Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Land of Heart's Desire
The Land of Heart's Desire

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Land of Heart's Desire is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Land of Heart's Desire
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
O Rose, thou art sick.
WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.
SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.
There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.
The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Land of Heart's Desire

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Land of Heart's Desire is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
O Rose, thou art sick.
/oʊ roʊz ðaʊ ɑːrt sɪk/
Line 2
WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.
Line 3
SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.
Line 4
There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.
/ðer ɑːr ˈbentʃɪz ɪn ðə ˈælkoʊv ənd ə ˈteɪbəl ənd ə ˈkruːsəfɪks ɑːn ðə wɔːl/
Line 5
The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire.
/ðə ˈælkoʊv ɪz fʊl ʌv ə ɡloʊ ʌv laɪt frʌm ðə ˈfaɪər/

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.

alcove noun US /ˈælkoʊv/

a small recess opening off a larger room

From this reading “SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.”

benches noun US /ˈbentʃɪz/

plural of “bench” — a long seat for more than one person

From this reading “There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.”

blake noun US /bleɪk/

visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)

From this reading “WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.”

County noun US /ˈkaʊnti/

(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government

From this reading “WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.”

crucifix noun US /ˈkruːsəfɪks/

representation of the cross on which Jesus died

From this reading “There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.”

glow noun US /ɡloʊ/

an alert and refreshed state

From this reading “The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire.”

hearth noun US /hɑːrθ/

an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built

From this reading “SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.”

remote adjective US /rɪˈmoʊt/

located far away spatially

From this reading “WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.”

All words in this reading · 43

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 WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

alcovenounUS /ˈælkoʊv/

a small recess opening off a larger room

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading O Rose, thou art sick.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

Baronynoun

the estate of a baron

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

benchesnounUS /ˈbentʃɪz/

plural of “bench” — a long seat for more than one person

From this reading There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.

BLAKEnounUS /bleɪk/

visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

CountynounUS /ˈkaʊnti/

(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

crucifixnounUS /ˈkruːsəfɪks/

representation of the cross on which Jesus died

From this reading There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire.

glownounUS /ɡloʊ/

an alert and refreshed state

From this reading The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire.

hearthnounUS /hɑːrθ/

an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

Kilmacowen

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

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire.

middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading O Rose, thou art sick.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

remoteadjectiveUS /rɪˈmoʊt/

located far away spatially

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

RightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

RosenounUS /roʊz/

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading O Rose, thou art sick.

ScenenounUS /siːn/

the place where some action occurs

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

sickadjectiveUS /sɪk/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading O Rose, thou art sick.

Sligo

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

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

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

From this reading O Rose, thou art sick.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall.

WILLIAM

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

From this reading WILLIAM BLAKE The Scene is laid in the Barony of Kilmacowen, in the County of Sligo, and at a remote time.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading SCENE.--A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right.

Chapter 1 of The Land of Heart's Desire by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 1 of The Land of Heart's Desire contain?

Chapter 1 holds 421 sentences of The Land of Heart's Desire, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Land of Heart's Desire by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 1 of The Land of Heart's Desire?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 Land of Heart's Desire

Common questions about reading The Land of Heart's Desire by W. B. (William Butler) Yeats on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Land of Heart's Desire?

Yes. All 421 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5168 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Land of Heart's Desire is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5168, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Land of Heart's Desire take to read?

About 35 minutes of reading across 85 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Land of Heart's Desire section by section

How to work through The Land of Heart's Desire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Land of Heart's Desire 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 Land of Heart's Desire

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Land of Heart's Desire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

William
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Heart's Desire; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Blake
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Heart's Desire; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Scene
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Heart's Desire; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Barony
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Heart's Desire; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.