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The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning
The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning

Chapter XXV

Chapter 25 of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning is here in full — 823 sentences across 165 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning
Context Illustration Reading 1/164 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?
Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!
The house is mute.
Turn we to song and dance!
For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!
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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 Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning

Chapter XXV

Chapter 25 of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning is here in full — 823 sentences across 165 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/164 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?
Line 2
Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!
/oʊld frendz ðə ˌɪmˈpaɪəs mæn ɪɡˈzɪsts nɑːt ˈeni mɔːr/
Line 3
The house is mute.
/ðə haʊs ɪz mjuːt/
Line 4
Turn we to song and dance!
/tɜːrn wiː tuː sɔːŋ ənd dæns/
Line 5
For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!
/fɔːr ðoʊz aɪ lʌv ðoʊz aɪ wɪʃ wel tuː wel fer ðeɪ tuː wɪʃ/

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.

conceit noun US /kənˈsiːt/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading “Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?”

Exists verb US /ɪɡˈzɪsts/

third-person singular of “exist” — have an existence, be extant

From this reading “Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!”

fare noun US /fer/

an agenda of things to do

From this reading “For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!”

grazed adjective US /ɡreɪzd/

scraped or touched lightly in passing

From this reading “Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?”

heavenly adjective US /ˈhevənli/

relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven

From this reading “Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?”

impious adjective US /ˌɪmˈpaɪəs/

lacking piety or reverence for a god

From this reading “Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!”

lawlessness noun US /ˈlɔːləsnəs/

a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)

From this reading “Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?”

mute adjective US /mjuːt/

expressed without speech

From this reading “The house is mute.”

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.

Old friends adjective + noun counted as “old friend”

In this reading “Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!”

threw up verb + adjective counted as “throw up”

eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth

In this reading “Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

AgainstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Turn we to song and dance!

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

blessedadjectiveUS /blest/

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

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

conceitnounUS /kənˈsiːt/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

dancenounUS /dæns/

an artistic form of nonverbal communication

From this reading Turn we to song and dance!

ExistsverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪsts/

third-person singular of “exist” — have an existence, be extant

From this reading Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!

farenounUS /fer/

an agenda of things to do

From this reading For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!

foolsnounUS /fuːlz/

plural of “fool” — a person who lacks good judgment

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!

godsnounUS /ɡɑːdz/

plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

grazedadjectiveUS /ɡreɪzd/

scraped or touched lightly in passing

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

heavenlyadjectiveUS /ˈhevənli/

relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The house is mute.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!

impiousadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpaɪəs/

lacking piety or reverence for a god

From this reading Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The house is mute.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

lawlessnessnounUS /ˈlɔːləsnəs/

a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!

MortaladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrtəl/

subject to death

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

muteadjectiveUS /mjuːt/

expressed without speech

From this reading The house is mute.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Old friends, the impious man Exists not any more!

onesnounUS /wʌnz/

plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

songnounUS /sɔːŋ/

a short musical composition with words

From this reading Turn we to song and dance!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

threwverbUS /θruː/

inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Turn we to song and dance!

TurnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading Turn we to song and dance!

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Turn we to song and dance!

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!

WhopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Who was it grazed the gods through lawlessness-- Mortal himself, threw up his fools'-conceit Against the blessed heavenly ones--as though Gods had no power?

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading For, those I love, Those I wish well to, well fare they, to wish!

Chapter 25 of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning by Robert Browning holds 823 sentences, grouped into 165 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 25 of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning contain?

Chapter 25 holds 823 sentences of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning, unabridged, divided into 165 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 25 of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning by Robert Browning exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 823 sentences, grouped into 165 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 25 of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning?

Work through the 165 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 165 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 25 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 25 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 Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning

Common questions about reading The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning by Robert Browning on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning?

Yes. All 33314 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50954 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #50954, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 6663 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning section by section

How to work through The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning 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 Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Scene
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Council
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chamber
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rivoli
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poetic and Dramatic Works of Robert Browning; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.