Chapter 5 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar is here in full — 309 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar is here in full — 309 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Who shall say it? Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken? Phyllis, Phyllis, why be waiting? In the woods the birds are mating. From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
Chapter 5 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar is here in full — 309 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/61 · 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 “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “In the woods the birds are mating.”
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading “Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?”
the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes
From this reading “In the woods the birds are mating.”
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading “Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?”
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.”
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.”
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading “Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?”
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “In the woods the birds are mating.”
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 Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In the woods the birds are mating.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Phyllis, Phyllis, why be waiting?
next to; at the side of
From this reading From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading In the woods the birds are mating.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
a compact mass
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Who shall say it?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes
From this reading In the woods the birds are mating.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Phyllis, Phyllis, why be waiting?
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
express in words
From this reading Who shall say it?
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Who shall say it?
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading Who may know it, That the clod is not a poet Waiting but a gleam to waken In a spirit music-shaken?
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading From the tree beside the wall, Hear the am'rous robin call.
which person or people
From this reading Who shall say it?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Phyllis, Phyllis, why be waiting?
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading In the woods the birds are mating.
Chapter 5 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Paul Laurence Dunbar holds 309 sentences, grouped into 62 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 5 holds 309 sentences of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, unabridged, divided into 62 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Paul Laurence Dunbar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 309 sentences, grouped into 62 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 62 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 62 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 5 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 Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Paul Laurence Dunbar on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3800 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18338 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18338, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 316 minutes of reading across 760 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar 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 Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
