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The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth
The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth is here in full — 542 sentences across 109 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/108 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.
And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.
But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.
And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.
I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.
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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 descent of the sun: A cycle of birth

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth is here in full — 542 sentences across 109 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/108 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.
Line 2
And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.
Line 3
But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.
Line 4
And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.
/ənd hiː sed tuː hɪm bɪˈwer lest aɪ kɪl ðiː ðaʊ oʊld ˌɪmˈpɔːstər/
Line 5
I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.
/aɪ wɪl weɪst noʊ mɔːr taɪm ɪkˈspektɪŋ tuː hiːr frʌm ðiː maɪ weɪ tuː ðə lænd ʌv ðə ˈloʊtəs bʌt faɪnd ɪt ɪn spaɪt ʌv ðiː/

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.

Beware verb US /bɪˈwer/

be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to

From this reading “And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.”

emancipation noun US /ɪˌmænsəˈpeɪʃən/

freeing someone from the control of another; especially a parent's relinquishing authority and control over a minor child

From this reading “Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.”

expecting verb US /ɪkˈspektɪŋ/

-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely

From this reading “I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.”

ignorance noun US /ˈɪɡnərəns/

the lack of knowledge or education

From this reading “Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.”

impostor noun US /ˌɪmˈpɔːstər/

a person who makes deceitful pretenses

From this reading “And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.”

Lotus noun US /ˈloʊtəs/

native to eastern Asia; widely cultivated for its large pink or white flowers

From this reading “Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.”

stuck adjective US /stʌk/

caught or fixed

From this reading “And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.”

waste noun US /weɪst/

any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted

From this reading “I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.”

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.

cut off verb + particle

make a break in

In this reading “But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.”

in spite preposition + noun

In this reading “I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.”

suddenly struck adverb + adjective

In this reading “But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.”

own ignorance verb + noun

In this reading “Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.”

hear from verb + particle

In this reading “I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.”

All words in this reading · 59

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 But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.

BewareverbUS /bɪˈwer/

be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to

From this reading And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.

blowverbUS /bloʊ/

exhale hard

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

cutverbUS /kʌt/

separate with or as if with an instrument

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

emancipationnounUS /ɪˌmænsəˈpeɪʃən/

freeing someone from the control of another; especially a parent's relinquishing authority and control over a minor child

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

expectingverbUS /ɪkˈspektɪŋ/

-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.

ignorancenounUS /ˈɪɡnərəns/

the lack of knowledge or education

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

impostornounUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːstər/

a person who makes deceitful pretenses

From this reading And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

killverbUS /kɪl/

cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.

LandnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

lestconjunctionUS /lest/

in order that something should not happen

From this reading And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.

LotusnounUS /ˈloʊtəs/

native to eastern Asia; widely cultivated for its large pink or white flowers

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

lucknounUS /lʌk/

your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

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

From this reading And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

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

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

spitenounUS /spaɪt/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

stuckadjectiveUS /stʌk/

caught or fixed

From this reading And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

SunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

swordnounUS /sɔːrd/

a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

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

From this reading And he said to him: Beware lest I kill thee, thou old impostor.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

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

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

tonguenounUS /tʌŋ/

a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity

From this reading And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.

Umra-Singh

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

From this reading And he stuck out at Umra-Singh his tongue.

Wairágí

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

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

wastenounUS /weɪst/

any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Then said the Wairágí: Now shall thou have emancipation from thy own ignorance, as to thy way to the Land of the Lotus of the Sun.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading I will waste no more time expecting to hear from thee my way to the Land of the Lotus, but find it in spite of thee.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading But Umra-Singh suddenly struck at him a blow of his sword, and as luck would have it, he cut off the end of his tongue.

Chapter 2 of The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth by Unknown holds 542 sentences, grouped into 109 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 2 of The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth contain?

Chapter 2 holds 542 sentences of The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth, unabridged, divided into 109 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth by Unknown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 542 sentences, grouped into 109 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 2 of The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth?

Work through the 109 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 109 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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.

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

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Vocabulary met early in The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth

Words and structures a reader meets early in The descent of the sun: A cycle of birth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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