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The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac
The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Yet why a pity?" quoth I.
"Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?
Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?
Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.
O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?
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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 Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Yet why a pity?" quoth I.
Line 2
"Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?
Line 3
Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?
Line 4
Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.
Line 5
O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

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.

Books noun US /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading “Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?”

Immortal adj US /ɪˈmɔːr.t̬əl/

Living forever; never dying or decaying. (Bất tử, trường tồn vĩnh cửu.)

From this reading “Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

a

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

From this reading "Yet why a pity?" quoth I.

and

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

From this reading Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?

are

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?

broken

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

but

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

epic

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

forever

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

friend

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

gave

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

great

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

harp

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

Homer's

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

Horace's

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

hushed

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

I

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

From this reading "Yet why a pity?" quoth I.

immortaladjUS /ɪˈmɔːr.t̬əl/

Living forever; never dying or decaying. (Bất tử, trường tồn vĩnh cửu.)

From this reading Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?

immortality

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

imperishable

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

Is

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

it

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

live

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

lyre

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

lyric

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

moots

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

mortal

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

From this reading Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?

not

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

O

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

of

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

only

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

or

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

pity

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

From this reading "Yet why a pity?" quoth I.

quoth

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

From this reading "Yet why a pity?" quoth I.

singers

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

songs

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

that

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

the

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

their

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

them

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

things

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

this

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

to

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

true

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

unstrung

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

us

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

voices

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

From this reading Homer's harp is broken and Horace's lyre is unstrung, and the voices of the great singers are hushed; but their songs--their songs are imperishable.

we

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

From this reading Are we not mortal, and are not books immortal?

what

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

who

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

From this reading O friend! what moots it to them or to us who gave this epic or that lyric to immortality?

why

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

From this reading "Yet why a pity?" quoth I.

words

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

From this reading "Is it not true that words are the only things that live forever?

Yet

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

From this reading "Yet why a pity?" quoth I.

Chapter 5 of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac by Eugene Field holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 5 of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac contain?

Chapter 5 holds 116 sentences of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac by Eugene Field exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 5 of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac

Common questions about reading The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac by Eugene Field on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac?

Yes. All 1197 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #443, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac take to read?

About 99 minutes of reading across 240 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac section by section

How to work through The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac 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 Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Determination
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Found
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Series
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.