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The Coming of Cuculain
The Coming of Cuculain

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of The Coming of Cuculain is here in full — 54 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
DETHCAEN’S NURSLING Very small and beautiful like a star.”
--HOMER.
I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”
SHELLEY.
Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Coming of Cuculain

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of The Coming of Cuculain is here in full — 54 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
DETHCAEN’S NURSLINGVery small and beautiful like a star.”
Line 2
--HOMER.
/ˈhoʊmər/
Line 3
I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”
Line 4
SHELLEY.
/ˈʃeli/
Line 5
Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

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.

Dun noun US /dʌn/

horse of a dull brownish grey color

From this reading “Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.”

Eastern adjective US /ˈiːstərn/

lying toward or situated in the east

From this reading “Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.”

homer noun US /ˈhoʊmər/

a base hit on which the batter scores a run

From this reading “--HOMER.”

mists noun US /mɪsts/

plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground

From this reading ““I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.””

morn noun US /mɔːrn/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading ““I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.””

Righteous adjective US /ˈraɪtʃəs/

characterized by or proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice

From this reading “Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.”

shelley noun US /ˈʃeli/

English writer who created Frankenstein's monster and married Percy Bysshe Shelley (1797-1851)

From this reading “SHELLEY.”

Starry adjective US /ˈstɑːriː/

abounding with or resembling stars

From this reading ““I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.””

All words in this reading · 50

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 DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

blessedadjectiveUS /blest/

highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

Dalgan

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

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

Dectera

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

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

delightverbUS /dɪˈlaɪt/

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

DETHCAEN'S

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

From this reading DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

drest

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

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

DunnounUS /dʌn/

horse of a dull brownish grey color

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

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

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

EasternadjectiveUS /ˈiːstərn/

lying toward or situated in the east

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

Factna

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

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

freshadjectiveUS /freʃ/

recently made, produced, or harvested

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

goldenadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊldən/

having the deep slightly brownish color of gold

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

HOMERnounUS /ˈhoʊmər/

a base hit on which the batter scores a run

From this reading --HOMER.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

leavesnounUS /liːvz/

plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

lovest

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

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

mistsnounUS /mɪsts/

plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

mornnounUS /mɔːrn/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

NURSLINGnoun

an infant considered in relation to its nurse

From this reading DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

RighteousadjectiveUS /ˈraɪtʃəs/

characterized by or proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

SeanounUS /siː/

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

SHELLEYnounUS /ˈʃeli/

English writer who created Frankenstein's monster and married Percy Bysshe Shelley (1797-1851)

From this reading SHELLEY.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

SpiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

starnounUS /stɑːr/

(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

StarryadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːriː/

abounding with or resembling stars

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

Sualtam

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

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

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

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

VeryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading DETHCAEN’S NURSLING “Very small and beautiful like a star.”

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading “I love all that thou lovest, Spirit of delight; The fresh earth in new leaves drest, And the blessed night; Starry evening and the morn, When the golden mists are born.”

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading Sualtam of Dun Dalgan on the Eastern Sea, took to wife Dectera, daughter of Factna the Righteous.

Chapter 3 of The Coming of Cuculain by Standish O'Grady holds 54 sentences, grouped into 11 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 3 of The Coming of Cuculain contain?

Chapter 3 holds 54 sentences of The Coming of Cuculain, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The Coming of Cuculain by Standish O'Grady exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 54 sentences, grouped into 11 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 3 of The Coming of Cuculain?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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 Coming of Cuculain

Common questions about reading The Coming of Cuculain by Standish O'Grady on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Coming of Cuculain?

Yes. All 1562 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5092 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Coming of Cuculain is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5092, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Coming of Cuculain take to read?

About 130 minutes of reading across 313 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Coming of Cuculain section by section

How to work through The Coming of Cuculain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Coming of Cuculain to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Coming of Cuculain

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Coming of Cuculain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Giants
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Coming of Cuculain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Earth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Coming of Cuculain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Those
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Coming of Cuculain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mighty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Coming of Cuculain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.