Solitary Reaper, The Analysis

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.

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by the first post i have read may i remind you that it is a william wordsworth's poem and not shakespear....

| Posted on 2009-11-07 | by a guest

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this poem shows shakespeare's love for nature. he proved that he is a natural poet indeed. here he talks about an innocent girl who is singing alone. her song presents a kind of sadness. it looks as she is singing her own story. her voice has affected him so much that he is mad o flistening of her again and again. he is so impressed by her voice that he starts running after the voice. he does not want to disturb her also. he listens her pleasent voice for some time but it disappears soon. he tries to find th egirl but all in vain. so this poem is the best poem i have ever read in literature.

| Posted on 2009-11-05 | by a guest

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Interestig analysis posted by "a guest" on 8-09-18. I am now reading the poem from a new perspective. I always thought that the poet did not know the singer at all-- just someone working alone and singing by herself. The poet was so impressed with her song that he did not want to disturb her. The memory of her is linked with her music in his heart and it is clear that the message of the music is sadness-- so there might be something to the loneliness and the lovers never meeting interpretation.

| Posted on 2009-10-27 | by a guest

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The poet sees a highland girl singing and reaping alone in the field.She sings a melancholy song as she cuts and binds the grain.To the poet the maidens song seems sweeter even than the song of Nightingale and he considers her voice more thrilliing than the sweet notes of cuckoo.The magic of the reaper's song immidieately tranports poet to the realm of romantic fantsy and imagination.The poet is unfamiliar with gaelic erse of the highlanders so he can only make guesses about the subject of the song.He imagines that the song is about some unhappy incident or about some battles fought long ago.Or it may be some common loss or pain of man's daily existence.But whatever the subject of the song be its sweet music made a deep and lasting impression in poets extraordinary sensitive soul.

| Posted on 2009-10-20 | by a guest

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"The Solitary Reaper" embodies Wordsworth's belief in the healing properties of nature. In addtion, Wordsworth saw the common man as a subject worthy of poetry. The inspiration for this poem, according to his sister Dorothy, came from Wilkinson's book, Tour of Scotland wherein he described a woman, reaping alone and singing. Wordsworth defined poetry as "a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" and he also believed that nature was freedom. THEME is not the key word in looking at this poem; rather, Wordsworth conveys both beauty and awe in a simple scene.

| Posted on 2009-10-10 | by a guest

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"The Solitary Reaper" embodies Wordsworth's belief in the healing properties of nature. In addtion, Wordsworth saw the common man as a subject worthy of poetry. The inspiration for this poem, according to his sister Dorothy, came from Wilkinson's book, Tour of Scotland wherein he described a woman, reaping alone and singing. Wordsworth defined poetry as "a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" and he also believed that nature was freedom. THEME is not the key word in looking at this poem; rather, Wordsworth conveys both beauty and awe in a simple scene.

| Posted on 2009-10-10 | by a guest

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An excellent poem by the ever greatest Poet.I just love it!

| Posted on 2009-09-02 | by a guest

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This is a beautiful poem by one of the best romantic writers in english literature. The poem depicts the beauty of the nature and the mystery of the theme of the song. The song creates a desire in hearts of the readers to know the theme. The author did a wonderfull job in conveying the poem to the readers so wonderfully that a person who read that poem will bore it in his heart for ever.

| Posted on 2009-08-11 | by a guest

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a wonderful pem written by william wordsworth.the poet was bewitched by the thrilling notes of the lonely reaper.the whole valley was ringing with her silvery sound.the poet stood still and listened to the golden voiceof the reaper which was so soothing and enchanting.
by aishwarya nathan
chettinad vidyashram

| Posted on 2009-08-05 | by a guest

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1.Why is nightangle's song discribed as "welcoming" and cuckoo's song as "thrilling"?
2.In what ways does the song have a lasting effect on the poet?

| Posted on 2009-07-26 | by a guest

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The Reaper should be identified with nature herself. The Poet was thrilled to listen to her song though it was,as Wordsworth himself has said, was melancholy.

