Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Golden Web
The Golden Web

Chapter XXV

Cover illustration for The Golden Web
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.
Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.
The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.
It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.
It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.
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.

The Golden Web

Chapter XXV

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.
Line 2
Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.
Line 3
The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.
Line 4
It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.
Line 5
It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

Learner Dictionary

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

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.”

Rest noun US /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.”

Terrible noun US /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading “It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.”

Weakness noun US /ˈwiːknəs/

a lack of physical strength

From this reading “It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.”

Wind noun US /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

ANdeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

ARRIVAL

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

chair

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

cheeks

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

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

closer

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

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

cushions

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

Death

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

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

edge

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

feet

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

forehead

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

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

hand

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

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

head

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

held

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

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

hollow

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

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

how

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

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

indeed

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

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

invalid

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

lay

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

lifted

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

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

limb

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

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

lulled

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

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

many

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

nerve

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

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

only

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

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

OPPORTUNE

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

pillowed

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

quiescence

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

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

Rakney

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

realized

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

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

restnounUS /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

Rowan

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

sea

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

separated

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

shingle

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

slender

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

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

strip

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

sun

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

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead.

thread

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

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

tower

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

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

traces

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

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence.

weaknessnounUS /ˈwiːknəs/

a lack of physical strength

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indeed, the thread was by which he held on to life.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.

windnounUS /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea.