Chapter 7 of Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray. Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky. I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me. O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught. I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
Chapter 7 of Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.”
something considered choice to eat
From this reading “I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.”
listen; used mostly in the imperative
From this reading “I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.”
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.”
a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
From this reading “Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.”
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.”
a person who has never had sex
From this reading “Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.”
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 I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
a window sash that is hinged (usually on one side)
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
dearly loved
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
something considered choice to eat
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
listen; used mostly in the imperative
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
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 Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
and nothing more
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading I only had one penny, so Old Goody Jenkins let it go.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading O Lady Mary, I have bought A candle, as the good priest taught.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
a person who has never had sex
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
during the time that
From this reading Sancta Maria, Succurre Miseris Dear Virgin Mary, far away, Look down from Heaven while I pray.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I am so little, it may be A task for you to harken me.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Open your golden casement high, And lean way out beyond the sky.
Chapter 7 of Sword Blades and Poppy Seed by Amy Lowell holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 7 holds 178 sentences of Sword Blades and Poppy Seed, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Sword Blades and Poppy Seed by Amy Lowell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 7 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 Sword Blades and Poppy Seed by Amy Lowell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1947 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1020 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1020, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 162 minutes of reading across 390 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sword Blades and Poppy Seed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Sword Blades and Poppy Seed 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 Sword Blades and Poppy Seed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
