Summary of The Solitary Reaper

“The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth is written as a recollection of an

overwhelming emotional experience. It is about the song sung by a Solitary Reaper. ‘The

Solitary Reaper’ was singing and doing her work without minding anyone. But, the poet

was observing her, mesmerized by the song. He compares her song to that of

Nightingale and the Cuckoo-bird, yet he states that her song is the best. Despite the

poet’s inability to decipher the song’s meaning, he understands that it is a song of

melancholy. The poet listened motionlessly until he left the place, but the song never left

him. Even after a long time, he has come away from that place, he says, he could still

listen. The song continued to echo in his heart long after it is heard no more. The

beautiful experience left a deep impact and gave him a long-lasting pleasure.

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.

In the First stanza of “The Solitary Reaper,” Wordsworth describes how the Reaper was
singing all alone. During one of his journeys in the countryside of Scotland, he saw a
Highland girl working in the field all alone. She had no one to help her out in the field. So
she was singing to herself. She was singing without knowing that someone was listening
to her song. The poet doesn’t want to disturb her solitude so requests the passerby’s go
without disturbing her. She was immersed in her work of cutting and binding while
singing a melancholy song. For the poet, he is so struck by the sad beauty of her song
that the whole valley seems to overflow with its sound.

In the second stanza of “The Solitary Reaper,” the poet compares the young woman’s

song with ‘Nightingale’ and ‘Cuckoo’ – the most celebrated birds by the writers and poets

for the sweetness of voice. But, here he complains that neither ‘Nightingale’ nor the

‘Cuckoo’ sang a song that is as sweet as hers. He says that no nightingale has sung the

song so soothing like that for the weary travelers. For, the song of the girl has stopped

him from going about his business. He is utterly enchanted that he says that her voice is

so thrilling and penetrable like that of the Cuckoo Bird, which sings to break the silence

in the ‘Hebrides’ Islands. He symbolically puts forth that her voice is so melodious and
more than that of the two birds, known for their voice.

Stanza Three

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?

In the third stanza of “The Solitary Reaper,” the poet depicts his plight over not
understanding the theme or language of the poem. The poet couldn’t understand the
local Scottish dialect in which the reaper was singing. So tries to imagine what the song
might be about. Given that it is a ‘plaintive number’ and a ‘melancholy strain’ (as given
in line 6) he speculates that her song might be about some past sorrow, pain, or loss ‘of
old, unhappy things‘ or battles fought long ago. Or perhaps, he says, it is a humbler,
simpler song about some present sorrow, pain, or loss, a ‘matter of to-day.’ He further
wonders if that is about something that has happened in the past or something that has
reoccurred now.

Stanza Four

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.

In the fourth stanza, the poet decides not to probe further into the theme. He comes to

the conclusion that whatever may be the theme of her poem, it is not going to end. Not

only her song but also her suffering sounds like a never-ending one. He stays there
motionless and listened to her song quite some times. Even when he left and mounted

up the hill he could still hear her voice coming amongst the produce, she was cutting and

binding. Though the poet left that place, the song remained in his heart, long after he

heard that song.

Literary/ Poetic Devices Used

‘The Solitary Reaper’ by William Wordsworth uses straightforward language and meter as

well as natural theme and imagery. Once again Wordsworth reflected his belief in the

importance of the natural world. The poem highlights his definition of poetry to be ‘a

spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings from the poet and the readers’ part.

Rhyme scheme

The poem’s 32 lines are equally distributed among the four stanzas. Each stanza follows

the rhyme scheme: ABABCCDD. Use of end rhymes, such as “profound/sound”, “still/hill”,

“lay/day” and “grain/strain” makes the poem melodious.

Apostrophe

The poem “The Solitary Reaper” begins with an Apostrophe “Behold” where the poet

addresses the unknown passersby. He uses it again in the seventh line “O Listen” telling

them how the valley is filled with the sound of her.

Symbolism/ Metaphor

The poet makes a symbolic comparison of the young woman’s song with Nightingale and

Cuckoo bird for the melodious nature of her song. But it turns out to be hyperbole for

he exaggerates that her song is better than theirs. The poet very much captivated by her

song that the valley is “overflowing with the sound”. Again, he says that the song looked

like a never-ending as her sorrows.