| Posted on 2009-07-08 | by a guest

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This poem always remains as my favourite and is etched in my heart evergreen 4 ever. And reason ofcourse is the beautiful usage of words & comparisons. wordsworth's ability to observe nature & inherit feelings from it's freshness is really remarkable. And this poem is really a rare theme & 1 of the most wonderful in english literature. hats off to wordsworth..
by Amy

| Posted on 2009-06-05 | by a guest

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i think he just meant sth simple , he saw a girl and a feeling

| Posted on 2009-05-26 | by a guest

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I don't think that this poem is as sombre as everyone is making it out to be. I think that, although lonliness is a recuring theme throughout, lust and appreciation also pay a major part. I think that Wordsworth is telling the reader to appreciate all the small things in life and that simple things can give longer lasting pleasures.

| Posted on 2009-04-09 | by a guest

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I think that when he speaks about her singing and no one understanding, that would be relating to his work because no one understood his poetry
- Andy

| Posted on 2009-03-24 | by a guest

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To whom is the nightingale's song described as "welcome"and the cuckoo's song "thrilling"?

| Posted on 2009-03-21 | by a guest

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this poem is good . and i have to explain it for homework .and thanks for helping and making me understand .

| Posted on 2009-01-18 | by a guest

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plzzzz a liil better easy and nic summary needed till tom

| Posted on 2009-01-16 | by a guest

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"The Solitary Reaper" is a prime example of the poetry produced during the Romantic era in England. This is because the poem has a central theme of independance and being one with nature. The lass who is singing in a celtic language, a language the speaker in the poem does not understand, is the symbol of the ideas romantics embraced. The lass is "solitary" which represents the idea of breaking away from society and being your own induviual person. Her reaping is a symbol of the idea of being close or one with nature.
As the speaker listens to the song the lass is singing he first notices a melancholy melody that he compares to a nightingale and the cuckoo bird, who both have very sweet songs. As he listens to the song, still unable to understand it, he begins to wonder what she is singing about and for the remainder of the poem the speaker uses his imagination to try and guess what her song is about. Also the music seems to have a major impact on the speaker, as if inspiring him to something, because as he walks away he is still thinking about the song, still hearing it "Long after it was heard no more."

| Posted on 2009-01-14 | by a guest

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Wordsworth's "The Solitary Reaper" is a poem only of feeling as poetry seems to be. It is not important that wherever the presence of nightingle or cuckoo is real or not, the main issue is however, we can feel it or not.

| Posted on 2008-10-25 | by a guest

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I want a site in which we write the question and we get the answers. Please i request u give me the site

| Posted on 2008-10-12 | by a guest

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This poem focusses on the solitary life that people live as the woman was 'reaping and singing by herself'. the man, obviously affected by the womans melancholy song, is too lonely looking at the woman and listening 'motionless and still'. the unhappiness of the lonliness shown through the song. it is truely a song of two strangers, alone, who will eventually die lonely. Unlike many poems and songs that suggest that the lonely parties egt together, The Solitary Reaper shows that the lonliness is almost always forever as 'Long after, the music was heard no more' suggesting that the woman had dies, and the two remained lonely. Although this is the case, the imagery presents an almost romantic picture, but the messege is clear. They will never meet again.

| Posted on 2008-09-18 | by a guest

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hmm preety brava wont you say si? non taco bell worth but whyhollway

| Posted on 2008-09-01 | by a guest

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it is a classical composition by William Wordsworth

| Posted on 2008-08-07 | by a guest

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my wok stirfry tastes better than yours damn right its better than yours

| Posted on 2008-08-01 | by a guest

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_ _ _ _
| ____| / ___/ | | / /
| |__ | |___ | |/ /
| __| \___ \ | |\ \
| |___ ___| | | | \ \
|_| /_/ |_| \_\ waz ere' 08

| Posted on 2008-06-22 | by a guest

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The poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ written by William Wordsworth is about a young woman binding and cutting grain in a field. As she sings, the poem tells us that what she sings about is quite emotional. The poet took notice of this one day as he watched this woman get lost in her singing. ‘The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more’ these final lines express that this young lady has affected the poet. The poet used the line ‘As if her song could have no ending’ to explain how calm and peaceful her singing was.
The tone and atmosphere of this poem is very calm, emotional and peaceful. Imagery is used throughout this poem to help give readers a better understanding of what is actually going on. Some of the imagery used is, ‘’
The poet creates a comparison between "No Nightingale did ever chaunt More welcome notes to weary bands Of travellers in some shady haunt, Among Arabian sands." and "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." You cannot hear a nightingale in the Arabian Sands, and you cannot hear a Cuckoo-bird in the Hebrides. This comparison is used by the poet to explain to the readers, how beautiful the singing is.

| Posted on 2008-06-22 | by a guest

.: WHY :.

