Chapter 14 of The Blue Flower is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Blue Flower is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room. A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face. “You are right,” said Hermas. “I am tired. We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
Chapter 14 of The Blue Flower is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 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.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.”
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
From this reading “A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.”
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading “The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.”
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.”
in a stupid manner
From this reading “We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading ““I am tired.”
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 The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am tired.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are right,” said Hermas.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
the act of departing
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You are right,” said Hermas.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am tired.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
a person who passes by casually or by chance
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “You are right,” said Hermas.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You are right,” said Hermas.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading A quick illumination falls on it, and the passer-by is startled by the look of his own face.
in a stupid manner
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “I am tired.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading We have been going on stupidly in this house, as if nothing were possible but what my father had done before me.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The question was like a mirror upon which one comes suddenly in a half-lighted room.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are right,” said Hermas.
Chapter 14 of The Blue Flower by Henry Van Dyke holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 14 holds 186 sentences of The Blue Flower, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Blue Flower by Henry Van Dyke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 14 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.
