response of body tissues to injury or irritation; characterized by pain and swelling and redness and heat
From this reading “You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.”
plural of “spike” — a transient variation in voltage or current
From this reading “The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.”
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.
anew
From this reading To what purpose, April, do you return again?
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading To what purpose, April, do you return again?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading Beauty is not enough.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
any of numerous low-growing plants of the genus Crocus having slender grasslike leaves and white or yellow or purple flowers; native chiefly to the Mediterranean region but widely cultivated
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading To what purpose, April, do you return again?
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Beauty is not enough.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I know what I know.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Beauty is not enough.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I know what I know.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
for more time
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
not any; not one
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Beauty is not enough.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading To what purpose, April, do you return again?
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
a response of body tissues to injury or irritation; characterized by pain and swelling and redness and heat
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading To what purpose, April, do you return again?
plural of “spike” — a transient variation in voltage or current
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
in a sticky viscid manner
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To what purpose, April, do you return again?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading To what purpose, April, do you return again?
in the company of; together with
From this reading You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Chapter 1 of Second April by Edna St. Vincent Millay holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 1 holds 102 sentences of Second April, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Second April by Edna St. Vincent Millay exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 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.
Common questions about reading Second April by Edna St. Vincent Millay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 294 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1247 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1247, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 24 minutes of reading across 59 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Second April section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Second April 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 Second April, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
