The Brownings, Their Life and Art

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Brownings, Their Life and Art is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Lilian Whiting • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Brownings, Their Life and Art

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

AUBIN'S--"RED COTTON NIGHT-CAP COUNTRY"--ROBERT BARRETT BROWNING'S GIFT FOR ART--ALFRED DOMETT ("WARING")--"BALAUSTION'S ADVENTURE"--BROWNING AND TENNYSON-- "PACCHIAROTTO"--VISITS JOWETT AT OXFORD--DECLINES LORD RECTORSHIP OF ST.

Narrator

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.

Chapter XII Reading 1/41

The Brownings, Their Life and Art Lilian Whiting

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Brownings, Their Life and Art is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth. Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond? O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!" IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST. AUBIN'S--"RED COTTON NIGHT-CAP COUNTRY"--ROBERT BARRETT BROWNING'S GIFT FOR ART--ALFRED DOMETT ("WARING")--"BALAUSTION'S ADVENTURE"--BROWNING AND TENNYSON-- "PACCHIAROTTO"--VISITS JOWETT AT OXFORD--DECLINES LORD RECTORSHIP OF ST.

The Brownings, Their Life and Art

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Brownings, Their Life and Art is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

Line 2

Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

Line 3

O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

/oʊ laɪf oʊ bɪˈɑːnd ðaʊ ɑːrt streɪndʒ ðaʊ ɑːrt swiːt/

Line 4

IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

Line 5

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.

alfred noun US /ˈælfrəd/

king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)

From this reading “AUBIN'S--"RED COTTON NIGHT-CAP COUNTRY"--ROBERT BARRETT BROWNING'S GIFT FOR ART--ALFRED DOMETT ("WARING")--"BALAUSTION'S ADVENTURE"--BROWNING AND TENNYSON-- "PACCHIAROTTO"--VISITS JOWETT AT OXFORD--DECLINES LORD RECTORSHIP OF ST.”

browning noun US /ˈbraʊnɪŋ/

United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)

From this reading “IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.”

browning's noun US /ˈbraʊnɪŋz/

possessive form of “browning” — United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)

From this reading “IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.”

cotton noun US /ˈkɑːtən/

soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state

declines noun US /dɪˈklaɪnz/

plural of “decline” — change toward something smaller or lower

jowett noun US /ˈdʒaʊɪt/

English classical scholar noted for his translations of Plato and Aristotle (1817-1893)

tennyson noun US /ˈtenɪsən/

Englishman and Victorian poet (1809-1892)

waring verb US /ˈwerɪŋ/

-ing form of “ware” — spend extravagantly

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

RED COTTON noun + noun

In this reading “AUBIN'S--"RED COTTON NIGHT-CAP COUNTRY"--ROBERT BARRETT BROWNING'S GIFT FOR ART--ALFRED DOMETT ("WARING")--"BALAUSTION'S ADVENTURE"--BROWNING AND TENNYSON-- "PACCHIAROTTO"--VISITS JOWETT AT OXFORD--DECLINES LORD RECTORSHIP OF ST.”

All words in this reading · 73

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.

1869

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

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

1880

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

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

ADVENTUREverbUS /ædˈventʃər/

take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

From this reading AUBIN'S--"RED COTTON NIGHT-CAP COUNTRY"--ROBERT BARRETT BROWNING'S GIFT FOR ART--ALFRED DOMETT ("WARING")--"BALAUSTION'S ADVENTURE"--BROWNING AND TENNYSON-- "PACCHIAROTTO"--VISITS JOWETT AT OXFORD--DECLINES LORD RECTORSHIP OF ST.

ALFREDnounUS /ˈælfrəd/

king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

AMUSINGadjectiveUS /əˈmjuːzɪŋ/

providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

angelnounUS /ˈeɪndʒəl/

spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

AUBIN'S

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

BALAUSTION'S

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

BARRETT

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

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

BeyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

BROWNINGnounUS /ˈbraʊnɪŋ/

United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)

BROWNING'SnounUS /ˈbraʊnɪŋz/

possessive form of “browning” — United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

clear-eyedadjective

mentally acute or penetratingly discerning

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

CONVERSATIONnounUS /ˌkɑːnvərˈseɪʃən/

the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

COTTONnounUS /ˈkɑːtən/

soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

COUNTRYnounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

DECLINESnounUS /dɪˈklaɪnz/

plural of “decline” — change toward something smaller or lower

deep-thoughted

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

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

despondverb

lose confidence or hope; become dejected

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

DOMETT

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

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

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

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

GIFTnounUS /ɡɪft/

something acquired without compensation

heaven-heights

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

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

heavensnounUS /ˈhevənz/

the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

INCIDENTnounUS /ˈɪnsədənt/

a single distinct event

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

JOWETTnounUS /ˈdʒaʊɪt/

English classical scholar noted for his translations of Plato and Aristotle (1817-1893)

keepsnounUS /kiːps/

plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

LifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

LORDnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

MILSAND

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

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

NIGHT-CAP

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

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 Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

OXFORDnounUS /ˈɑːksfərd/

a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University

PACCHIAROTTO

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

poetnounUS /ˈpoʊət/

a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

RECTORSHIPnoun

the office or station of a rector

REDnounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

ROBERTnounUS /ˈrɑːbərt/

United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)

SCOTLANDnounUS /ˈskɑːtlənd/

one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

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

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

stepnounUS /step/

any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

STORYS

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

From this reading IN SCOTLAND WITH THE STORYS--BROWNING'S CONVERSATION--AN AMUSING INCIDENT--WITH MILSAND AT ST.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

TENNYSONnounUS /ˈtenɪsən/

Englishman and Victorian poet (1809-1892)

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

ThoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading O Life, O Beyond, Thou art strange, thou art sweet!"

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

Twixt

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

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

VISITSnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/

plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time

walknounUS /wɔːk/

the act of traveling by foot

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

WARINGverbUS /ˈwerɪŋ/

-ing form of “ware” — spend extravagantly

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading 1869-1880 "I am strong in the spirit, deep-thoughted, clear-eyed; I could walk, step for step, with an angel beside, On the heaven-heights of truth.

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading Oh, the soul keeps its youth * * * * * "'Twixt the heavens and the earth _can_ a poet despond?

Chapter 12 of The Brownings, Their Life and Art by Lilian Whiting holds 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 12 of The Brownings, Their Life and Art contain?

Chapter 12 holds 209 sentences of The Brownings, Their Life and Art, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Brownings, Their Life and Art by Lilian Whiting exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 12 of The Brownings, Their Life and Art?

Work through the 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 42 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 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 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.

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Yes. All 3519 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30671 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #30671, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Brownings, Their Life and Art take to read?

About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Printers: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Brownings, Their Life and Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter XII

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