Is it possible to hear the song of the nightingale in the Arabian deserts or the cry of the cuckoo-bird in the Hebrides? If not, why use these two comparisons?

| Posted on 2008-06-07 | by a guest

.: WHY :.

Is it possible to hear the song of the nightingale in the Arabian deserts or the cry of the cuckoo-bird in the Hebrides? If not, why use these two comparisons?

| Posted on 2008-06-07 | by a guest

.: The Solitary Reaper :.

The Solitary Reaper is a classic example of a poem from the romantic era written by William Wordsworth. It’s about how a man, most probably Wordsworth is affected by a song being sung by this woman. The song of the young girl reaping in the fields is incomprehensible to him a "Highland lass," she is likely singing in Scots, and what he appreciates is its tone, its expressive beauty, and the mood it creates within him, rather than its explicit content, at which he can only guess.
Already from the beginning we can see patterns which are common to the romantic poets such as the title. “ The Solitary Reaper” The romanticists usually focus on the individual itself furthermore it is common for the poems to be about one person alone in this instance the person is “Solitary…” The author further emphasizes the fact that she is alone in the first stanza “Behold her, single…” and “…singing by herself” All through the poem we never find out who this person who is singing actually is, the author doesn’t tells us anything about her this might be because this bares little importance. In addition we also see this idea of the poet being an individual in the last stanza when he says “I listen’d till I had my fill” He is using the first person of the singular which conveys the idea that the poet himself is the person listening to the song. The woman is perceived to be as one with nature through both the singing and the working. “Alone she cuts and binds the grain And sings a melancholy strain…” It seems as if she is in harmony with the nature which again is common throughout the romantics as they sought wilderness and nature to be very important. At the end of the first stanza we can see Wordsworth describing the sound as if it were a liquid “Is overflowing with the sound.” this is repeated again in the last stanza “…till I had my fill.” The song is portrayed to be a liquid which is filling up both the valley where it is being sang and the poet himself like a container that needs to be filled up. Wordsworth makes several references to various historical locations and events some including "Travellers...Among Arabian Sands," "battles long ago," and "the silence of the seas among the farthest Hebrides." The girl's act of reaping and cultivating the land links the past with the future the land that supported her elders will continue to support the future land inhabitants. The author chooses to describe the sweetness of the song by comparing it to the singing of birds. “No Nightingale did ever chaunt…” and “…from the cuckoo-bird” The fact that he chooses to compare the singing of the lady to the singing of birds demonstrates how he feels about the song and how he thinks its beautiful. More over Wordsworth gives instructions throughout the first stanza. “Stop here” “gently pass” “O listen” In a way this shows the poets lack of contact with the woman and the fact that he does not want her to stop singing. The author also refers to different times, the past “And battles long ago.” and the present “Familiar matter of to-day?” We can see this in the third stanza which is based around time, he’s trying to figure out what the song is about and doesn’t know if its about the past or the present.
The poem's structure is simple--the first stanza sets the scene, the second offers two bird comparisons for the music, the third wonders about the content of the songs, and the fourth describes the effect of the songs on the speaker--and its language is natural and the poe

| Posted on 2008-05-25 | by a guest

.: you read not what he said :.

First comment, longest one, twice misquotes the poem. The line is: "I listened, motionless and still..." not "...till I had my fill." I may not be an expert on time times, but I like this poem, I memorized it, and I don't think they talked that way then. WW didn't, leastways not in this poem. This is a thing pointed out, not a criticism, and certainly not an attack--as mere point-outs have a way of coming across when they're online.
If you emphasize the wrong syllabels in the line
"among Arabian sands," it reads better.
A "lay" is a song. It helps to know that, too.

| Posted on 2008-04-27 | by a guest

.: The Solitary Reaper :.

