--- title: Then the spirit spake, and the floods were still-- They hushed and l… — Legends of the Northwest · tree and pragmatics description: Then the spirit spake, and the floods were still-- They hushed and listened to what she said, And hushed was the plaint of the whippowil In the silver-birches above her head: 'Wiwâstè,--the prairies are green and fair, When the robin sings and the whippowil; But the land of the Spirits is fairer sti --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/7/55/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Legends of the Northwest](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/) / [Heyóka Wacípee \[16\]--the Giant's Dance.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/7/) / 55 # Legends of the Northwest, Heyóka Wacípee \[16\]--the Giant's Dance., sentence 55 Then the spirit spake, and the floods were still-- They hushed and listened to what she said, And hushed was the plaint of the whippowil In the silver-birches above her head: 'Wiwâstè,--the prairies are green and fair, When the robin sings and the whippowil; But the land of the Spirits is fairer still, For the winds of winter blow never there; And forever the songs of the whippowils And the robins are heard on the leafy hills. **Who acts:** winds, foaming, floods, prairies, robin, land · **What happens:** be, listen, say, hush, sing, blow · **To what, where:** floods, plaint, whippowil, songs, leafy hills, spirit spake · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Legends of the Northwest» by Hanford Lennox Gordon, Heyóka Wacípee \[16\]--the Giant's Dance.. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (winds, foaming, floods, prairies), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it from the tree. **Mova's own parse.** This tree may be wrong. ## The tree {#tree} ```conllu # sent_id = book:pg8122:7:55 # text = Then the spirit spake, and the floods were still-- They hushed and listened to what she said, And hushed was the plaint of the whippowil In the silver-birches above her head: 'Wiwâstè,--the prairies are green and fair, When the robin sings and the whippowil; But the land of the Spirits is fairer still, For the winds of winter blow never there; And forever the songs of the whippowils And the robins are heard on the leafy hills. 1 Then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 4 advmod _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 3 spirit spirit NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 compound _ _ 4 spake speak NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 5 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 6 and and CCONJ CC _ 25 cc _ _ 7 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 8 floods flood NOUN NNS Number=Plur 25 nsubj _ _ 9 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 cop _ _ 10 still still ADV RB _ 13 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 11 -- -- PUNCT , _ 13 punct _ _ 12 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 13 nsubj _ _ 13 hushed hush VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 acl:relcl _ _ 14 and and CCONJ CC _ 15 cc _ _ 15 listened listen VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 conj _ _ 16 to to ADP IN _ 17 case _ _ 17 what what PRON WP PronType=Rel 15 obl _ _ 18 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 19 nsubj _ _ 19 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 17 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 20 , , PUNCT , _ 22 punct _ _ 21 And and CCONJ CC _ 22 cc _ _ 22 hushed hush VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 conj _ _ 23 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 25 cop _ _ 24 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 25 det _ _ 25 plaint plaint NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 appos _ _ 26 of of ADP IN _ 28 case _ _ 27 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 28 det _ _ 28 whippowil whippowil NOUN NN Number=Sing 25 nmod _ _ 29 In in ADP IN _ 33 case _ _ 30 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 33 det _ _ 31 silver silver NOUN NN Number=Sing 33 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 32 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 31 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 33 birches birch NOUN NNS Number=Plur 28 nmod _ _ 34 above above ADP IN _ 36 case _ _ 35 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 36 nmod:poss _ _ 36 head head NOUN NN Number=Sing 33 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 37 : : PUNCT : _ 39 punct _ _ 38 ' ' PUNCT `` _ 39 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 39 Wiwâstè Wiwâstè PROPN NNP Number=Sing 4 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 40 , , PUNCT , _ 45 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 41 -- -- PUNCT , _ 45 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 42 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 43 det _ _ 43 prairies prairie