The Solitary Reaper
Summary
"The Solitary Reape" is a delightful lyric by William Wordsworth.
Wordsworth is known as a great lover and preacher of nature. He
impresses us by the imaginative and philosophical quality of his
thoughts.
This poem is a result of his visit to Scotland where he came across a
lovely maiden in the fields all alone. Her lovely person and her sweet
song had a deep impression on the poet and moved him to
compose these verses. The lovely singer appeared to be a part of
that beautiful scene of nature.
A highland girl was reaping grain in the field and singing a song at the
same time. The poet did not understand the contents of the song as it
was in a foreign language. He guessed that it was the tale of old and
tragic events of the past. It could also be an account of some
recent calamity or mishap. Whatever the theme of the song, it was
sung in a beautiful, rich voice. The song seemed to be endless. The
poet was bewitched by the thrilling notes of the lonely reaper. The
whole valley was ringing with her silvery sound. Even the
nightingale or the spring bird Cuckoo could not produce such a
magical effect as the maiden's song cast on the poet.The poet
stood still and listened to that golden voice for some time. After
words, when he was climbing the hill he could not hear that song any
longer. But he was still feeling the sweet vibrations of that music in
his heart. The sweet memory of that song had become a
permanent source of joy.