Rhetorical questions

The rhetorical question helps to make the point clear. For example, Wordsworth used

“Will no one tell me what she sings?”, “That has been, and may be again?” and “Familiar

matter of to-day?” it to express his curiosity over the theme and meaning of the song,

the girl sang.

Imagery

The imagery used in a literary work enables the readers to perceive things involving their

five senses. For example, “Reaping and singing by herself”, “I saw her singing at her

work” and “More welcome notes to weary bands” gives a pictorial description of the

young woman at work. He makes the readers visualize what he has seen and how he felt.
 The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth Questions and Answers

Q.1. ‘Behold her, single in the field’.

-Who is single in the field? What is she doing there in the field?

Ans. A Scottish Highland lass is seen alone in the field.

She is busy harvesting the crop. She cuts and binds the grain. She sings a melancholy song as she bends over her
sickle.

Q.2. ‘Stop here, or gently pass!’

Who says this and to whom? Why does he say this?

Ans. William Wordsworth says this in his poem The Solitary Reaper. He says this either to his companions or
to some chance passer-by.

He is greatly charmed by the Highland girl’s song. He does not want that anybody should disturb the girl while
she is singing. This is why he says this.

Q.3. ‘Will no one tell me what she sings?’

Why does the poet ask this question? What, according to the speaker, might be the theme of the girl’s
song?

Ans. The English poet is not familiar with the language of the Scottish Highlanders. So he cannot follow the
meaning of the Highland girl’s song. That is why he asks this question.

The poet tries to guess what could be the theme of the song. He imagines that the song perhaps tells the tale of
some unhappy events of the past or of some battle that had been fought in the distant past. He also thinks that
the song may be about some natural sorrow, loss or pain which are part of man’s daily existence.

Q.4. ‘O listen! for the vale profound

Is overflowing with the sound.’

What is meant by ‘vale profound’? What sound is referred to here? Why does the poet use the word
overflowing?

Ans. “Vale profound’ means a valley lying deep between rows of hills The word ‘sound’ refers to the song sung
by the reaper girl.

Music is conceived here as a liquid. Thus, it overflows the valley just as the water of a river overflows its banks.

Q.5. “More welcomes notes to weary bands

Of travellers.”

What notes are referred to here? Why are they described as “welcome notes”?

Ans. It is the Nightingale’s song in the Arabian deserts that has been described as “welcome notes’.
These sweet notes of the Nightingale are heard by weary travellers in the Arabian deserts, when they stop at
some oasis to rest for a while. To these weary travellers, the sweet song of the Nightingale seems to be the most
welcome notes they have ever heard.

Q.6. “The music in my heart I bore.

Long after it was heard no more.”

– (i) What music is referred to here? (ii) Who bore it in his heart and why?

Ans. (i) The poet here refers to the sweet, melancholy song of the solitary reaper,

(ii) It was the poet who bore the music in his heart.

The poet had been deeply impressed by the sweet, melancholy music of the Highland girl’s song. It seemed to
him that it was the sweetest song that human ears had ever heard. Added to this, the poet had a very sensitive
mind. Naturally, he bore the music in his heart long after the voice of the Highland girl could be heard no more.

Q.7. ‘The music in my heart I bore.’

—What was the nature of the music?

Ans. The tune of the Highland girl’s song was thrilling and melancholy at the same time. It reminded the poet of
a Nightingale’s song. He compared its sweet notes with the Cuckoo’s call. And yet, at the same time, he thought
that the song told the tale of some unhappy events of the past or of some battles fought long ago.

But, whatever the theme of the song might be, its fine music made a deep and lasting impression on the poet’s
mind,

Q.8. How does Wordsworth compare the song of the Solitary Reaper with those of the Nightingale and
the Cuckoo?

Ans. The poet compares the song of the solitary reaper with the song of the Nightingale as it is heard by tired
travellers in the Arabian deserts. He thinks that the song of the Highland girl is sweeter even than the song of a
Nightingale.

He again compares her song with the song of the Cuckoo bird as it sings in the Hebrides in spring time. He feels
that even the Cuckoo’s song is no more thrilling than the song of the Highland lass.

