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The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas
The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TO R. W. D.
O my vague desires!
Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:
What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?
What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?
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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 Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
TO R. W. D.
/tuː ɑːr ˈdʌbəljuː diː/
Line 2
O my vague desires!
/oʊ maɪ veɪɡ dɪˈzaɪərz/
Line 3
Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:
Line 4
What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?
/wʌt dɔːθ tempt juː fɔːrθ tuː draʊn ɪn ðə saʊθ ɔːr ˈʃɪvər ɪn ðə ˈfrɔːsti nɔːrθ/
Line 5
What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?
/wʌt siːk jiː ɔːr faɪnd jiː ɪn jɔːr ˈrændəm ˈflaɪɪŋ ˈevər ˈsɔːrɪŋ əˈlɔːft ˈsɔːrɪŋ ənd ˈdaɪɪŋ/

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.

drown verb US /draʊn/

cover completely or make imperceptible

From this reading “What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?”

frosty adjective US /ˈfrɔːsti/

devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain

From this reading “What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?”

offspring noun US /ˈɔːfsprɪŋ/

the immediate descendants of a person

From this reading “Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:”

pangs noun US /pæŋz/

plural of “pang” — a sudden sharp feeling

From this reading “Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:”

random adjective US /ˈrændəm/

lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance

From this reading “What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?”

shiver verb US /ˈʃɪvər/

tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement

From this reading “What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?”

soaring adjective US /ˈsɔːrɪŋ/

ascending to a level markedly higher than the usual

From this reading “What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?”

tempt verb US /tempt/

dispose or incline or entice to

From this reading “What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

vague desires adjective + noun counted as “vague desire”

In this reading “O my vague desires!”

drown in verb + particle

In this reading “What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

aloftadverbUS /əˈlɔːft/

at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship

From this reading What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

DnounUS /diː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets

From this reading TO R. W. D.

desiresnounUS /dɪˈzaɪərz/

plural of “desire” — the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading O my vague desires!

dothauxiliary verbUS /dɔːθ/

an old form of “does”

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

drownverbUS /draʊn/

cover completely or make imperceptible

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

dyingadjectiveUS /ˈdaɪɪŋ/

in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be

From this reading What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?

EveradverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?

firesnounUS /ˈfaɪərz/

plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

flamesnounUS /fleɪmz/

plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

flyingadjectiveUS /ˈflaɪɪŋ/

moving swiftly

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

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

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

frostyadjectiveUS /ˈfrɔːsti/

devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

heavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

lambentadjective

softly bright or radiant

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading O my vague desires!

northnounUS /nɔːrθ/

the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

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 my vague desires!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

offspringnounUS /ˈɔːfsprɪŋ/

the immediate descendants of a person

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

pangsnounUS /pæŋz/

plural of “pang” — a sudden sharp feeling

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

RnounUS /ɑːr/

a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

From this reading TO R. W. D.

randomadjectiveUS /ˈrændəm/

lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance

From this reading What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?

RisingadjectiveUS /ˈraɪzɪŋ/

advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

seekverbUS /siːk/

try to get or reach

From this reading What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?

shiververbUS /ˈʃɪvər/

tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

soaringadjectiveUS /ˈsɔːrɪŋ/

ascending to a level markedly higher than the usual

From this reading What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

southnounUS /saʊθ/

the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

sublimeadjectiveUS /səˈblaɪm/

inspiring awe

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

temptverbUS /tempt/

dispose or incline or entice to

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading TO R. W. D.

vagueadjectiveUS /veɪɡ/

not clearly expressed or understood

From this reading O my vague desires!

WnounUS /ˈdʌbəljuː/

a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite

From this reading TO R. W. D.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

YepronounUS /jiː/

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

From this reading Ye lambent flames of the soul, her offspring fires: That are my soul herself in pangs sublime Rising and flying to heaven before her time:

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading What doth tempt you forth To drown in the south or shiver in the frosty north?

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading What seek ye or find ye in your random flying, Ever soaring aloft, soaring and dying?

Chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas by Robert Bridges holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 4 of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas contain?

Chapter 4 holds 115 sentences of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas by Robert Bridges exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 4 of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas

Common questions about reading The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas by Robert Bridges on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas?

Yes. All 3728 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37804 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #37804, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas take to read?

About 310 minutes of reading across 746 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas section by section

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Seven
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Volumes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Small
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Volume
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.