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The Undying Past
The Undying Past

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Undying Past is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Undying Past
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Her heart swelled.
She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.
As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.
"How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."
And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Undying Past

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Undying Past is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Her heart swelled.
/hɜːr hɑːrt sweld/
Line 2
She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.
/ʃiː ræn raʊnd ðə oʊld stoʊn ˈsevrəl taɪmz ðen sæt daʊn ɑːn tɑːp ʌv ɪt ənd kraɪd ˈbɪtərli/
Line 3
As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.
/æz ʃiː ˈfoʊldəd hɜːr hændz tuː preɪ ʃiː sɔː ðə blʌd ˈɡʌʃɪŋ fɔːrθ/
Line 4
"How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."
Line 5
And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.
/ənd ˈtʌkɪŋ hɜːr fiːt bɪˈniːθ hɜːr ˈbɑːdi ʃiː bɪˈɡæn tuː preɪ aʊt laʊd waɪl ðə terz roʊld ˈɪntuː hɜːr maʊθ/

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.

bitterly adverb US /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading “She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.”

folded verb US /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading “As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.”

gushing adjective US /ˈɡʌʃɪŋ/

flowing profusely

From this reading “As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.”

heart's noun US /hɑːrts/

possessive form of “heart” — the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading “"How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."”

pour verb US /pɔːr/

cause to run

From this reading “"How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."”

swelled adjective US /sweld/

feeling self-importance

From this reading “Her heart swelled.”

tucking verb US /ˈtʌkɪŋ/

-ing form of “tuck” — fit snugly into

From this reading “And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.”

veins noun US /veɪnz/

plural of “vein” — a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart

From this reading “"How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."”

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.

several times adjective + noun

In this reading “She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.”

pour out verb + adjective

express without restraint

In this reading “"How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."”

cried bitterly verb + particle counted as “cry bitterly”

In this reading “She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.”

on top preposition + noun

In this reading “She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.”

ran round verb + noun counted as “run round”

In this reading “She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

bitterlyadverbUS /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

couldn't

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

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

doingverbUS /ˈduːɪŋ/

-ing form of “do” — engage in

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

foldedverbUS /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

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

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

gushingadjectiveUS /ˈɡʌʃɪŋ/

flowing profusely

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Her heart swelled.

heart'snounUS /hɑːrts/

possessive form of “heart” — the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

HerdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Her heart swelled.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

How

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

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

loudadjectiveUS /laʊd/

characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

pourverbUS /pɔːr/

cause to run

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

prayverbUS /preɪ/

address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

rolledadjectiveUS /roʊld/

especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

stupidadjectiveUS /ˈstuːpəd/

lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

swelledadjectiveUS /sweld/

feeling self-importance

From this reading Her heart swelled.

tearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As she folded her hands to pray she saw the blood gushing forth.

topnounUS /tɑːp/

the upper part of anything

From this reading She ran round the old stone several times, then sat down on top of it and cried bitterly.

tuckingverbUS /ˈtʌkɪŋ/

-ing form of “tuck” — fit snugly into

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

veinsnounUS /veɪnz/

plural of “vein” — a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading And tucking her feet beneath her body, she began to pray out loud, while the tears rolled into her mouth.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading "How stupid I was this morning," she thought, "when I thought that I should have to open one of my veins on this stone, as if I couldn't pour out my heart's blood for him without doing that."

Chapter 17 of The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 17 of The Undying Past contain?

Chapter 17 holds 398 sentences of The Undying Past, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 17 of The Undying Past?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 Undying Past

Common questions about reading The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Undying Past?

Yes. All 10467 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34156 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Undying Past is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #34156, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Undying Past take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2094 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Undying Past section by section

How to work through The Undying Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Undying Past 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 Undying Past

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Undying Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Diphthong
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Undying Past; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Represented
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Undying Past; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mid-day
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Undying Past; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fiercely
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Undying Past; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.