The poem "The Solitary Reaper" describes William Wordsworth witnessing a solitary Highland girl reaping wheat alone in a field and singing a melancholy song so beautiful that its sound filled the surrounding valley. Struck by the power and sadness of her unknown song, Wordsworth compares it favorably to the music of nightingales and cuckoos yet is left wondering at its meaning as he walks away still hearing the music in his heart.
3. 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 chant
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.
4. MAJOR THEME
The Solitary Reaper is a romantic poem written after William
Wordsworth’s trip through Scottish highlands. The images of
the beautiful scenery of countryside attracted him greatly.
The poet narrated an experience of a short encounter with a
solitary Scottish rustic girl whose song in Scot took him deeply.
Therefore, William Wordsworth watch her singing to herself in
a distance so as not to disturb her. Wordsworth is in awe of
the girl's voice although the meaning of the song was
incomprehensible to him. Further, the tone of this poem is
pleasant and it is a poem of praise on the natural beauty of
countryside as well as the rusticity of the simple rural people.
The theme throughout the whole poem seems to be the beauty
of the song, and the lingering effect it leaves upon the poet.
5. The first stanza is the introduction of the poet’s
encountering a solitary Scottish rustic girl who
was reaping and singing a fascinating, melancholy
song which had a charm for William Wordsworth.
In the second stanza, the poet made two sharp
comparisons of the melody to the sweet voice of
a nightingale and the song sang by a cuckoo-bird
in spring. Moreover, he stated that her song was
far more beautiful than them. The third stanza is
about the poet’s speculation of the content of the
song which was sung in Scotland - whether it
was about some old, sad matters or some
sufferings of present time. The fourth stanza
SUMMARY
6. •
•
‘The Solitary Reaper’ is William Wordsworth’s rendition
of the delight a simple peasant girl derives from nature
and how the entire atmosphere reverberates with that
happiness.
The poet sees a highland girl reaping the harvest and
singing. The poet compares her song with the song of a
nightingale, soothing his sorrows, easing his weariness,
just the same way as the nightingale welcomes the weary
travellers in the shady oasis of the Arabian sands. The
maiden’s song is also compared to the song of the cuckoo
bird which is the harbinger of summer and ushers in
happiness. The song of the maiden is as thrilling and
convincing as the song of the cuckoo bird which is
effective enough to break the silence of the seas.
7. The poet cannot understand the dialect of the song, he
is unable to comprehend its meaning, but is able to
gauge from its sad tone that it probably relates to some
unhappy memory, some battles fought long ago. The
poet also feels that the song may be about the
commonplace things like joys or sorrows.
The poet feels that the girl’s song would have no end
and would continue forever. The poet saw the girl
singing as she bent over her sickle. The song of the
maiden was so mesmerising and spellbinding that it
held the poet motionless and still. When the poet
started mounting the hill, the song could not be heard
but it left an indelible mark on the poet’s heart. For the
poet, it would always remain a fresh evocative memory.
The poem also shows how the appeal of music is
universal.
9. PARAPHRASE
Look at that girl, a lone young rustic girl in the field! She is reaping and
singing, alone. You should stop here, or just pass silently! She is cutting
and binding the wheat and, singing a sorrowful song all for herself. Oh!
Listen please, because the bottomless valley is reverberating with the
fascinating sound.
Never did a nightingale sing out sweeter notes than the lonely girl to the
tired, lonely groups of travellers in an oasis-like place amidst the Arabian
Desert; nor did a cuckoo-bird sing ever sing such a melodic song in spring
time so as to break the calmness of the oceans among the farthest
Hebrides.
Can anyone tell me what she is singing? Maybe it is about the sentimental
lines of old, unpleasant, far-reaching matters and the wars long ago. Or is
it about some sadder ballad of today’s familiar feelings, such as some
natural sorrowful, sombre or painful ones, which have been experienced,
and may be experienced again in the future?
No matter what the theme the young girl is singing, her song seems to be
endless. I watch her singing to herself when bending and cutting the grain
with her sickle. I listened, silently and without a move. Then, when I
climbed up the mountain, the melody of the song was still lingering in my
mind long after it was not been heard any more.
11. LINGUISTIC
PRESENTATION
The first and fourth stanzas strictly follow the rhyme
pattern ABABCCDD While the second and third paragraphs
follow the pattern ABCBDDEE
some poetic or obsolete words have been used, for example,
Behold (Look, See), vale (valley) vale profound (word-order);
(Stanza 1) chant (sing) (Stanza 2); numbers (lines, verses); lay
(ballad, song) (Stanza 3).
