The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth

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:

After reading the poem, I believe the poem is about a young woman who sings all the time. Throughout the poem, the narrator describes this woman’s beautiful ability to sing.

Paraphrase:

Look at her, alone in the field,
The solitary girl in the highlands!
Harvesting and singing all alone;
Stop here, or keep walking quietly!
She cuts and binds the grain alone,
And sings a sad song;
Listen! For the deep song
Is overflowing with the sound.

A nightingale never sang
More lovely notes to tired passers
Of travelers in some dark worry,
Among Arabian sands:
No one has ever heard a voice so thrilling
From the cuckoo-bird in the spring
Cutting through the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what the song is that she sings?
Maybe the songs are sung
For old, sad things far away,
And battles of the past:
Or is it about some humble lay,
Of familiar subject matter of the day?
Or is it of some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That was there in the past, and might come up again?

Whatever the song is that the young girl sings
She sings as if the song will never end;
I saw her singing as she worked,
And over the sickles;
As I listened, I could not move;
And as I walked up the hill,
The sounds of the song was still in my heart,
Long after I could not hear it anymore.

SWIFTT:

{SW} Syntax/ Word Choice:

 The poem is written in iambic tetrameter. The author uses word choices that portray earth and woefulness. For example, earthly words include, ““single in the field,” “grain,” and “Highland.” Examples of woefulness occur in phrases such as, “battles long ago,” and “natural sorrow, loss, or pain.” The poem is also filled with many interjections, such as, “Yon solitary Highland Lass!” and “Stop here, or gently pass!”   

{I} Imagery:

 The poem uses imagery that relate to the girl while she was singing. The poem describes the girl “reaping” as she sang. The poem also describes the girl singing about, “old, unhappy, far-off things,” or “sorrow, loss, or pain.”

{F} Figurative Language:

The only use of figurative language occurs when the poem personifies the woman’s voice as having the power to“[break] the silence of the seas.”

{T} Tone:

The tone of the poem is very appreciative and somber. Throughout the poem, the narrator constantly praises the woman on her ability to sing, which can be seen in lines such as, “A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard.” The somber tone can be seen when describing what the woman was singing about, which can be seen in lines such as, “old, unhappy, far-off things.”   

{T} Theme:

The theme in this poem is that great wonders can be found even in the most un- expecting places. In this poem, although the woman was singing about mournful things while working on the grain field, the narrator still found her voice astounding. Although she was singing about “old, unhappy, far-off things,” or “sorrow, loss, or pain,” the narrator was left  “motionless and still

Conclusion:

 After analyzing the poem, my concluding thoughts do not differ from my initial response. The simplistic poem portrays a woman singing as she works on the field. Throughout the poem, the narrator is the praising the woman’s beautiful voice. Astounded by her voice, the man wonders why he is the only one that admires this women’s beautiful voice.