oracle; revelation; divine message
thoughtful; deep-thinking
fondly; admiringly; with fascination; with adoration; with enchantment
privacy; secrecy; confidentiality
standing by; awaiting an opportunity; being on alert
oral; verbal; spoken; parol
a verse (e.g. in the Bible); stanza; paragraph; passage; a joint; section
harmful effect; harmful influence; evil practice; abuse; malady
to lose one's presence of mind; be flummoxed; to get flustered
novel; new; unfamiliar; hear for the first time
to be confused; to be bewildered; to be taken aback
ignorance; inexperience; unfamiliarity
epidemic; plague; pestilence
sticking; clinging; with a smack (e.g. sitting down); hard; all over; thickly
how many years; how long; what year
separate; scattered; apart
decline; ebb; failure; decay; decrease; loss
irresolution; indecision; vacillation
to be buried; to be covered; to be hidden
dusk; twilight; twilight years; melancholia; melancholic nostalgia
snide remark; insinuation; sly dig; disguised reproach; indirect criticism
exchange; reciprocation; give-and-take; reply; riposte
meandering; snaking; zigzagging
absurd; irrational; unreasonable; absurdity (philosophy)
plot; scheme; trick; design; intrigue; artifice
one round; one circuit; one revolution; one lap; one turn
what one desires; what one hopes for; suits me well; could ask for nothing better; bring it on
to look down on; to treat with contempt; to treat disparagingly; to sneer at