Chapter 37 of The Land of Desolation is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVII
Chapter 37 of The Land of Desolation is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DISCO ISLAND. “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around! Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground! “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life! I write again.
Chapter 37 of The Land of Desolation is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading “Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!”
popular dance music (especially in the late 1970s); melodic with a regular bass beat; intended mainly for dancing at discotheques
From this reading “DISCO ISLAND.”
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading ““A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!”
a small island
From this reading ““A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!”
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading ““A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!”
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading ““A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!”
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading ““A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!”
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading ““A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!”
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.
In this reading ““A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!”
In this reading “Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
anew
From this reading I write again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
popular dance music (especially in the late 1970s); melodic with a regular bass beat; intended mainly for dancing at discotheques
From this reading DISCO ISLAND.
causing dejection
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
characteristic of humanity
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I write again.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading DISCO ISLAND.
a small island
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “A rocky islet in the sea, A lonely harbor on its lee, The roaring surf around!
in or at that place or location
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
a just detectable amount
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “A desert drear as e’er was seen; It seems as if there has not been A trace of human life!
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Chill are the winds and cold the sky, Dead in the dells the flowers lie, The snow is on the ground!
produce a literary work
From this reading I write again.
Chapter 37 of The Land of Desolation by I. I. (Isaac Israel) Hayes holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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.
Chapter 37 holds 103 sentences of The Land of Desolation, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 37 of The Land of Desolation by I. I. (Isaac Israel) Hayes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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.
Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 37 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.
Common questions about reading The Land of Desolation by I. I. (Isaac Israel) Hayes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3145 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59217 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59217, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 262 minutes of reading across 629 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Land of Desolation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Land of Desolation to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Land of Desolation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
