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The Flower of the Mind
The Flower of the Mind

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Flower of the Mind is here in full — 19 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Flower of the Mind
Context Illustration Reading 1/3 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.
And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!
And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!
Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.
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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 Flower of the Mind

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Flower of the Mind is here in full — 19 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/3 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.
/ðə sʌn naʊ roʊz əˈpɑːn ðə raɪt aʊt ʌv ðə siː keɪm hiː stɪl hɪd ɪn mɪst ənd ɑːn ðə left went daʊn ˈɪntuː ðə siː/
Line 2
And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!
Line 3
And I had done a hellish thing, And it would workem woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.
Line 4
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!
Line 5
Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

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.

blew verb US /bluː/

inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard

From this reading “And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!”

fog noun US /fɑːɡ/

droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground

From this reading “Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.”

God's noun US /ɡɑːdz/

possessive form 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

hellish adjective US /ˈhelɪʃ/

(informal) very unpleasant

From this reading “And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.”

hollo verb US /ˈhɑːloʊ/

encourage somebody by crying hollo

From this reading “And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!”

slay verb US /sleɪ/

kill intentionally and with premeditation

From this reading “Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!”

woe noun US /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading “And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.”

wretch noun US /retʃ/

performs some wicked deed

From this reading “Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!”

All words in this reading · 76

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 And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

Ah

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

From this reading Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!

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 And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

averred

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

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

birdnounUS /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

blewverbUS /bluː/

inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

blowverbUS /bloʊ/

exhale hard

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

breezenounUS /briːz/

a slight wind (usually refreshing)

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

dimadjectiveUS /dɪm/

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

emnounUS /em/

a quad with a square body

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

fognounUS /fɑːɡ/

droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

followverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊ/

to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

foodnounUS /fuːd/

any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

gloriousadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːriəs/

having or deserving or conferring glory

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

God'snounUS /ɡɑːdz/

possessive form 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 Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

hellishadjectiveUS /ˈhelɪʃ/

(informal) very unpleasant

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

hidverbUS /hɪd/

inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

holloverbUS /ˈhɑːloʊ/

encourage somebody by crying hollo

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

killedverbUS /kɪld/

past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

mariner's

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

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

mistverbUS /mɪst/

become covered with mist

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

NorconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

OutadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

playverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

rosenounUS /roʊz/

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!

seanounUS /siː/

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

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

slayverbUS /sleɪ/

kill intentionally and with premeditation

From this reading Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!

southnounUS /saʊθ/

the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

StilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

sunnounUS /sʌn/

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

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

uprist

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

From this reading Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averred I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist.

WentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading The sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

windnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner’s hollo!

woenounUS /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work ’em woe: For all averred I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

wretchnounUS /retʃ/

performs some wicked deed

From this reading Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!

Chapter 2 of The Flower of the Mind by Alice Meynell holds 19 sentences, grouped into 4 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Flower of the Mind contain?

Chapter 2 holds 19 sentences of The Flower of the Mind, unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Flower of the Mind by Alice Meynell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 19 sentences, grouped into 4 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 Flower of the Mind?

Work through the 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 4 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 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Flower of the Mind

Common questions about reading The Flower of the Mind by Alice Meynell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Flower of the Mind?

Yes. All 870 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2080 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Flower of the Mind is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2080, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Flower of the Mind take to read?

About 72 minutes of reading across 174 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Flower of the Mind section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Flower of the Mind 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 Flower of the Mind

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Flower of the Mind, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Ancient
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Flower of the Mind; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mariner
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Flower of the Mind; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stoppeth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Flower of the Mind; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Three
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Flower of the Mind; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.