# Read a text

Read a section of a Latin or Greek work, or a graded passage, in the original.

Canonical: https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/docs/mcp/get_text

`tools/call get_text`

A work on its own returns its opening section; a citation inside a section returns the whole section. The answer has the text, its citation, canonical url, CTS URN, the edition's credit and licence, and prev and next links: pass next.url as ref to keep reading. include adds the stored word analysis (analysis) and context notes (context).

## Input

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `ref` | string | What to read: an Interlinea URL (https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/latin/virgil/aeneid/1.46, or /read/latin/virgil-aeneid for a graded passage), a CTS URN (urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.perseus-lat2:1.46) or a citation ("Virgil, Aeneid 1.46", "Iliad 1.1"). Up to 500 characters. |
| `include` | array of string | Optional. Extra parts to add. Each costs tokens. Items: one of `analysis`, `context`. Default `[]`. Up to 2 items. |

## Output

`structuredContent` has these fields, and `content` repeats the same JSON as one text item.

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `kind` | string | section: a reading section of a library work. passage: a graded passage. One of `section`, `passage`. |
| `lang` | string | Language code: la (Latin) or grc (Ancient Greek). One of `la`, `grc`. |
| `language` | string |  |
| `title` | string | "Aeneid 1.1-11" for a section; the passage title for a graded passage. |
| `citation` | string | "Virgil, Aeneid 1.1-11": quote this when you cite the text. |
| `ref` | string or null | The section's first citation, as used in its URL. Null for a graded passage. |
| `level` | integer or null | Graded passages: difficulty 1 to 5. |
| `urn` | string or null | CTS URN, e.g. urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.perseus-lat2:1.1-1.11. Null when the edition has none (The Latin Library's own numbering). |
| `url` | string | Canonical page. |
| `api` | string | Absolute URL. |
| `markdown` | string or null | The same text as Markdown. |
| `author` | object |  |
| `author.name` | string |  |
| `author.url` | string or null | Absolute URL. |
| `work` | object |  |
| `work.title` | string |  |
| `work.url` | string or null | Absolute URL. |
| `work.urn` | string or null | CTS URN, e.g. urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.perseus-lat2:1.1-1.11. Null when the edition has none (The Latin Library's own numbering). |
| `verse` | boolean |  |
| `words` | integer |  |
| `text` | string | Plain text; verse keeps its line breaks. |
| `prev` | object or null |  |
| `prev.citation` | string | "Aeneid 1.12-33" |
| `prev.label` | string | "Book 1, lines 12-33" |
| `prev.url` | string | Absolute URL. |
| `prev.api` | string | The same resource as JSON. |
| `next` | object or null | Follow next.api to read on without searching again. |
| `next.citation` | string | "Aeneid 1.12-33" |
| `next.label` | string | "Book 1, lines 12-33" |
| `next.url` | string | Absolute URL. |
| `next.api` | string | The same resource as JSON. |
| `credit` | object |  |
| `credit.text` | string | Credit line for the edition: author, work, editor, source, licence and changes. Quote it when you reuse the text. |
| `credit.license` | string | CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY 3.0, Used with permission (The Latin Library), or a public-domain note. |
| `credit.licenseUrl` | string or null |  |
| `credit.source` | string | Where the edition comes from. |
| `credit.quality` | string | ocr: an unproofread scan. One of `proofread`, `ocr`. |
| `analysis` | object | Optional. Only with include=analysis. |
| `analysis.analysed` | integer | Sentences with a stored analysis. |
| `analysis.total` | integer | Sentences in the text. |
| `analysis.license` | string | The analyses adapt CC BY-SA text, so they are share-alike. Always `CC BY-SA 4.0`. |
| `analysis.note` | string |  |
| `analysis.sentences` | array of object |  |
| `analysis.sentences[].index` | integer | 0-based sentence index in the text. |
| `analysis.sentences[].text` | string |  |
| `analysis.sentences[].translation` | string or null | Null when the sentence has no stored analysis yet. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words` | array of object or null | Null when the sentence has no stored analysis yet. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].i` | integer | 1-based index of the word in its sentence. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].form` | string | The word as printed. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].lemma` | string | Dictionary headword; Latin with macrons, Greek polytonic. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].entry` | string or null | Dictionary entry: principal parts, or genitive and gender. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].upos` | string | Universal Dependencies part of speech. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].feats` | string | Universal Dependencies features, e.g. "Case=Acc\|Gender=Neut\|Number=Plur"; "_" if none. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].head` | integer | Index of the word this one depends on; 0 for the root. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].deprel` | string | Universal Dependencies relation to its head: nsubj, obj, amod, … |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].gloss` | string | Meaning in this sentence, 1 to 4 words. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].note` | string or null | One sentence on the word's role. |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].enclitic` | object | Optional. Present only when an enclitic rides on the word, e.g. -que "and". |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].enclitic.form` | string |  |
| `analysis.sentences[].words[].enclitic.gloss` | string |  |
| `context` | object | Optional. Only with include=context. |
| `context.machineWritten` | boolean | False for the graded passages' hand-written notes. |
| `context.section` | object or null | Null until someone has opened Context for this part in the reader. |
| `context.section.soFar` | string or null | What has happened in the work before this part. |
| `context.section.here` | string or null | What happens in this part, never a translation. |
| `context.section.people` | array of object | People, gods and places named here. |
| `context.section.people[].name` | string |  |
| `context.section.people[].note` | string |  |
| `context.section.people[].forms` | array of string | The words in the text that name them. |
| `context.section.people[].wikipedia` | string or null | English Wikipedia article title, when certain. |
| `context.section.next` | string or null | What comes next. |
| `context.work` | object or null | A few lines about the work. |
| `context.work.intro` | string or null |  |
| `context.work.note` | string or null |  |

