The City of Dreadful Night

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The City of Dreadful Night is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By James Thomson • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The City of Dreadful Night

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Per me si va nella citta dolente.

Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The City of Dreadful Night

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The City of Dreadful Night is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Per me si va nella citta dolente.

Line 2

Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

Line 3

Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

Line 4

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.

Dell noun US /del/

a small wooded hollow

From this reading “Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .”

non adverb US /nɑːn/

negation of a word or group of words

From this reading “Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.”

Per preposition US /pɜːr/

for each

From this reading “Per me si va nella citta dolente.”

son noun US /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading “Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.”

All words in this reading · 55

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 Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

adoprar

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

alcun

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

alcuno

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

antico

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

celeste

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

citta

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

From this reading Per me si va nella citta dolente.

cosa

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

creata

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

cui

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

D'ogni

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

DellnounUS /del/

a small wooded hollow

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

dolente

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

From this reading Per me si va nella citta dolente.

dolornoun

(poetry) painful grief

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

donde

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

eterna

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

frutto

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

Girando

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

ignuda

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

Indovinar

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

lanounUS /lɑː/

a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

Lieta

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

manounUS /mɑː/

informal terms for a mother

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Per me si va nella citta dolente.

mondo

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

morte

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

mosse

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

moti

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

natura

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

nel

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

nella

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

From this reading Per me si va nella citta dolente.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

nonadverbUS /nɑːn/

negation of a word or group of words

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

Nostra

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

ogni

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

PerprepositionUS /pɜːr/

for each

From this reading Per me si va nella citta dolente.

Poinoun

Hawaiian dish of taro root pounded to a paste and often allowed to ferment

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

posa

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

sempre

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

senza

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

sinounUS /siː/

a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors

From this reading Per me si va nella citta dolente.

sicura

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

Sola

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

tanti

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

tanto

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

tenounUS /tiː/

a brittle silver-white metalloid element that is related to selenium and sulfur; it is used in alloys and as a semiconductor; occurs mainly as tellurides in ores of copper and nickel and silver and gold

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

terrena

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

tornar

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

Uso

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

From this reading Poi di tanto adoprar, di tanti moti D'ogni celeste, ogni terrena cosa, Girando senza posa, Per tornar sempre la donde son mosse; Uso alcuno, alcun frutto Indovinar non so.

vanoun

a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War

From this reading Per me si va nella citta dolente.

volve

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

From this reading Sola nel mondo eterna, a cui si volve Ogni creata cosa, In te, morte, si posa Nostra ignuda natura; Lieta no, ma sicura Dell' antico dolor .

Chapter 1 of The City of Dreadful Night by James Thomson holds 83 sentences, grouped into 17 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 The City of Dreadful Night contain?

Chapter 1 holds 83 sentences of The City of Dreadful Night, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The City of Dreadful Night by James Thomson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 83 sentences, grouped into 17 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 The City of Dreadful Night?

Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 17 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 The City of Dreadful Night

Common questions about reading The City of Dreadful Night by James Thomson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The City of Dreadful Night?

Yes. All 245 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The City of Dreadful Night is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1238, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The City of Dreadful Night take to read?

About 20 minutes of reading across 49 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The City of Dreadful Night section by section

How to work through The City of Dreadful Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 3 chapters of The City of Dreadful Night to begin.
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Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The City of Dreadful Night

Words and structures a reader meets early in The City of Dreadful Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Nella: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The City of Dreadful Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Citta: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The City of Dreadful Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dolente: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The City of Dreadful Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tanto: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The City of Dreadful Night; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I · Chapter 1

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Vocabulary met early in The City of Dreadful Night