The Solitary Reaper's song was sweeter than the song sung by the nightingale or the cuckoo bird. I saw her singing at her work, Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) Yon solitary Highland Lass! Accessed 18 May 2021. This Poem was suggested by a beautiful sentence in a ” Tour in Scotland ” Written by a Friend. Wordsworth classified it as a “Poem of Imagination”. She was singing in a hilly dialect. This could refer to specific or general actions. The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth is composed in the typical romantic meter of iambic tetrameter along with rhyming couplets, which help in building the … He stays there motionless and listened to her song quite some times. Again, he says that the song looked like a never-ending as her sorrows. The poet couldn’t understand the local Scottish dialect in which the reaper was singing. The beautiful experience left a deep impact and gave him a long-lasting pleasure. Elaborate. In the First stanza of “The Solitary Reaper,” Wordsworth describes how the Reaper was singing all alone. But the poem was originally written on November 5, 1805. for the Vale profound. Breaking the silence of the seas Corrections? It has all the elements of romantic poetry. The poem may appear to be a simple incident around a lonely girl who was reaping (cutting and binding) grains in the field with her sickle (a curved knife) and singing melodiously for her pleasure. The Solitary Reaper is one of William Wordsworth’s representatives which portrays an Irish girl working and singing solitarily in a field. Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass! The Poem “The Solitary Reaper” was written by William Wordsworth in 1804 and Published in 1807. He uses varying wording and phrasing, the lonely image of the reaper, the expanding of the lonely music, and the way of expressing his loneliness to set the lonely atmosphere. 'The Solitary Reaper' is a description of a melodious sound that is heard in the atmosphere. Or is it some more humble lay, She had no one to help her out in the field. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. ‘The Solitary Reaper’ was singing and doing her work without minding anyone. Use of end rhymes, such as “profound/sound”, “still/hill”, “lay/day” and “grain/strain” makes the poem melodious. In this poem, a highland girl is a common girl. Even when he left and mounted up the hill he could still hear her voice coming amongst the produce, she was cutting and binding. Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain, The rhetorical question helps to make the point clear. As the title suggests, the poem … about the image of the poet as a halted traveller and about "the poetry of surmise" in which Wordsworth seems to have excelled. She is reaping and binding the grain, but all this time, she is singing all by herself, unaware of the poet’s presence. Discuss. “The Solitary Reaper” is made up of four octaves, primarily written in iambic tetrametre and generally following the rhyme scheme of ababccdd. He symbolically puts forth that her voice is so melodious and more than that of the two birds, known for their voice. The Solitary Reaper was written by Wordsworth in 1805 and was later published in the collection Poems, in two volumes, in 1807. Is overflowing with the sound. Not only her song but also her suffering sounds like a never-ending one. "The Solitary Reaper" is a lyric by English Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and one of his best-known works. So tries to imagine what the song might be about. A character’s motivation is the reason behind their actions. The poem was inspired by him and his sister Dorothy's stay at the village of Strathyre in the parish of Balquhidder in Scotland in September 1803. “The Solitary Reaper” is a lyrical poetry published by the nature poet William Wordsworth in 1907. And battles long ago: “The Solitary Reaper” is a lyrical poetry published by the nature poet William Wordsworth in 1907. The poet compares the Solitary Reaper's song to that of a nightingale or a cuckoo bird. But it turns out to be hyperbole for he exaggerates that her song is better than theirs. He comes to the conclusion that whatever may be the theme of her poem, it is not going to end. Of travellers in some shady haunt, Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. 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. To create the home of poetry, we fund this through advertising, Please help us help you by disabling your ad blocker, Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox. 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. In August of 1803, William Wordsworth, his sister Dorothy, and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge embarked on a walking tour of the Scottish Highlands. The Solitary Reaper - Behold her, single in the field - The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. This poem is unique for it is not based on the poet’s experience but of his friend and author, … 'The Solitary Reaper' was written on November 5, 1805, and published in 1807 in the collection Poems, in Two Volumes. William Wordsworth THE SOLITARY REAPER Dr. M. Fahmy Raiyah 2. Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass! for the Vale profound Is overflowing with the sound. The poem was inspired by the poet’s trip to Scotland in 1803 with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. The Solitary Reaper Meaning and Theme. I listened, motionless and still; This poem is unique for it is not based on the poet’s experience but of his friend and author, Thomas Wilkinson’s. A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard The speaker in this poem is travelling over the Highlands, and he sees this beautiful sight and enjoys the mysterious song of the solitary reaper. Although it’s a ballad, it didn’t appear in Wordsworth’s most famous collection, Lyrical Ballads, because he wrote it after the publication of that volume (co-authored with Samuel Taylor Coleridge) in 1798. He became widely successful and was named Poet Laureate of England in 1843. Please log in again. The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth, the nature poet, as my teacher called him, is a poem written with great imagination and love for the nature and the poet made the solitude as a companion that gives us calmness inside. During one of his journeys in the countryside of Scotland, he saw a Highland girl working in the field all alone. Although he does not understand the language in which she sings, the narrator imagines that her song describes ancient tragedies or personal sorrows. The poem highlights his definition of poetry to be ‘a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings’ from the poet and the readers’ part. Long after it was heard no more. Even after a long time, he has come away from that place, he says, he could still listen. Whate’er the theme, the Maiden sang It is a widely read poem, published in the collection Poems, in Two Volumes. The rhyme scheme for the stanzas is either abcbddee or ababccdd. She was immersed in her work of cutting and binding while singing a melancholy song. This poem is more a vision than a piece of meditation as aWordsworthian lyric is apt to become.The reaper sings in Gaelic, the language that the poet doesn’t know, thus he is unable to understand the meaning of the song.However the enchanting melody makes Wordsworth’s imagination set to work. There was no one around to assist him. Wordsworth has made a note of it in his Tours to the British Mountains. It is a widely read poem, published in the collection Poems, in Two Volumes. The ‘Solitary Reaper’ is a Scottish peasant girl who is full of life. The poet very much captivated by her song that the valley is “overflowing with the sound”. The poem “The Solitary Reaper” begins with an Apostrophe “Behold” where the poet addresses the unknown passersby. Updates? It is a pastoral snapshot of a young woman working alone in a field in the Highlands of Scotland, singing a plaintive song in Gaelic. 1770–1850 528. The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth is a romantic ballad poem that is set in the rural area. Reaping and singing by herself; He makes the readers visualize what he has seen and how he felt. The Solitary Reaper, poem by William Wordsworth, published in 1807 in the collection Poems, in Two Volumes. And sings a melancholy strain; Firstly, the poem deals with the life of common people. The music in my heart I bore, What are the elements of romanticism in The Solitary Reaper? The Solitary Reaper The poem is broken into four eight-line stanzas (32 lines total). For old, unhappy, far-off things, The Solitary Reaper, poem by William Wordsworth, published in 1807 in the collection Poems, in Two Volumes. The poet couldn’t understand what she was singing. He uses it again in the seventh line “O Listen” telling them how the valley is filled with the sound of her. Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. That has been, and may be again? For the first time! Answer: The Solitary Reaper is a romantic poem. The Poems of William Wordsworth explained with poem summaries in just a few minutes! "The Solitary Reaper" is one of Wordsworth's most famous post-Lyrical Ballads lyrics. The poem’s 32 lines are equally distributed among the four stanzas. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It comprises of eight stanzas each stanza containing four lines each. The Solitary Reaper Introduction Don't fear the reaper, Shmoopers. The Solitary Reaper, a poem which he judges to have the degree of complexity necessary for full illustration of Wordsworth's theory. She was singing without knowing that someone was listening to her song. And, as I mounted up the hill, This Poem is due to Wordsworth’s Highland tour with his sister Dorothy in 1803. The structure is a four-eight line stanzas each ending with a couplet and composed of lines that are written in iambic tetrameter. Familiar matter of to-day? Alone she cuts and binds the grain, And sings a melancholy strain; O listen! Sign up to unveil the best kept secrets in poetry, Home » William Wordsworth » The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth. 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. The Solitary Reaper is a poem by William Wordsworth. ‘The Solitary Reaper’ also uses archaic language, the person in the poem is wistful and wishes that he knew the girl and is affected deeply by this girl and her song. More welcome notes to weary bands It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. For, the song of the girl has stopped him from going about his business. The narrator is transfixed by the sight and sound of the titular figure, whose arresting voice fills the empty valley. He compares her song to that of Nightingale and the Cuckoo-bird, yet he states that her song is the best. The imagery used in a literary work enables the readers to perceive things involving their five senses. It is about the song sung by a Solitary Reaper. The poet listened motionlessly until he left the place, but the song never left him. This poem fully reflects the loneliness of the poet. In the poem, the speaker tries—and fails—to describe the song he heard a young woman singing as she cuts grain in a Scottish field. “The Solitary Reaper” is a short lyrical ballad, composed of thirty-two lines and divided into four stanzas. Omissions? We're here to break it all down for you. Explore more William Wordsworth poems. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900. 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. Alone she cuts and binds the grain, Stop here, or gently pass! So she was singing to herself. A #3D sound enhanced recitation on The Voice of Literature. Behold her, single in the field, Yon solitary Highland Lass! “The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth is written as a recollection of an overwhelming emotional experience. 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