Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Selections from the Poems and Plays
Selections from the Poems and Plays

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Selections from the Poems and Plays is here in full — 335 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Selections from the Poems and Plays
Context Illustration Reading 1/67 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.
A foolish thought, and worse, perhaps!
5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.
So, for their sake, be May still May!
Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Selections from the Poems and Plays

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Selections from the Poems and Plays is here in full — 335 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/67 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.
Line 2
A foolish thought, and worse, perhaps!
/ə ˈfuːlɪʃ θɔːt ənd wɜːrs pərˈhæps/
Line 3
5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.
Line 4
So, for their sake, be May still May!
/soʊ fɔːr ðer seɪk biː meɪ stɪl meɪ/
Line 5
Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

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.

bid verb US /bɪd/

propose a payment

From this reading “Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.”

delightful adjective US /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading “MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.”

deserve verb US /dɪˈzɜːrv/

be worthy or deserving

From this reading “5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.”

fourth noun US /fɔːrθ/

following the third position; number four in a countable series

From this reading “MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.”

manifold noun US /ˈmænəfoʊld/

a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes

From this reading “Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.”

sights noun US /saɪts/

an optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument

From this reading “Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.”

spring's noun US /sprɪŋz/

possessive form of “spring” — the season of growth

From this reading “MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.”

throng noun US /θrɔːŋ/

a large gathering of people

From this reading “Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.”

All words in this reading · 68

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.

10

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

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

5

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

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading A foolish thought, and worse, perhaps!

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

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

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

armnounUS /ɑːrm/

a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

Aye

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

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

bidverbUS /bɪd/

propose a payment

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

CharlesnounUS /tʃɑːrlz/

King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

DEATHnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

delightfuladjectiveUS /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

deserveverbUS /dɪˈzɜːrv/

be worthy or deserving

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

evening-ends

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

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

foolishadjectiveUS /ˈfuːlɪʃ/

devoid of good sense or judgment

From this reading A foolish thought, and worse, perhaps!

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

fourthnounUS /fɔːrθ/

following the third position; number four in a countable series

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

manifoldnounUS /ˈmænəfoʊld/

a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

MAYmodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

Moon-births

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

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

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

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

pairnounUS /per/

a set of two similar things considered as a unit

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

partsnounUS /pɑːrts/

the local environment

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading A foolish thought, and worse, perhaps!

sakenounUS /seɪk/

a reason for wanting something done

From this reading So, for their sake, be May still May!

sightsnounUS /saɪts/

an optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So, for their sake, be May still May!

soundsnounUS /saʊndz/

plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

spring'snounUS /sprɪŋz/

possessive form of “spring” — the season of growth

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading So, for their sake, be May still May!

SweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading So, for their sake, be May still May!

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading A foolish thought, and worse, perhaps!

ThreenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

throngnounUS /θrɔːŋ/

a large gathering of people

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Let their new time, as mine of old, 10 Do all it did for me: I bid Sweet sights and sounds throng manifold.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

warmadjectiveUS /wɔːrm/

having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

WhopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading 5 There must be many a pair of friends Who, arm in arm, deserve the warm Moon-births and the long evening-ends.

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

worseadjectiveUS /wɜːrs/

(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability

From this reading A foolish thought, and worse, perhaps!

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading MAY AND DEATH I wish that when you died last May, Charles, there had died along with you Three parts of spring's delightful things; Aye, and, for me, the fourth part, too.

Chapter 8 of Selections from the Poems and Plays by Robert Browning holds 335 sentences, grouped into 67 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 8 of Selections from the Poems and Plays contain?

Chapter 8 holds 335 sentences of Selections from the Poems and Plays, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Selections from the Poems and Plays by Robert Browning exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 335 sentences, grouped into 67 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 8 of Selections from the Poems and Plays?

Work through the 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 67 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 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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 Selections from the Poems and Plays

Common questions about reading Selections from the Poems and Plays by Robert Browning on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Selections from the Poems and Plays?

Yes. All 5251 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Selections from the Poems and Plays is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #28041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Selections from the Poems and Plays take to read?

About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Selections from the Poems and Plays section by section

How to work through Selections from the Poems and Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of Selections from the Poems and Plays to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Selections from the Poems and Plays

Words and structures a reader meets early in Selections from the Poems and Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Professor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Selections from the Poems and Plays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
English
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Selections from the Poems and Plays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Literature
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Selections from the Poems and Plays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
University
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Selections from the Poems and Plays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.