The same reads as [`GET /api/v1/text`](https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/docs/api/text.md), with the same shape.

## Example call

Arguments:

```json
{
  "ref": "Virgil, Aeneid 1.46"
}
```

curl:

```sh
curl https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_text","arguments":{"ref":"Virgil, Aeneid 1.46"}}}'
```

TypeScript:

```js
import { Client, StreamableHTTPClientTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client"

const client = new Client({ name: "my-app", version: "1.0.0" })
await client.connect(new StreamableHTTPClientTransport(new URL("https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/mcp")))

const result = await client.callTool({ name: "get_text", arguments: { "ref": "Virgil, Aeneid 1.46" } })
console.log(result.structuredContent)
```

## Example output

structuredContent:

```json
{
  "kind": "section",
  "lang": "la",
  "language": "Latin",
  "title": "Aeneid 1.46-86",
  "citation": "Virgil, Aeneid 1.46-86",
  "ref": "1.46",
  "level": null,
  "urn": "urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.perseus-lat2:1.46-1.86",
  "url": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/latin/virgil/aeneid/1.46",
  "api": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/api/v1/library/latin/virgil/aeneid/1.46",
  "markdown": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/latin/virgil/aeneid/1.46.md",
  "author": {
    "name": "Virgil",
    "url": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/latin/virgil"
  },
  "work": {
    "title": "Aeneid",
    "url": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/latin/virgil/aeneid",
    "urn": "urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003"
  },
  "verse": true,
  "words": 276,
  "text": "Ast ego, quae divom incedo regina, Iovisque\net soror et coniunx, una cum gente tot annos\nbella gero! Et quisquam numen Iunonis adoret\npraete…",
  "prev": {
    "citation": "Aeneid 1.1-45",
    "label": "Lines 1.1-1.45",
    "url": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/latin/virgil/aeneid/1.1",
    "api": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/api/v1/library/latin/virgil/aeneid/1.1"
  },
  "next": {
    "citation": "Aeneid 1.87-130",
    "label": "Lines 1.87-1.130",
    "url": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/latin/virgil/aeneid/1.87",
    "api": "https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/api/v1/library/latin/virgil/aeneid/1.87"
  },
  "credit": {
    "text": "Virgil, Aeneid, ed. J. B. Greenough. Text: the Perseus Digital Library, canonical-latinLit, CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: apostrophes normalised an…",
    "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
    "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
    "source": "https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-latinLit/blob/master/data/phi0690/phi003/phi0690.phi003.perseus-lat2.xml",
    "quality": "proofread"
  }
}
```

---

Previous: [Search the library](https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/docs/mcp/search_library.md)
Next: [Word-by-word analysis](https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/docs/mcp/get_analysis.md)