Chapter 13 of The Blue Flower is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Blue Flower is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp. “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them. My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend. But now he is gone--where? My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
Chapter 13 of The Blue Flower is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.”
hold firmly
From this reading “The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.”
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading “My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.”
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading “The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.”
a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
From this reading “My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.”
in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich
From this reading ““Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.”
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading ““Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.”
a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition
From this reading “The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.”
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 My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But now he is gone--where?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
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 The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.
brought together in one place
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
destroyed or killed
From this reading But now he is gone--where?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.
hold firmly
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But now he is gone--where?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
immediately past
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
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 “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But now he is gone--where?
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
From this reading My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.
in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.
possessing material wealth
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Hermas, life is passing--long, rich, prosperous; the last sands, I cannot stay them.
a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
precisely as stated
From this reading My soul is empty--nothing beyond--very dark--I am afraid.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My religion, a good policy--Julian was my friend.
in or at the place that
From this reading But now he is gone--where?
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man obeyed, and, kneeling by the couch, gathered his father’s cold, twitching fingers in his firm, warm grasp.
Chapter 13 of The Blue Flower by Henry Van Dyke holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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.
Chapter 13 holds 185 sentences of The Blue Flower, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Blue Flower by Henry Van Dyke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 13 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 The Blue Flower by Henry Van Dyke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2955 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1603 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1603, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 246 minutes of reading across 591 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blue Flower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Blue Flower 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 The Blue Flower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
