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A House of Pomegranates
A House of Pomegranates

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for A House of Pomegranates
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.
We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.
And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.
From the roof of a house a company of women watched us.
One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A House of Pomegranates

Chapter VI

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.
Line 2
We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.
Line 3
And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.
Line 4
From the roof of a house a company of women watched us.
Line 5
One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Fine noun US /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

amber

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

bales

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

blue

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

burnt

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

came

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

carved

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

chests

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

city

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

clay

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

cloths

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

cold

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

company

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

From this reading From the roof of a house a company of women watched us.

country

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

crier

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

crowding

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

crying

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

cups

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

curious

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

Egypt

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

ended

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

entered

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

Ethiops

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

figured

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

finenounUS /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

forth

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

gate

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

gilded

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

From this reading One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.

glass

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

hangings

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

house

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

From this reading From the roof of a house a company of women watched us.

houses

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

leather

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

From this reading One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.

linen

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

market-place

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

mask

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

From this reading One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.

merchants

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

negroes

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

noon

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.

opened

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

out

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

painted

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

people

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

purple

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

roof

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

From this reading From the roof of a house a company of women watched us.

round

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

set

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

shell

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

Sidon

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

sponges

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

strange

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

sycamore

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

task

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

Tyre

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

uncorded

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

From this reading We stood in the market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the carved chests of sycamore.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

vessels

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

wares

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

watched

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

From this reading From the roof of a house a company of women watched us.

waxed

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

From this reading And when they had ended their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading ‘When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier went round the city crying through a shell.

women

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

From this reading From the roof of a house a company of women watched us.

wore

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

From this reading One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.