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The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2
The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2

Chapter VI · Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2
Context Illustration Reading 1/64 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?
Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!
SMILINDA.
Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.
I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.
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 Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2

Chapter VI · Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/64 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?
Line 2
Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!
Line 3
SMILINDA.
Line 4
Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.
Line 5
I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

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.

cheat verb US /tʃiːt/

deprive somebody of something by deceit

From this reading “I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.”

deluding verb US /dɪˈluːdɪŋ/

-ing form of “delude” — be false to; be dishonest with

From this reading “I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.”

nymph noun US /nɪmf/

(classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden

From this reading “Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!”

pensive adjective US /ˈpensɪv/

deeply or seriously thoughtful

From this reading “Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!”

Sharper noun US /ˈʃɑːrpər/

a professional card player who makes a living by cheating at card games

From this reading “Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.”

stays noun US /steɪz/

a woman's close-fitting foundation garment

From this reading “The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?”

untrue adjective US /ənˈtruː/

not according with the facts

From this reading “Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.”

waits noun US /weɪts/

plural of “wait” — time during which some action is awaited

From this reading “Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

adoredadjectiveUS /əˈdɔːrd/

regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god)

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

Ah

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

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

Alpeu

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

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

basset-table

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

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

cheatverbUS /tʃiːt/

deprive somebody of something by deceit

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

deludingverbUS /dɪˈluːdɪŋ/

-ing form of “delude” — be false to; be dishonest with

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

dressing-room

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

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

fairadjectiveUS /fer/

free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

feign'd

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

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

joylessadjective

not experiencing or inspiring joy

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

listeningnounUS /ˈlɪsənɪŋ/

the act of hearing attentively

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

madamnounUS /ˈmædəm/

a woman of refinement

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

nymphnounUS /nɪmf/

(classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden

From this reading Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!

Ombrelia's

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

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

pensiveadjectiveUS /ˈpensɪv/

deeply or seriously thoughtful

From this reading Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!

RiseverbUS /raɪz/

move upward

From this reading Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

SharpernounUS /ˈʃɑːrpər/

a professional card player who makes a living by cheating at card games

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

sighsnounUS /saɪz/

plural of “sigh” — an utterance made by exhaling audibly

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

Smilinda

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

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

softadjectiveUS /sɑːft/

yielding readily to pressure or weight

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

spreadverbUS /spred/

distribute or disperse widely

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

staysnounUS /steɪz/

a woman's close-fitting foundation garment

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

tallier

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

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

untrueadjectiveUS /ənˈtruː/

not according with the facts

From this reading Ah, madam, since my Sharper is untrue, I joyless make my once adored Alpeu.

waitsnounUS /weɪts/

plural of “wait” — time during which some action is awaited

From this reading Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

whispernounUS /ˈwɪspər/

speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading The basset-table spread, the tallier come; Why stays Smilinda in the dressing-room?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I saw him stand behind Ombrelia's chair, And whisper with that soft, deluding air, And those feign'd sighs which cheat the listening fair.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Rise, pensive nymph, the tallier waits for you!

Chapter 6 of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 by Alexander Pope holds 324 sentences, grouped into 65 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 6 of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 contain?

Chapter 6 holds 324 sentences of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 by Alexander Pope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 324 sentences, grouped into 65 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 6 of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2?

Work through the 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 65 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 6 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 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 Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2

Common questions about reading The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 by Alexander Pope on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2?

Yes. All 4869 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9601 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9601, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 take to read?

About 405 minutes of reading across 974 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 section by section

How to work through The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 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 Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Alexander
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Memoir
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Critical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dissertation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.