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The High History of the Holy Graal
The High History of the Holy Graal

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The High History of the Holy Graal is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."
"Damsel," saith he, "Did Messire Gawain know him?"
"Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."
"Is he, then," saith he, "Perceval, the son of the Widow Lady?"
"By my head, you say true!"
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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 High History of the Holy Graal

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The High History of the Holy Graal is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."
Line 2
"Damsel," saith he, "Did Messire Gawain know him?"
Line 3
"Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."
Line 4
"Is he, then," saith he, "Perceval, the son of the Widow Lady?"
Line 5
"By my head, you say true!"
/baɪ maɪ hed juː seɪ truː/

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.

assembly noun US /əˈsembli/

a group of machine parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit

From this reading “"Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."”

bore verb US /bɔːr/

cause to be bored

From this reading “"Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."”

damsel noun US /ˈdæmzəl/

a young unmarried woman

From this reading “"Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."”

Gawain noun US /ˈɡɑːwən/

(Arthurian legend) a nephew of Arthur and one of the knights of the Round Table

From this reading “"Damsel," saith he, "Did Messire Gawain know him?"”

semblance noun US /ˈsembləns/

an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading

From this reading “"Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."”

shield noun US /ʃiːld/

a protective covering or structure

From this reading “"Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."”

sorrowful adjective US /ˈsɑːroʊfəl/

experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss

From this reading “"Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."”

Widow noun US /ˈwɪdoʊ/

a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried

From this reading “"Is he, then," saith he, "Perceval, the son of the Widow Lady?"”

All words in this reading · 48

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 "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

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 "Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

assemblynounUS /əˈsembli/

a group of machine parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

boreverbUS /bɔːr/

cause to be bored

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "By my head, you say true!"

crossverbUS /krɔːs/

travel across or pass over

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

damselnounUS /ˈdæmzəl/

a young unmarried woman

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading "Damsel," saith he, "Did Messire Gawain know him?"

GawainnounUS /ˈɡɑːwən/

(Arthurian legend) a nephew of Arthur and one of the knights of the Round Table

From this reading "Damsel," saith he, "Did Messire Gawain know him?"

goldnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

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 "By my head, you say true!"

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading "Damsel," saith he, "Did Messire Gawain know him?"

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "Damsel," saith he, "Did Messire Gawain know him?"

LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading "Is he, then," saith he, "Perceval, the son of the Widow Lady?"

Messire

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

From this reading "Damsel," saith he, "Did Messire Gawain know him?"

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "By my head, you say true!"

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

Perceval

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

From this reading "Is he, then," saith he, "Perceval, the son of the Widow Lady?"

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."

saith

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

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading "By my head, you say true!"

semblancenounUS /ˈsembləns/

an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

shieldnounUS /ʃiːld/

a protective covering or structure

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading "Is he, then," saith he, "Perceval, the son of the Widow Lady?"

sorrowfuladjectiveUS /ˈsɑːroʊfəl/

experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss

From this reading "Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "Is he, then," saith he, "Perceval, the son of the Widow Lady?"

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading "By my head, you say true!"

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

whereof

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

From this reading "Sir, not at all, whereof is he right sorrowful."

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

WidownounUS /ˈwɪdoʊ/

a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried

From this reading "Is he, then," saith he, "Perceval, the son of the Widow Lady?"

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Sir," saith the damsel, "At the assembly he bore white arms, but before that, he had arms of another semblance, and one shield that he had was green, and one gold with a green cross."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "By my head, you say true!"

Chapter 21 of The High History of the Holy Graal by Sebastian [Translator] Evans holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 21 of The High History of the Holy Graal contain?

Chapter 21 holds 172 sentences of The High History of the Holy Graal, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The High History of the Holy Graal by Sebastian [Translator] Evans exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 21 of The High History of the Holy Graal?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 High History of the Holy Graal

Common questions about reading The High History of the Holy Graal by Sebastian [Translator] Evans on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The High History of the Holy Graal?

Yes. All 6730 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #750 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The High History of the Holy Graal is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #750, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The High History of the Holy Graal take to read?

About 560 minutes of reading across 1346 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The High History of the Holy Graal

Words and structures a reader meets early in The High History of the Holy Graal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Originally
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The High History of the Holy Graal; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Written
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French
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Sometime
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