Q.9. What is the song of the Highland girl compared to and why?

Ans. Wordsworth compares the song of the solitary reaper first with the song of a Nightingale and then with the
song of the Cuckoo.

The song of the Nightingale is very sweet. Wordsworth describes the charm of the song of a Nightingale singing
in some cool, shady oasis in the Arabian deserts. But, the solitary reaper’s song seems to him sweeter even than
the Nightingale’s song.

The solitary reaper’s song also reminds the poet of the song of the Cuckoo, singing in spring time ‘among the
farthest Hebrides’. But the poet thinks that the Highland girl’s song is sweeter and more thrilling than the song
of the Cuckoo bird.

The poet makes these two comparisons in order to bring out the incomparable charm of the girl’s song.
Q.10. “Behold her, single in the field.

Yon solitary Highland lass!”

-What does the poet say about the ‘Highland lass’? Why does he become interested in her?

Ans. The poet describes how the Highland girl was reaping and singing alone in the field.

The image of the solitary reaper, seen against the wonderful background of the Scottish Highlands, rouses the
poet’s romantic imagination. The solitary reaper symbolizes for him the very essence of romantic beauty. Her
song transports the poet to the realm of the far-off and the by-gone. Naturally the poet feels deeply interested in
the “solitary Highland lass.”

Q.11. How does Wordsworth lay an extra emphasis on the loneliness of the Highland girl?

Ans. The Highland girl is all alone in the field. She is reaping and singing by herself and as the poem is about
the lonely reaper girl and her song, the poet has called the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’.

So, in the very first stanza, the poet has used such words and phrases as ‘single’, ‘solitary’. ‘by herself’ and
‘alone’ in order to lay an extra emphasis on the idea of solitude and loneliness.

Q.12. What does the poet say about the subject of the girl’s song?

Ans. The girl was singing in the Gaelic dialect. The English poet was not familiar with this local dialect of the
Scottish Highlands. So he could not make out what the girl’s song was about. He tried to make guesses about
the probable theme of the song. He imagined that her song might be about some old, unhappy, far-off things and
battles which had been fought long ago. It might also be, he thought, a simple and ordinary song about some
common loss or pain that are inseparably bound up with our daily existence.

Q.13. ‘Breaking the silence of the seas

Among the farthest Hebrides.’

a) What is meant by the silence of the seas’? How is the silence broken? (b) What is meant by ‘the
farthest Hebrides’?

Ans.(a) The seas here refer to a part of the Atlantic. This part of the ocean is very often stormy and unquiet
during winter. But, as the spring sets in, the ocean becomes calm and quiet.

The cuckoo sings in the spring time. And so its merry song seems to break the silence of the calm and quiet
seas.

(b) ‘The farthest Hebrides’ refer to a large group of islands, situated west and north-west of Scotland. The word
‘farthest’ is expressive of the poet’s romantic fondness for the far-off and the unknown.

Q.14. “Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow.’

What is meant by plaintive numbers’? What does the word ‘now’ suggest? Is there the same suggestion
elsewhere in the poem?

Ans. ‘Plaintive numbers means a melancholy song. The word ‘flow indicates that music is conceived here as a
liquid.

The same suggestion is found in the first stanza of the poem where the poet says that the deep valley is
‘overflowing’ with music of the solitary reaper’s song.
Q.15.”…..old, unhappy, far-off things.

And battles long ago.”

-Bring out the meaning of the above lines.

Ans. Since Wordsworth did not know the language of the Scottish Highlanders, he could not understand what
the solitary reaper’s song was about. But its mournful tune suggested to him a number of probable themes. The
adjectives ‘old’, ‘unhappy and far-off” point to the poet’s romantic bent of mind. ‘Battles long ago’, also
expresses his romantic passion for the past.

Q.16. Mention some of the things which the poet sees and the things which he imagines in the poem.

Ans. The poet sees a deep valley in which a Highland girl is reaping and singing all by herself. She bends over
the sickle as she cuts and binds the grain.

