The Solitary Reaper: William Wordsworth

  

The poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ written by Wordsworth was published in 1807 in “Poems, in Two Volumes”. The poem is unique because of its language, imagery and natural theme. William Wordsworth is different from other contemporary poets because he focused on emotion, imagination, nature and the common people while other contemporary poets wrote about ancient heroes. He defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling”.

'The Solitary Reaper'

Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

 Meaning of some difficult words

Behold: to see

Solitary: Spending time alone

Highland Lass : a girl who lives in the highlands (mountain regions) of Scotland 

Reaping : cutting down and gathering a crop 

Melancholy strain : sad song

Vale profound : deep valley

overwhelming: Completely cover with

Chant: to sing

Weary bands; Bored for doing something for a long time

Shady haunt: shady areas enclosed by trees

Arabian Sands : the deserts of Arabia (the Middle East)

Farthest Hehrides : the most remote group of islands that lie to the north-west of Scotland 

Plaintive : numbers: sad music 

Humble lay : ordinary song

Maiden: young girl

Sickle : a tool for cutting grass and grain crops. It has a short handle and a blade shaped like a hook.

 

Poem Summary

At the outset of the poem the speaker is drawing the attention to a young girl who is singing while reaping the crops. The song is a kind of sad and plaintive one. The passersby either stops or passes gently so that she is not disturbed. She seems very melancholy and the whole valley overflows with its sound. The speaker cannot understand the words of the song. Her song is more welcome than that of a nightingale or a cuckoo bird. He speculates that her song might be about some past sorrow, pain or loss 'of old, unhappy things' or battles fought long ago. Whatever may be, perhaps the song have no ending. His heart bears the tune of the song for a long time.