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The Light That Failed
The Light That Failed

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of The Light That Failed is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Light That Failed
Context Illustration Reading 1/47 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.
Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.
—_The Fight of Heriot’s Ford_.
This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.
Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.
0:00 / 0:00
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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 Light That Failed

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of The Light That Failed is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.
Line 2
Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.
/jiː wɔːr əˈɡenst ðə ˈsʌnset ɡloʊ ðə ˈdɑːrknəs ˈɡæðərz fæst maɪ lɔːrd/
Line 3
—_The Fight of Heriot’s Ford_.
Line 4
This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.
/ðɪs ɪz ə ˈtʃɪrfəl laɪf sed dɪk sʌm deɪz ˈleɪtər/
Line 5
Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

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.

foe noun US /foʊ/

an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)

From this reading “What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.”

Ford noun US /fɔːrd/

United States film maker (1896-1973)

gathers noun US /ˈɡæðərz/

plural of “gather” — sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching

From this reading “Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.”

hates noun US /heɪts/

plural of “hate” — the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action

From this reading ““Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.”

indigestion noun US /ˌɪndaɪˈdʒestʃən/

a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea

From this reading ““Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.”

scrappy adjective US /ˈskræpi/

full of fighting spirit

From this reading ““Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.”

sunset noun US /ˈsʌnset/

the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon

From this reading “Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.”

wheel verb US /wiːl/

change directions as if revolving on a pivot

From this reading “What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

Bessie

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

can't

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

cheerfuladjectiveUS /ˈtʃɪrfəl/

being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

darknessnounUS /ˈdɑːrknəs/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

DicknounUS /dɪk/

someone who is a detective

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

fastadverbUS /fæst/

quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

fightverbUS /faɪt/

be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

foenounUS /foʊ/

an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

followsverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊz/

third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

FordnounUS /fɔːrd/

United States film maker (1896-1973)

From this reading —_The Fight of Heriot’s Ford_.

gathersnounUS /ˈɡæðərz/

plural of “gather” — sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

glownounUS /ɡloʊ/

an alert and refreshed state

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

hatesnounUS /heɪts/

plural of “hate” — the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

He's

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

Heriot's

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

From this reading —_The Fight of Heriot’s Ford_.

hirples

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

horsenounUS /hɔːrs/

solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

indigestionnounUS /ˌɪndaɪˈdʒestʃən/

a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

lordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

Maisie's

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

Melancolia

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

notionnounUS /ˈnoʊʃən/

a vague idea in which some confidence is placed

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

overpast

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

rideverbUS /raɪd/

sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

scrappyadjectiveUS /ˈskræpi/

full of fighting spirit

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

sunsetnounUS /ˈsʌnset/

the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

swiftadjectiveUS /swɪft/

moving very fast

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

Torp's

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

warnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

What's

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

wheelverbUS /wiːl/

change directions as if revolving on a pivot

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

yepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

Chapter 10 of The Light That Failed by Rudyard Kipling holds 237 sentences, grouped into 48 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 10 of The Light That Failed contain?

Chapter 10 holds 237 sentences of The Light That Failed, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of The Light That Failed by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 237 sentences, grouped into 48 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 10 of The Light That Failed?

Work through the 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 48 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 10 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 10 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 Light That Failed

Common questions about reading The Light That Failed by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Light That Failed?

Yes. All 5505 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2876 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Light That Failed is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2876, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Light That Failed take to read?

About 458 minutes of reading across 1101 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Light That Failed section by section

How to work through The Light That Failed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Light That Failed 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 Light That Failed

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Light That Failed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Settled
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light That Failed; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Storm
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light That Failed; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dears
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light That Failed; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Because
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light That Failed; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.