The poet imagines that neither the Nightingale in the Arabian desert nor the Cuckoo in the Hebrides had ever
sung so sweetly. He thinks that the girl’s song might be about some old, unhappy, far off things, or about some
battles that had been fought in the distant past. He also imagined that the girl’s song might be about some loss or
pain which is an inseparable part of man’s daily life.

Q.17. Why did the poet feel that the solitary reaper’s song ‘could have no ending’?

Ans. The poet was greatly charmed by the fine music of the solitary reaper’s song. To him, this music became
the symbol of all that is beautiful in God’s creation. This is why he felt that the girl’s song could have no
ending.

Q.18. Explain the meaning of the following phrases:

(a) melancholy strain.

(b) shady haunt.

(c) plaintive numbers.

(d) humble lay.

(e) welcome notes

Ans.(a) ‘Melancholy strain’ means a spell of music having a sorrowful note. The melancholy note of the
Highland girl’s song may be explained, partially at least, by the poet’s romantic bent of mind.

(b) ‘Shady haunt’ is a place shaded by trees, where people can rest for a while. In the context of the poem,
‘shady haunt’ refers to some oasis situated among the Arabian deserts.

(c) ‘Plaintive numbers’ means musical notes of a rather sad character. In the poem, the expression refers to the
song of the Highland girl who was reaping all alone in a field.

(d) A ‘lay’ means a simple lyric or short narrative meant to be sung. Thus, ‘humble lay’ refers to a song about
the simple ordinary things of daily life.

(e) “Welcome notes’ refers to the song of a Nightingale, which gladdens the hearts of tired travellers journeying
through Arabian deserts.
Q.19. How does the wonderfully sweet song of the Solitary Reaper affect the poet?

Ans. During his tour of Scotland, Wordsworth saw a Highland girl reaping and singing alone in a field. The
sweet, melancholy music of her song immediately transported the poet to the realm of romantic imagination.
The magic of the girl’s song held him spellbound. The wonderful music of her song reminded the poet of the
song of a Nightingale. He thought that her voice was even sweeter than the sweet notes of the Cuckoo singing in
springtime ‘among the farthest Hebrides’. Since the English poet was not familiar with the dialect of the
Highlanders, he kept guessing what the theme of the girl’s song might be. And, thought he could not be sure
about the subject of the song, its sweet music left a deep and lasting impression on his sensitive soul.

Q.20. How does Wordsworth describe the Reaper’s song?

Ans. Wordsworth saw a Highland girl reaping and singing alone in the field. She was singing a sweet,
melancholy song. The deep valley was overflowing with the sweet, melancholy notes of the girl’s song.

The girl’s song, according to the poet, was sweeter and more refreshing than the song of the Nightingale, as it is
heard by weary travellers in an oasis in the Arabian desert. The song was sweeter and more excitingly beautiful
than the Cuckoo’s song, when it sings during spring among the far-off Hebrides islands.

The poet could not understand the meaning of the song. He thought that the song might be about some old,
unhappy, far-off things or about some battles that had been fought long ago. He also thought that it could also be
about some familiar matters or about some natural sorrow; loss or pain which are part of man’s daily existence.

The girl continued to sing and it seemed to the poet that her song would never end. The beautiful tune held him
spellbound. Even when he could no longer hear that beautiful voice, the sweet music seemed to linger in his
memory.

This is how Wordsworth describes the song of the Highland girl in his poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’.

Q.21. “The music in my heart I bore,

Long after it was heard no more.”

-What light do these lines throw on the poet’s personality?

Ans. The poet Wordsworth was deeply moved by the Highland girl’s song which left a lasting impression on his
mind. The poet listens to the song spellbound. He carries in his heart the memory of that beautiful music long
after it was heard no more’. This memory remains with him a permanent source of poetic inspiration.

The above lines clearly show that the poet had an extraordinarily sensitive mind. We ordinary people easily
forget a song, however beautiful and sweet, as soon as we cease to hear the singer’s voice. But, the poet’s
sensitive soul stores up all the sweet impressions which the girl’s song had evoked in his mind. We know from
the poem that the sweet notes of that song had transported him to the realm of fancy and romantic imagination.
So, we see that the above lines show the poet to be an extraordinarily sensitive person with a decidedly romantic
bent of mind.