Chapter 2 of The Virgin of Valkarion is here in full — 593 sentences across 119 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Virgin of Valkarion is here in full — 593 sentences across 119 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Come--where?" "Home, back to Aslak. Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye. Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do." He laughed, a joyous sound echoing in the night.
Chapter 2 of The Virgin of Valkarion is here in full — 593 sentences across 119 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/118 · 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.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading “Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.”
(of sounds) repeating by reflection
From this reading “He laughed, a joyous sound echoing in the night.”
the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
From this reading “Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."”
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading “Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.”
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading “Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.”
full of or characterized by joy
From this reading “He laughed, a joyous sound echoing in the night.”
plural of “lake” — a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading “Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.”
abounding in or exposed to the wind or breezes
From this reading “Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.”
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.
In this reading “Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.”
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 Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Home, back to Aslak.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Home, back to Aslak.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come--where?"
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
(of sounds) repeating by reflection
From this reading He laughed, a joyous sound echoing in the night.
the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
the organ of sight
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Home, back to Aslak.
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
full of or characterized by joy
From this reading He laughed, a joyous sound echoing in the night.
plural of “lake” — a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading He laughed, a joyous sound echoing in the night.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He laughed, a joyous sound echoing in the night.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading He laughed, a joyous sound echoing in the night.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
carry out
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Home, back to Aslak.
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 Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
in or at the place that
From this reading "Come--where?"
which person or people
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Luigur take the Empire, as he will whatever we do."
abounding in or exposed to the wind or breezes
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Back to the blue hills and the windy trees and the little lakes dancing in the sun--to an open heaven and a wide land and free folk who look you honestly in the eye.
Chapter 2 of The Virgin of Valkarion by Poul Anderson holds 593 sentences, grouped into 119 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 2 holds 593 sentences of The Virgin of Valkarion, unabridged, divided into 119 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Virgin of Valkarion by Poul Anderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 593 sentences, grouped into 119 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 119 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 119 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 2 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 Virgin of Valkarion by Poul Anderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1194 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64022 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64022, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 99 minutes of reading across 239 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Virgin of Valkarion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Virgin of Valkarion 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 Virgin of Valkarion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
