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The Flower of the Mind
The Flower of the Mind

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Flower of the Mind is here in full — 702 sentences across 141 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Flower of the Mind
Context Illustration Reading 1/140 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.
How loudly his sweet voice he rears!
He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.
He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.
The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: Why, this is strange, I trow!
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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 VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Flower of the Mind is here in full — 702 sentences across 141 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/140 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.
/ðɪs ˈhɜːrmət ɡʊd lɪvz ɪn ðæt wʊd wɪtʃ sloʊps daʊn tuː ðə siː/
Line 2
How loudly his sweet voice he rears!
Line 3
He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.
Line 4
He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.
Line 5
The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

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.

cushion noun US /ˈkʊʃən/

a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses

From this reading “He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.”

Hermit noun US /ˈhɜːrmət/

one retired from society for religious reasons

From this reading “This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.”

hides noun US /haɪdz/

plural of “hide” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)

From this reading “He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.”

neared verb US /nɪrd/

past form of “near” — move towards

From this reading “The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!”

plump adjective US /plʌmp/

sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure

From this reading “He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.”

rears noun US /rɪrz/

plural of “rear” — the back of a military formation or procession

From this reading “How loudly his sweet voice he rears!”

rotted adjective US /ˈrɑːtɪd/

damaged by decay; hence unsound and useless

From this reading “He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.”

slopes noun US /sloʊps/

plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation

From this reading “This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.”

All words in this reading · 54

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 He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

countree

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

From this reading He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

cushionnounUS /ˈkʊʃən/

a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

evenounUS /iːv/

(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

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

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

hathauxiliary verbUS /hæθ/

an old form of “has”

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading How loudly his sweet voice he rears!

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

HermitnounUS /ˈhɜːrmət/

one retired from society for religious reasons

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

hidesnounUS /haɪdz/

plural of “hide” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading How loudly his sweet voice he rears!

How

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

From this reading How loudly his sweet voice he rears!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

kneels

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

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

livesnounUS /lɪvz/

plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

loudlyadverbUS /ˈlaʊdli/

with relatively high volume

From this reading How loudly his sweet voice he rears!

lovesnounUS /lʌvz/

plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

marineres

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

From this reading He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

mornnounUS /mɔːrn/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

mossnounUS /mɔːs/

tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

nearedverbUS /nɪrd/

past form of “near” — move towards

From this reading The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

noonnounUS /nuːn/

the middle of the day

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

oak-stump

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

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

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

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

plumpadjectiveUS /plʌmp/

sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

rearsnounUS /rɪrz/

plural of “rear” — the back of a military formation or procession

From this reading How loudly his sweet voice he rears!

rottedadjectiveUS /ˈrɑːtɪd/

damaged by decay; hence unsound and useless

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

seanounUS /siː/

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

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

skiff-boat

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

From this reading The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

slopesnounUS /sloʊps/

plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading How loudly his sweet voice he rears!

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

trow

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

From this reading The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading How loudly his sweet voice he rears!

WhichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

whollyadverbUS /ˈhoʊli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve,— He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk: ‘Why, this is strange, I trow!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree.

woodnounUS /wʊd/

the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees

From this reading This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea.

Chapter 7 of The Flower of the Mind by Alice Meynell holds 702 sentences, grouped into 141 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 7 of The Flower of the Mind contain?

Chapter 7 holds 702 sentences of The Flower of the Mind, unabridged, divided into 141 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Flower of the Mind by Alice Meynell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 702 sentences, grouped into 141 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 7 of The Flower of the Mind?

Work through the 141 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 141 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 7 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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, unabridged. 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.