"The Solitary Reaper" by William Wordsworth

 

The Solitary Reaper

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.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music

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Who wrote the poem "To the Skylark"?

William Wordsworth  (April 7, 1770 – April 23, 1850)

William Wordsworth was an English poet who pioneered the Romantic Movement with his close friend and fellow poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He famously defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Using the ordinary language “really used by men,” he wrote beautiful poetry with sweet imagery, often based around the natural world. He suffered from depression, which was reflected in somber undertones in his poems. He was the Poet Laureate for Queen Victoria from 1843 until his death from pleurisy in 1850.

"The Solitary Reaper" explanation

The poem made its first appearance in 1807 as part of Wordsworth's compilation titled "Poems in Two Volumes." The inspiration behind this poem can be traced back to an actual event that Wordsworth encountered during his travels through the Scottish Highlands in 1803.

While journeying, Wordsworth stumbled upon a young Highland girl who was working in the fields and singing a song in Gaelic. The song was melancholic and had a haunting quality to it. Wordsworth was deeply moved by the beauty and emotional depth of her song, which led him to immortalize the moment in his poem.

"The Solitary Reaper" delves into themes such as nature, music, and the evocative power of the human voice. It reflects Wordsworth's conviction in the transformative essence of nature and the capacity of simple, everyday experiences to forge connections to a deeper sense of beauty and spirituality.