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. 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
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
6. 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.
7.
8. 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.
9. 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???
