Chapter 1 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_From the Finnish. Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920. The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill. He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile. There was joy on the hillside.
Chapter 1 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.”
include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading “He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.”
the official language of Finland; belongs to the Baltic Finnic family of languages
From this reading “_From the Finnish.”
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading “There was joy on the hillside.”
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading “Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.”
plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation
From this reading “The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.”
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading “He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.”
covered with growing trees and bushes etc
From this reading “The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
the act of burning something
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
the official language of Finland; belongs to the Baltic Finnic family of languages
From this reading _From the Finnish.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading _From the Finnish.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading There was joy on the hillside.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading There was joy on the hillside.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.
plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation
From this reading The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _From the Finnish.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was joy on the hillside.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading He clasped the nearest trees in a burning embrace, offered his hand to those farther off, and gave to them all a sparkling smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Original Title: "Laulu Tulipunaisesta Kukasta_" First Published in 1920.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was joy on the hillside.
covered with growing trees and bushes etc
From this reading The setting sun shone on the wooded slopes of the hill.
Chapter 1 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower by Johannes Linnankoski holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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.
Chapter 1 holds 412 sentences of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower by Johannes Linnankoski exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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.
Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.
Common questions about reading The Song of the Blood-Red Flower by Johannes Linnankoski on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5302 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12935 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12935, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1061 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Song of the Blood-Red Flower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Song of the Blood-Red Flower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