There are a number of imperative sentences in this poem,
especially in Stanza 1, for example, Behold her (Line 1); Stop
here, or gently pass! (Line 4); Oh, listen! (Line 7) With these
imperatives, the poet actually addressed readers directly.
12. While reading the poem I got lost in
Scotland in my thoughts….I love the way
Wordsworth has described this
poem…while reading this poem I
assumed that I was the solitary reaper,
and I was reaping and singing by myself
….but I am curious what was the reason
behind the song sung by her and what
was she singing???
40. 5. The poet could not understand the words of the song, yet he raised
several possibilities about its theme. In thediagrambeloware some of
these possibilities. Readthe third stanza again, and find the phrase that
matches each. Copy and complete the diagram, writing each phrase in
theempty boxes. Workin pairs.
41. 6. On the basis of your understandingof the poem, answerthe
following questions by tickingthe correct choice.
(a) The central idea of the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is__________.
(i) well sung songs give us happiness
(ii) melodious sounds appeal to all
(iii) beautiful experience give us life-long pleasure
(iv) reapers can sing like birds
(b) In the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ to
whom does the poet say ‘Stop here or
gently pass’?
(i) to the people cutting corn
(ii) to himself
(iii) to the people who make noise
(iv) to all the passers by
42. (d) The poet's lament in the poem 'The Solitary Reaper' is that __________
(i) he cannot understand the song
(ii) he did not know the lass
(iii) she stopped singing at once
(iv) he had to move away
(c) The Solitary Reaper is a narrative poem set to music. This form of verse is
called a__________.
(i) ballad
(ii) soliloquy
(iii) monologue
(iv) sonnet
e) The setting of the poem is__________
(i) Arabia
(ii) Hebrides
(iii) Scotland
(iv) England
43. Place Heard by Impact on
listener
Solitary
Reaper
Scottish
Highlands
The poet Holds him
spellbound
Nightingale
Cuckoo
. (a) Read the second stanza again, in which Wordsworth compares the solitary
reaper's song with the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo. On the basis of
your reading (and your imagination), copy and complete the table below. (Work
in groups of four, then have a brief class discussion.)
44. (b) Why do you think Wordsworth has chosen the song of the nightingale and the
cuckoo for comparison with the solitary reaper’s song?
c) As you read the second stanza, what pictures come to your mind? Be ready
to describe them in your own words, to the rest of the class. (Do not be afraid to
go beyond what the poet has written.)
8. In the sixthline of the first Stanza, we read:
“... and sings a melancholy strain...”
This “s” sound at the beginning of sings and strainhas been repeated. Poets often
do this.Do you knowwhy? Do you knowwhatthis “poeticrepetition”is called?Can
you find instances of this in The Solitary Reaper?
9. In the first Stanza, some words or phrases have beenusedto show that the girl
working in the fields is alone. Whichare thosewords and phrases? What effect do
they create in the mindof the reader?
47. • Answer=6 =a
(iii) beautiful experience give us life-long pleasure
• Answer=6=b
(iv) to all the passers by
• Answer6=c
(i) ballad
• Answer=6=d
(iii) Scotland
• Answer=6=e
(i) he cannot understand the song
48. Place Heard by Impact on listener
Solitary Reaper Scottish
Highlands
The poet Holds him
spellbound
Nightingale Arabian sands Travellers reduces the
tiredness of
travellers
Cuckoo Hebrides People from far off
lands
has far-reaching
effect, heralds the
coming of spring,
end of winter
Answer =7=b
The nightingale and the cuckoo are known as song-birds. Many poets have
written about their melodious notes and there is a reference to nightingale
even in the Bible. So the poet has chosen their songs for comparison with
the Solitary Reaper’s song.
49. Answer=7=c
The second stanza presented the scene of a alone girl standing between the field busy in cutting the
grain and binding it. She is singing the sad song while doing her job and the grief of that song is
passing from the deep valley. The sadness of her song is so immense that no nightingale singing
their song or even chanting.
Answer=8
Poets often repeat such sounds to make the effect more intense and ornamental. This “poetic
repetition” is called alliteration.
In line 15 we find an instance of alliteration in “silence of the seas.” In line 18 we find alliteration in
“perhaps the plaintive numbers flow.” Line 27 also has alliteration in “I saw her singing at her work.”
Answer=9
The words and phrases that have been used to show that the girl working in the fields is alone are
‘single in the field’, ‘solitary’, ‘singing by herself’.
The words and phrases create in the readers mind an image of a lonely Scottish maiden who is
reaping and singing all alone in the field. While she is working, she is singing a sad melancholy
song. The song is so intense that the poet asks the passersby to listen but to not disturb her.
