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The Complete Poetical Works of Henry
The Complete Poetical Works of Henry

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry is here in full — 471 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Complete Poetical Works of Henry
Context Illustration Reading 77/94 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
O slumbering eyes!
O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!
No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.
Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"
IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.
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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 Poetical Works of Henry

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry is here in full — 471 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 77/94 · 5 reading units · Lines 381–385

Line 1
O slumbering eyes!
/oʊ ˈslʌmbərɪŋ aɪz/
Line 2
O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!
/oʊ ˈdruːpɪŋ soʊlz huːz ˈdestəniz ɑːr frɔːt wɪð fɪr ənd peɪn jiː ʃæl biː lʌvd əˈɡen/
Line 3
No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.
/noʊ wʌn ɪz soʊ ˌæˈkɜːrst baɪ feɪt noʊ wʌn soʊ ˈʌtərli ˈdesələt bʌt sʌm hɑːrt ðoʊ ənˈnoʊn rɪˈspɑːndz ˈʌntuː hɪz oʊn/
Line 4
Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"
Line 5
IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

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.

accursed adjective US /ˌæˈkɜːrst/

under a curse

From this reading “No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.”

destinies noun US /ˈdestəniz/

plural of “destiny” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading “O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!”

drooping adjective US /ˈdruːpɪŋ/

weak from exhaustion

From this reading “O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!”

fraught adjective US /frɔːt/

marked by distress

From this reading “O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!”

Responds verb US /rɪˈspɑːndz/

third-person singular of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something

From this reading “No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.”

slumbering verb US /ˈslʌmbərɪŋ/

-ing form of “slumber” — be asleep

From this reading “O slumbering eyes!”

strings noun US /strɪŋz/

the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments

From this reading “Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"”

whispers noun US /ˈwɪspərz/

plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords

From this reading “Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

accursedadjectiveUS /ˌæˈkɜːrst/

under a curse

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

ALWAYSadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

angelnounUS /ˈeɪndʒəl/

spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

antano

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

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

Areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

desolateadjectiveUS /ˈdesələt/

providing no shelter or sustenance

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

destiniesnounUS /ˈdestəniz/

plural of “destiny” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

droopingadjectiveUS /ˈdruːpɪŋ/

weak from exhaustion

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

ennounUS /en/

half the width of an em

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading O slumbering eyes!

fatenounUS /feɪt/

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

fraughtadjectiveUS /frɔːt/

marked by distress

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

hastauxiliary verbUS /hæst/

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

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

haynounUS /heɪ/

grass mowed and cured for use as fodder

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

ITpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

los

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

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

lovedadjectiveUS /lʌvd/

held dear

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

MAYmodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

nidos

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

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

NOTadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

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 slumbering eyes!

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

painnounUS /peɪn/

a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

pajaros

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

From this reading IT IS NOT ALWAYS MAY No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

quiveringnounUS /ˈkwɪvərɪŋ/

a shaky motion

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

RespondsverbUS /rɪˈspɑːndz/

third-person singular of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

slumberingverbUS /ˈslʌmbərɪŋ/

-ing form of “slumber” — be asleep

From this reading O slumbering eyes!

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

songnounUS /sɔːŋ/

a short musical composition with words

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

soulsnounUS /soʊlz/

plural of “soul” — the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

stayedverbUS /steɪd/

past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

stringsnounUS /strɪŋz/

the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

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

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

touchedadjectiveUS /tʌtʃt/

having come into contact

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

unknownadjectiveUS /ənˈnoʊn/

not known

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

unseenadjectiveUS /ənˈsiːn/

not seen or perceived

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

untoprepositionUS /ˈʌntuː/

an old word for “to”

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

utterlyadverbUS /ˈʌtərli/

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

From this reading No one is so accursed by fate, No one so utterly desolate, But some heart, though unknown, Responds unto his own.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

whispersnounUS /ˈwɪspərz/

plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

wingsnounUS /wɪŋz/

a means of flight or ascent

From this reading Responds,--as if with unseen wings, An angel touched its quivering strings; And whispers, in its song, "'Where hast thou stayed so long?"

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

YepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading O drooping souls, whose destinies Are fraught with fear and pain, Ye shall be loved again!

Chapter 1 of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow holds 471 sentences, grouped into 95 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 Complete Poetical Works of Henry contain?

Chapter 1 holds 471 sentences of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 471 sentences, grouped into 95 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 Complete Poetical Works of Henry?

Work through the 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 95 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 Complete Poetical Works of Henry

Common questions about reading The Complete Poetical Works of Henry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry?

Yes. All 15710 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1365 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1365, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Complete Poetical Works of Henry take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 3142 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Complete Poetical Works of Henry section by section

How to work through The Complete Poetical Works of Henry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry 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 Poetical Works of Henry

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Complete Poetical Works of Henry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Passover
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Clamantis
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mount
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poetical Works of Henry; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.