BSc BA ADP English Notes Poem The Solitary Reaper (William Wordsworth) Reference Context Explanation

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Poems:

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 nighthingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt
among Arabian sands;

A voice so thrilling nev'r was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird.

Breaking the silences 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 more humble lay,

Familiar matter of today?
Some natural sorrow, loss or pain.
That has been, and may be again?

Whatever 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

William Wordsworth

English poet born Cockermouth, Cumberland, 7 April, 1770, died 23 April, 1850.

A lawyer's son, Wordsworth was educated at Cambridge. In 1791, inspired by the Revolution, he went to France where an affair with Annette Vallon produced daughter. His revolutionary faith broken by Napoleon's ambitions, Wordsworth was consoled by his sister Dorothy. In 1799 he went to Dove Cottage, Crasmere, and in 1802 married Mary Hutchinson. He was made Distributor of stamps for Westmoreland and Cumberland in 1813 and was appointed Poet Laureate in 1843. Whether writing long philosophical reflections in the Prelude (1850) or short pieces, as in, for instance, The Lyrical ballads (1798), he impresses by the imaginative quality of his meditation, as in his Immortality Ode:

"To me the meanest flower that blows can give Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears."

Idea of Poem:

This is a delightful poem by Wordsworth. During his tour of Scotland he came across a lovely maiden at work in the fields all alone. Her lovely presence and her song in a foreign language local dialect had a deep impression and moved the poet to compose these verses. The lovely singer appeared to be a part of the beauty of Nature representing its sweetness, joy and mystery. The recollection of this happy experience became a pleasure giving permanent possession, retrievable like computer-memory. Thus:

The music in my heart I bore,

Long after it was heard no more.

Words                          Meaning

Melancholy strain        sad song

Vale profound              deep valley

Chaunt                         sing

Hebrides                      A group of Islands off western Scotland.

Humble lay                  simple song.

Reference: 

These lines have been taken from the poem “The Solitary Reaper” written by Wordsworth.

Context: 

In this poem the poet tells us the story of a lovely Highland Girl, who is working in a filed and singing a song. He is deeply impressed by her song and remembers the melody of her song even after he has left the place. He cannot understand the language of the song but the sad beauty of her voice goes straight to his heart. The atmosphere of the poem and the song of the girl as a part of the beauty of Nature leave a lasting impression on the mind of the poet.

Explanation:

Lines 1 – 4 

Behold her, single  in the field,
Yon solitary Highland lass;
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass.

In these lines the poet tells us about a young girl of Scotland. He tells us to look at the girl who is reaping grain and also singing a sweet song. He advises the passerby to stop short and listen to her song or pass very silently by her, so that she is not disturbed.

Lines 5 – 8 

Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen; for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

The poet says that the highland girl cuts and binds the grain in sheaves. She is also singing a sad song. She is very busy in her song as well as her work. The poet once again advises the passerby to listen to her song. He says that the whole deep valley is echoing with her sweet song. The whole dale is listening to her sweet voice. We should also listen to her song and enjoy it.

Lines 9 – 12 

No nighthingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt
among Arabian sands;

In the given lines the poet compares the sweet voice of the girl to that of a nightingale. Nightingale is considered a sweet-voice bird. The poet says no nightingale has so far sung as melodious a song as the girl sings. When some group of tired travelers reaches a shady place, in the Arabian deserts, the nightingale welcomes the caravan with its sweet song. It is obvious that commonly there is no nightingale in the deserts. But if there is some oasis, it is but natural that a nightingale is found there. So when a tired caravan reaches any oasis or shrubby area the nightingale welcomes it. The poet says that the voice of the singing girl is rather sweeter than that of a nightingale.

Lines 13 – 16 

A voice so thrilling nev'r was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird.

Breaking the silences of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

These lines show a comparison between the song of the girl and the song of the cuckoo. He says that such a sweet voice was never heard from the cuckoo even in the spring season. The song of cuckoo is always very sweet but the voice of the girl, who was singing, was sweeter than the cuckoo?s. The voice of the girl was so sweet that it broke the silence of the seas and of the far off islands on north-western coast of Scotland. These islands are never disturbed by any storm but the voice of the girl intruded into the silence of this group of islands. This was because of the praiseworthy song of the girl which even affected the seas.

Lines 17 – 20 

Will no one tell me what she sings?

Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow

for old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago.

In these lines the poet tells us about the language of the song. He does not understand the alien language of the song. He says will no one tell him the meaning of the song of the girl. He says that perhaps the girl is singing some sad song of the past. He guesses the language and the meaning of the song. Perhaps the girl is singing some unhappy song or singing about events that have taken place in the past. Perhaps she is singing about battles which have been fought in the far off past.

Lines 21 – 24 

Or is it more humble lay,

Familiar matter of today?
Some natural sorrow, loss or pain.
That has been, and may be again?

These lines are also an expression of the un-understandable language of the song. The poet again guesses at the theme. Perhaps she is singing a simple song on some ordinary matter of the present age. Perhaps she is singing simple sorrow of loss or of some misery. May be she is singing for the lover who has jilted her. Probably, the incident of loss or pain has taken place in the past and it may be experienced again in future.

Lines 25 – 28 

Whatever 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-

These lines also show that the poet did not know the theme of the song. He says whatever theme she sang, irrespective of that, it seemed that the song of the young girl would not come to an end. The poet says that he saw the girl busy at her work and also singing while reaping with a sickle in bent motion.

Lines 29 – 32

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

These are the concluding lines of the poem. The poet says that first he listened to her song standing still and motionless. But as he mounted up the hill of Scotland, the tune of the song was so sweet that it struck the heart of the poet. He was sop impressed that he carried, the melody of the song with him long after the song was ended by the girl. Actually, the poet, being a poet of nature, was profoundly impressed by this natural scene. He remembered this song for its natural melodious effect.

Written By: Asad Hussain