Wordsworth’s “The Solitary Reaper”

Text:
    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 chaunt
    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.


Initial Reaction:
“The Solitary Reaper” describes a woman out in the fields alone, harvesting the grain and singing a beautiful, yet sorrowful song to herself. The narrator is mesmerized by this song and compares her voice to those of a nightingale and a cuckoo-bird. Though he understands the melancholy tone of the young woman’s song, he is unable to understand it. He is unsure of the theme, “some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,” of which she sings; nevertheless, he values the song’s beauty and naturalism.

Paraphrasing:
Look at her, alone in the field,

Solitary Highland young woman!

Harvesting and singing by herself;

Don’t pass her at all, or do so gently

Alone she cuts and bundles the grain,

And sings a sorrowful song;

Listen! For the deep valley

Echoes this song.

No nightingale ever sang

More pleasing notes to tired groups

Of travelers somewhere

In the Arabian desert:

There was never a more beautiful voice

From the cuckoo-bird in the Spring,

It could be heard in the silent waters

As far away as Hebrides.

Will someone tell me what she sings of?

Perhaps the sad words speak

Of past troubles that are now far-off,

And struggles long ago:
Or is it a more humble song,

Pertaining to issues of the present?

Some instance of sadness, loss, or pain

That occurred once and may recur?

Whatever the purpose, the woman sang

As if her song would continue forever;

I saw her singing while she worked

And bent over the sickle;--

I listened, paralyzed;

And as I ascended the hill,

I kept the song in my heart,

Long after I couldn’t hear her voice any more.

SWIFTT:
Syntax/Word Choice:

Wordsworth actively uses punctuation in "The Solitary Reaper;" many of the sentences are complex. He asks several rhetoric questions in the third stanza, expressing his queries about the maiden's sorrow. Also, inversion is evident in the fourth stanza: "The music in my heart I bore" (31).

Imagery:

"The Solitary Reaper" produces an image of a young Scottish woman, harvesting crops in the field and singing a sorrowful song. Lines 7 and 8 imply that the field is among mountainous terrain, and there is a valley nearby.

Figurative Language:

There are no apparent examples of figurative language in the poem.

Tone:

The tone of "The Solitary Reaper" is admiration and awe. Although Wordsworth cannot understand the maiden's song, he is dumbfounded by the beauty of the poetic tune. "[He] listened, motionless and still" (29).

Theme:
One of the themes presented is sorrow. According to Wordsworth, the maiden presumably sings of "some natural sorrow, loss, or pain, / That has been, and may be again" (23, 24). Perhaps the most important theme, however, is the power of poetry (or song, in this case) as an artistic form. Wordsworth cannot understand the song, but he recognizes the song's beauty and is captivated by the song.

Conclusion:

My initial thoughts on "The Solitary Reaper" were correct. The poem's main purpose is to show Wordsworth's appreciation of the maiden's song. He acknowledges the song's ability to beautifully explain a sorrowful tale. Additionally, Wordsworth is acknowledging the struggles and the hardships of the working class.