NOUN NNS Number=Plur 45 nsubj _ _ 44 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 45 cop _ _ 45 green green ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 39 parataxis _ _ 46 and and CCONJ CC _ 47 cc _ _ 47 fair fair ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 45 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 48 , , PUNCT , _ 52 punct _ _ 49 When when ADV WRB PronType=Int 52 advmod _ _ 50 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 51 det _ _ 51 robin robin NOUN NN Number=Sing 52 nsubj _ _ 52 sings sing VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 39 parataxis _ _ 53 and and CCONJ CC _ 55 cc _ _ 54 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 55 det _ _ 55 whippowil whippowil NOUN NN Number=Sing 52 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 56 ; ; PUNCT : _ 64 punct _ _ 57 But but CCONJ CC _ 64 cc _ _ 58 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 59 det _ _ 59 land land NOUN NN Number=Sing 64 nsubj _ _ 60 of of ADP IN _ 62 case _ _ 61 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 62 det _ _ 62 Spirits spirit NOUN NNS Number=Plur 59 nmod _ _ 63 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 64 cop _ _ 64 fairer fair ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 52 advcl _ _ 65 still still ADV RB _ 64 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 66 , , PUNCT , _ 69 punct _ _ 67 For for ADP IN _ 69 case _ _ 68 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 69 det _ _ 69 winds wind NOUN NNS Number=Plur 72 nsubj _ _ 70 of of ADP IN _ 71 case _ _ 71 winter winter NOUN NN Number=Sing 69 nmod _ _ 72 blow blow VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 52 conj _ _ 73 never never ADV RB PronType=Neg 74 advmod _ _ 74 there there ADV RB PronType=Dem 72 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 75 ; ; PUNCT : _ 79 punct _ _ 76 And and CCONJ CC _ 79 cc _ _ 77 forever forever ADV RB _ 79 advmod _ _ 78 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 79 det _ _ 79 songs song NOUN NNS Number=Plur 87 nsubj:pass _ _ 80 of of ADP IN _ 82 case _ _ 81 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 82 det _ _ 82 whippowils whippowil NOUN NNS Number=Plur 79 nmod _ _ 83 And and CCONJ CC _ 85 cc _ _ 84 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 85 det _ _ 85 robins robin NOUN NNS Number=Plur 82 conj _ _ 86 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 87 aux:pass _ _ 87 heard hear VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 72 parataxis _ _ 88 on on ADP IN _ 91 case _ _ 89 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 91 det _ _ 90 leafy leafy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 91 amod _ _ 91 hills hill NOUN NNS Number=Plur 87 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 92 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | past | winds *= wind* | the floods *not said here* | | | still | hush *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **listen** | past | winds *= wind* *not said here* | | | | | what *obl* | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent to what=Theme | | 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | foaming | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 4 | **hush** | past | winds *= wind* *not said here* | | | | | | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient | | 5 | **is a** | past | the floods | the plaint | | | | of the whippowil in the silver birches above foaming's head | tree rules | | 6 | **is** | present | the prairies | | | | | green *property* | tree rules | | 7 | **be** | | the prairies *not said here* | | | | | | tree rules | | 8 | **sing** *speech: express* | present | the robin | the whippowil | | | | | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 9 | **is** | present | the land of the Spirits | | | | still | fair *property* | tree rules | | 10 | **blow** | present | the winds of winter | | | there | never | | vn split-23.2 «NP V apart»: agent=Patient | | 11 | **hear** | present · passive | | the songs of the whippowils and the robins | | the leafy hills | | | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S»: subject=Stimulus | | 13 | **wind** | | | winter | | | | | nom wind «phenomenon transitive»: of=patient | | 14 | **sing** | | the whippowils and the robins | | | | | | nom song «communication intransitive»: of=agent | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. **Text:** «Legends of the Northwest» by Hanford Lennox Gordon, Project Gutenberg book 8122 (public domain in the USA). **Tree:** Mova's own parse, Elamur Cosmic License. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), the chapter read in order. - ← previous: [sentence 54](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/7/54/) - next →: [sentence 56](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/7/56/) - ↑ back to [Heyóka Wacípee \[16\]--the Giant's Dance.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/7/)