The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2)

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2) is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By John Donne • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2)

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Asses are made to bear and so are you.

_Taming of the Shrew_, II. i.

200.

In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

Possibly, but it is not very likely, Donne refers not only to the stupid patience of the ass but to her fertility: 'They be very gainefull and profitable to their maisters, yielding more commodities than the revenues of good farmers.'

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XV Reading 1/78

The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2)

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2) is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Asses are made to bear and so are you.

/ˈæsəz ɑːr meɪd tuː ber ənd soʊ ɑːr juː/

Line 2

_Taming of the Shrew_, II. i.

Line 3

200.

Line 4

In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

Line 5

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.

Asses noun US /ˈæsəz/

plural of “ass” — the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

From this reading “Asses are made to bear and so are you.”

commodities noun US /kəˈmɑːdətiz/

plural of “commodity” — articles of commerce

From this reading “Possibly, but it is not very likely, Donne refers not only to the stupid patience of the ass but to her fertility: 'They be very gainefull and profitable to their maisters, yielding more commodities than the revenues of good farmers.'”

Donne noun US /dʌn/

English clergyman and metaphysical poet celebrated as a preacher (1572-1631)

fertility noun US /fərˈtɪləti/

the ratio of live births in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 population per year

frugality noun US /fruːˈɡæləti/

prudence in avoiding waste

From this reading “In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.”

hieroglyphic noun US /ˌhaɪroʊˈɡlɪfɪk/

writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being illegible)

From this reading “In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.”

revenues noun US /ˈrevənuːz/

plural of “revenue” — the entire amount of income before any deductions are made

Taming verb US /ˈteɪmɪŋ/

-ing form of “tame” — correct by punishment or discipline

All words in this reading · 51

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.

200

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

From this reading 200.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Asses are made to bear and so are you.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading Asses are made to bear and so are you.

assnounUS /æs/

the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

AssesnounUS /ˈæsəz/

plural of “ass” — the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

From this reading Asses are made to bear and so are you.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

bearverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading Asses are made to bear and so are you.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Possibly, but it is not very likely, Donne refers not only to the stupid patience of the ass but to her fertility: 'They be very gainefull and profitable to their maisters, yielding more commodities than the revenues of good farmers.'

commoditiesnounUS /kəˈmɑːdətiz/

plural of “commodity” — articles of commerce

declaredadjectiveUS /dɪˈklerd/

made known or openly avowed

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

DonnenounUS /dʌn/

English clergyman and metaphysical poet celebrated as a preacher (1572-1631)

farmersnounUS /ˈfɑːrmərz/

plural of “farmer” — a person who operates a farm

fertilitynounUS /fərˈtɪləti/

the ratio of live births in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 population per year

fortitudenounUS /ˈfɔːrtɪtuːd/

strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

frugalitynounUS /fruːˈɡæləti/

prudence in avoiding waste

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

gainefull

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

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

hieroglyphicnounUS /ˌhaɪroʊˈɡlɪfɪk/

writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being illegible)

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

ipronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading _Taming of the Shrew_, II. i.

IInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading _Taming of the Shrew_, II. i.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

Jonson's

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

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

likelyadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪkli/

has a good chance of being the case or of coming about

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Asses are made to bear and so are you.

maisters

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

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _Taming of the Shrew_, II. i.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

PatiencenounUS /ˈpeɪʃəns/

good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

Poetaster

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

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

PossiblyadverbUS /ˈpɑːsəbli/

by chance

profitableadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːfətəbəl/

yielding material gain or profit

refersverbUS /rəˈfɜːrz/

third-person singular of “refer” — make reference to

revenuesnounUS /ˈrevənuːz/

plural of “revenue” — the entire amount of income before any deductions are made

Shrewnoun

a scolding nagging bad-tempered woman

From this reading _Taming of the Shrew_, II. i.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Asses are made to bear and so are you.

stupidadjectiveUS /ˈstuːpəd/

lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity

TamingverbUS /ˈteɪmɪŋ/

-ing form of “tame” — correct by punishment or discipline

From this reading _Taming of the Shrew_, II. i.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _Taming of the Shrew_, II. i.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Asses are made to bear and so are you.

vnounUS /viː/

a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt

From this reading In Jonson's _Poetaster_, v. i, the ass is declared to be the hieroglyphic of Patience, frugality, and fortitude.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

yieldingadjectiveUS /ˈjiːldɪŋ/

inclined to yield to argument or influence or control

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Asses are made to bear and so are you.

Chapter 15 of The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2) by John Donne holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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.

What does chapter 15 of The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2) contain?

Chapter 15 holds 394 sentences of The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2) by John Donne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 15 of The Poems of John Donne, Volume 2 (of 2)?

Work through the 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 79 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #48772, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 2065 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XV

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