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Sights from a Steeple
Sights from a Steeple

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Sights from a Steeple is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Sights from a Steeple
Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
O!
I have climbed high, and my reward is small.
Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.
O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!
And yet I shiver at that cold and solitary thought.
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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.

Sights from a Steeple

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Sights from a Steeple is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
O!
/oʊ/
Line 2
I have climbed high, and my reward is small.
/aɪ hæv klaɪmd haɪ ənd maɪ rɪˈwɔːrd ɪz smɔːl/
Line 3
Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.
/hiːr aɪ stænd wɪð ˈwɪrid niːz ɜːrθ ˌɪnˈdiːd æt ə ˈdɪzi depθ bɪˈloʊ bʌt ˈhevən fɑːr fɑːr bɪˈɑːnd miː stɪl/
Line 4
O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!
/oʊ ðæt aɪ kʊd sɔːr ʌp ˈɪntuː ðə ˈveri ˈziːnəθ wer mæn ˈnevər briːðd nɔːr ˈiːɡəl ˈevər fluː ənd wer ðə ɪˈθɪriəl ˈæʒər melts əˈweɪ frʌm ðə aɪ ənd əˈpɪrz ˈoʊnli ə ˈdiːpənd ʃeɪd ʌv ˈnʌθɪŋnəs/
Line 5
And yet I shiver at that cold and solitary thought.
/ənd jet aɪ ˈʃɪvər æt ðæt koʊld ənd ˈsɑːləteri θɔːt/

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.

azure noun US /ˈæʒər/

a light shade of blue

From this reading “O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!”

deepened verb US /ˈdiːpənd/

past form of “deepen” — make more intense, stronger, or more marked

From this reading “O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!”

dizzy adjective US /ˈdɪzi/

having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling

From this reading “Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.”

ethereal adjective US /ɪˈθɪriəl/

characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air

From this reading “O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!”

melts noun US /melts/

plural of “melt” — the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid

From this reading “O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!”

nothingness noun US /ˈnʌθɪŋnəs/

the state of nonexistence

From this reading “O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!”

soar verb US /sɔːr/

rise rapidly

From this reading “O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!”

zenith noun US /ˈziːnəθ/

the point above the observer that is directly opposite the nadir on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected

From this reading “O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!”

All words in this reading · 61

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 Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

appearsverbUS /əˈpɪrz/

third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

azurenounUS /ˈæʒər/

a light shade of blue

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

breathedadjectiveUS /briːðd/

uttered without voice

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

climbedverbUS /klaɪmd/

past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading And yet I shiver at that cold and solitary thought.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

deepenedverbUS /ˈdiːpənd/

past form of “deepen” — make more intense, stronger, or more marked

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

depthnounUS /depθ/

the extent downward or backward or inward

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

dizzyadjectiveUS /ˈdɪzi/

having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

eaglenounUS /ˈiːɡəl/

any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

etherealadjectiveUS /ɪˈθɪriəl/

characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

eyenounUS /aɪ/

the organ of sight

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

flewverbUS /fluː/

inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

heavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

kneesnounUS /niːz/

plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

meltsnounUS /melts/

plural of “melt” — the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

nothingnessnounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋnəs/

the state of nonexistence

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading O!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

rewardnounUS /rɪˈwɔːrd/

a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

shadenounUS /ʃeɪd/

relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

shiververbUS /ˈʃɪvər/

tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement

From this reading And yet I shiver at that cold and solitary thought.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading I have climbed high, and my reward is small.

soarverbUS /sɔːr/

rise rapidly

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

solitaryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləteri/

characterized by or preferring solitude

From this reading And yet I shiver at that cold and solitary thought.

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

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

From this reading And yet I shiver at that cold and solitary thought.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

weariedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪrid/

exhausted

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Here I stand, with wearied knees, earth, indeed, at a dizzy depth below, but heaven far, far beyond me still.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading And yet I shiver at that cold and solitary thought.

zenithnounUS /ˈziːnəθ/

the point above the observer that is directly opposite the nadir on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected

From this reading O that I could soar up into the very zenith, where man never breathed, nor eagle ever flew, and where the ethereal azure melts away from the eye, and appears only a deepened shade of nothingness!

Chapter 1 of Sights from a Steeple by Nathaniel Hawthorne holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 Sights from a Steeple contain?

Chapter 1 holds 98 sentences of Sights from a Steeple, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Sights from a Steeple by Nathaniel Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 Sights from a Steeple?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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 Sights from a Steeple

Common questions about reading Sights from a Steeple by Nathaniel Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Sights from a Steeple?

Yes. All 98 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9205 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Sights from a Steeple is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9205, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Sights from a Steeple take to read?

About 8 minutes of reading across 20 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Sights from a Steeple section by section

How to work through Sights from a Steeple section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of Sights from a Steeple 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 Sights from a Steeple

Words and structures a reader meets early in Sights from a Steeple, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Climbed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sights from a Steeple; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Reward
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sights from a Steeple; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Small
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sights from a Steeple; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sights from a Steeple; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.