The Solitary Reaper

William Wordsworth

WARM UP

Look at the following picture of Orpheus, the legendary Greek musician. As the
picture shows, he was able to tame animals by the power of his music. Do you
believe that music is capable of such wonders? Discuss this with your friend/s.

Courtesy: www.encarta.com

A NOTE ON THE POET

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) is considered

the representative poet of the Romantic Age. He
was a great lover of nature. In fact, he considered
nature a form of God. Along with his friend
Coleridge, he wrote Lyrical Ballads, a collection
of poems, that best represents his love for nature.
Wordsworth believed that poetry is an outcome
of “a spontaneous (natural) overflow of powerful
feelings.”

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A NOTE ON THE POEM

This poem was written when Wordsworth went on a tour to Scotland

with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. As he was passing through the
fields, he heard a young woman singing in Erse (a Scottish dialect).
Although Wordsworth couldn’t understand the meaning of her song,
he was spell-bound by the melody. The outcome of it was the poem,
The Solitary Reaper.

READING

The Solitary Reaper

BEHOLD her, single in the field, behold: see

Yon solitary Highland Lass! yon: that solitary: lonely lass: young woman
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain, binds: ties together
And sings a melancholy strain; melancholy strain: sad song
O listen! for the Vale profound vale: valley profound: deep
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt chaunt: sing

More welcome notes to weary bands weary bands: tired groups
Of travellers in some shady haunt, haunt: (here) place
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard thrilling: (here) sweet; melodious ne’er: never
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides. Hebrides: a group of islands

Will no one tell me what she sings?—

Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow plaintive numbers: (here) sad music
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay, humble lay: ordinary theme

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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;— sickle: a curved knife used for cutting crops
I listen'd, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore, bore: carried
Long after it was heard no more.

READING COMPREHENSION

1. The first stanza clearly denotes that the young reaper was the only person
in the field. What are the words that Wordsworth uses to convey this
idea? (E.g. single)
2. What kind of song does the maiden sing? Mention the phrase in the poem
that describes the song.
3. Where does the nightingale sing?

4. How does the nightingale’s music help the travellers?

5. What is the effect of the cuckoo’s song?

6. What, according to the poet, could be the theme of the reaper’s song?

7. Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,

That has been, and may be again?
These lines suggest that
a) Sorrow is an integral part of the human cycle that occurs again and
again.
b) The reaper always faces sorrow in life.
c) The reaper feels that she will face sorrow often in life.

8. How does the poet react to the reaper’s song?

9. What does the poet do even after he is unable to hear the reaper’s song?

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RECAP

Look at the following table. It clearly sums up the main theme of the poem as
seen in the four stanzas.

S.N. STANZA FEELING KEY LINES

1. First Admiration “O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.”
2. Second Admiration “No Nightingale did ever chaunt…”
leading to “A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
comparison In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird…”
3. Third Curiosity to “Will no one tell me what she sings?”
know the
meaning of the
song.
4. Fourth Understanding “The music in my heart I bore,
that music Long after it was heard no more.”
needs no
language for
appreciation.
This resulting
in a movement
from external
admiration to
internal
cherishment.

WRITING

Write a summary of the poem, The Solitary Reaper.

Tips:

Generally, a good/standard summary should consist of

A few sentences about the poet (look up A NOTE ON THE POET)

A few sentences about the poem (look up A NOTE ON THE POEM)

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The general theme conveyed in the first stanza. (The poet sees the reaper singing
in the field; doesn’t want to disturb her; feels that she is singing a sad song; even
the valley is filled with her sweet voice.)

The general theme conveyed in the second stanza. (The reaper being compared
to the nightingale and the cuckoo; according to the poet, her voice is sweeter than
that of the two birds.)

The general theme conveyed in the third stanza. (The poet wonders what she
could be singing about – whether it could be about battles of the past or a tragic
event of the present.)

The general idea conveyed in the fourth stanza. (The poet realizes that the music
of the reaper transcends (goes beyond) barriers of language. He cherishes the
melody in his heart even after he leaves the place.)