Chapter 4 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about. Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after. Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped. 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head. 'What's wrong?' says I.
Chapter 4 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower is here in full — 411 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.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “"Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.”
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.”
a square scarf that is folded into a triangle and worn over the head or about the neck
From this reading “'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.”
a female domestic
From this reading “'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.”
by chance
From this reading “Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.”
a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading “Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.”
clean or organized
From this reading “'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
later than; following
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
anew
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.
and nothing more
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
a square scarf that is folded into a triangle and worn over the head or about the neck
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
a female domestic
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
by chance
From this reading Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.
a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
clean or organized
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
not any; not one
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading 'What's wrong?' says I.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Got down just past the meadow below the house, and hears someone running after.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Thought maybe I'd left something behind, and so I stopped.
in the direction of
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I pulled up there, as I said, and started off again just towards dusk about.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'What's wrong?' says I.
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'Twas a neat little maid, with red cheeks, and no kerchief on her head.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading 'What's wrong?' says I.
Chapter 4 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower by Johannes Linnankoski holds 411 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 4 holds 411 sentences of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Song of the Blood-Red Flower by Johannes Linnankoski exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 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 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.
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.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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.