The Solitary Reaper is a classic example of a poem from the romantic era written by William Wordsworth. It’s about how a man, most probably Wordsworth is affected by a song being sung by this woman. The song of the young girl reaping in the fields is incomprehensible to him a "Highland lass," she is likely singing in Scots, and what he appreciates is its tone, its expressive beauty, and the mood it creates within him, rather than its explicit content, at which he can only guess.
Already from the beginning we can see patterns which are common to the romantic poets such as the title. “ The Solitary Reaper” The romanticists usually focus on the individual itself furthermore it is common for the poems to be about one person alone in this instance the person is “Solitary…” The author further emphasises the fact that she is alone in the first stanza “Behold her, single…” and “…singing by herself” All through the poem we never find out who this person who is singing actually is, the author doesn’t tells us anything about her this might be because this bares little importance. In addition we also see this idea of the poet being an individual in the last stanza when he says “I listen’d till I had my fill” He is using the first person of the singular which conveys the idea that the poet himself is the person listening to the song. The woman is perceived to be as one with nature through both the singing and the working. “Alone she cuts and binds the grain And sings a melancholy strain…” It seems as if she is in harmony with the nature which again is common throughout the romantics as they sought wilderness and nature to be very important. At the end of the first stanza we can see Wordsworth describing the sound as if it were a liquid “Is overflowing with the sound.” this is repeated again in the last stanza “…till I had my fill.” The song is portrayed to be a liquid which is filling up both the valley where it is being sang and the poet himself like a container that needs to be filled up. Wordsworth makes several references to various historical locations and events some including "Travellers...Among Arabian Sands," "battles long ago," and "the silence of the seas among the farthest Hebrides." The girl's act of reaping and cultivating the land links the past with the future the land that supported her elders will continue to support the future land inhabitants. The author chooses to describe the sweetness of the song by comparing it to the singing of birds. “No Nightingale did ever chaunt…” and “…from the cuckoo-bird” The fact that he chooses to compare the singing of the lady to the singing of birds demonstrates how he feels about the song and how he thinks its beautiful. More over Wordsworth gives instructions throughout the first stanza. “Stop here” “gently pass” “O listen” In a way this shows the poets lack of contact with the woman and the fact that he does not want her to stop singing. The author also refers to different times, the past “And battles long ago.” and the present “Familiar matter of to-day?” We can see this in the third stanza which is based around time, he’s trying to figure out what the song is about and doesn’t know if its about the past or the present.
The poem's structure is simple--the first stanza sets the scene, the second offers two bird comparisons for the music, the third wonders about the content of the songs, and the fourth describes the effect of the songs on the speaker--and its language is natural an

| Posted on 2008-04-23 | by a guest

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the poet tells readers that the song the lass sings does a lot to the ear that you either choose to stay and listen or pass by slowly but it seems as if he stayed to listen to the voice which he compares to that of a bird.

| Posted on 2007-12-21 | by a guest

.: Substance of THE SOLITARY :.

The poet sees a highland girl singing and reaping alone in the field.She sings a melancholy song as she cuts and binds the grain.To the poet the maidens song seems sweeter even than the song of Nightingale and he considers her voice more thrilliing than the sweet notes of cuckoo.The magic of the reaper's song immidieately tranports poet to the realm of romantic fantsy and imagination.The poet is unfamiliar with gaelic erse of the highlanders so he can only make guesses about the subject of the song.He imagines that the song is about some unhappy incident or about some battles fought long ago.Or it may be some common loss or pain of man's daily existence.But whatever the subject of the song be its sweet music made a deep and lasting impression in poets extraordinary sensitive soul.

| Posted on 2006-02-08 | by Approved Guest

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This is a beautiful poem thats intertwines the beauty of the womans song with the beauty of nature. "the vale profound is overflowing with sound" No nightingale did ever chaunt more welcome notes to weary bands of travellers in some shady haunt among arabian sands"
The sadness of the song, aludes to the mystery to the woman.
As far as being aware of an on looker, I wonder how the woman would have reacted if she had become aware of the person in the poem. Or was she aware of him?

| Posted on 2005-10-18 | by Approved Guest