Is overflowing with the sound. For the first time! The poem was inspired by the poet’s trip to Scotland in 1803 with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. “The Solitary Reaper” is a perfect example of this type of humanistic romanticism, and it is an excellent example of the kind of work that Wordsworth became known for as he established himself as an expert with literary ballads (Poetryfoundation.org). And battles long ago: Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow That has been, and may be again? But, here he complains that neither ‘Nightingale’ nor the ‘Cuckoo’ sang a song that is as sweet as hers. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Use of end rhymes, such as “profound/sound”, “still/hill”, “lay/day” and “grain/strain” makes the poem melodious. "The Solitary Reaper" was written on November 5, 1805 and published in 1807. Instant downloads of all 1444 LitChart PDFs And battles long ago: Or is it some more humble lay,  “The Solitary Reaper” is a poem by the English poet William Wordsworth. Long after it was heard no more. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Or is it some more humble lay, And o'er the sickle bending;—  The opening and the closing stanzas do not rhyme, in contrast, the other two stanzas, that is, the second and third, have a matching rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme for the stanzas is either abcbddee or ababccdd. Preface to Lyrical Ballads Alone she cuts and binds the grain,  The Romantics The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. about the image of the poet as a halted traveller and about "the poetry of surmise" in which Wordsworth seems to have excelled. But the poem was originally written on November 5, 1805. Long after it was heard no more. Sign up to unveil the best kept secrets in poetry, Home » William Wordsworth » The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth. For the poet, he is so struck by the sad beauty of her song that the whole valley seems to overflow with its sound. In the First stanza of “The Solitary Reaper,” Wordsworth describes how the Reaper was singing all alone. William Wordsworth. Reaping and singing by herself; For old, unhappy, far-off things,  The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth is a romantic ballad poem that is set in the rural area. Among Arabian sands: We're here to break it all down for you. — Wordsworth's preface to the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads, in which he lays out his theory of poetry and his relationship with Romanticism. In the third stanza of “The Solitary Reaper,” the poet depicts his plight over not understanding the theme or language of the poem. The song is sung in an unfamiliar dialect; hence, the theme of the song is not clear to the poet. For, the song of the girl has stopped him from going about his business. During one of his journeys in the countryside of Scotland, he saw a Highland girl working in the field all alone. Reading of "The Solitary Reaper" It was first published in 1807. The Solitary Reaper is one of William Wordsworth’s representatives which portrays an Irish girl working and singing solitarily in a field. it is written in four stanzas of eight lines each. The music in my heart I bore,  “The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth is written as a recollection of an overwhelming emotional experience. (read the full definition & explanation with examples), Read the full text of “The Solitary Reaper”. The Solitary Reaper has four stanzas that are arranged into eight lines each, bringing the total number of lines to thirty-two. The poet makes a symbolic comparison of the young woman’s song with Nightingale and Cuckoo bird for the melodious nature of her song. — An article on the history of British Romanticism from the British Library. Teachers and parents! By: William Wordsworth 2. He comes to the conclusion that whatever may be the theme of her poem, it is not going to end. “The Solitary Reaper” is a lyrical poetry published by the nature poet William Wordsworth in 1907. The ‘Solitary Reaper’ is a Scottish peasant girl who is full of life. The Solitary Reaper William Wordsworth - 1770-1850 Behold her, single in the field, Yon solitary Highland Lass! Even when he left and mounted up the hill he could still hear her voice coming amongst the produce, she was cutting and binding. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. THEMES Imagination: “The Solitary Reaper” is about the power of the imagination to transform common, everyday events into representations of a larger reality. The poet doesn’t want to disturb her solitude so requests the passer by’s go without disturbing her. The poet compares the Solitary Reaper's song to that of a nightingale or a cuckoo bird. 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. And sings a melancholy strain;  The poet couldn’t understand the local Scottish dialect in which the reaper was singing. The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth. He says that anyone passing by should either stop here, or “gently pass” so as not to disturb her. Its rhyme scheme alternates between abcbdde and ababccdd. Stop here, or gently pass! Of travellers in some shady haunt,  the rhyme scheme is sometimes abcbddee or ababccdd. 1770–1850. He became widely successful and was named Poet Laureate of England in 1843. “The Solitary Reaper” Summary The poet orders his listener to behold a “solitary Highland lass” reaping and singing by herself in a field. Of travellers in some shady haunt, He stays there motionless and listened to her song quite some times. The poem’s 32 lines are equally distributed among the four stanzas. Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass! Yon solitary Highland Lass! He uses it again in the seventh line “O Listen” telling them how the valley is filled with the sound of her. The Solitary Reaper. for the Vale profound  'The Solitary Reaper' is composed of thirty two lines and four stanzas. In 1815-1820 it was included among the “Poems of Imagination.” She's singing in a field somewhere. Wordsworth has made a note of it in his Tours to the British Mountains. Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802, Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey. — A reading of "The Solitary Reaper" from Pearls of Wisdom. O listen! Get the entire guide to “The Solitary Reaper” as a printable PDF. By William Wordsworth. Accessed 15 May 2021. He is utterly enchanted that he says that her voice is so thrilling and penetrable like that of the Cuckoo Bird, which sings to break the silence in the ‘Hebrides’ Islands. 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. I saw her singing at her work, The poem was written on Nov 5, 1805 and published in 1807 in Poems in Two Volumes. — A digital reproduction of the original manuscript for "The Solitary Reaper," currently in the holdings of the British Library. — A brief biography of Wordsworth from the British Library, with extensive links to other articles on aspects of Wordsworth's life and thought. More welcome notes to weary bands The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900. William Wordsworth is one of the most important English poets and a founder of the Romantic Movement of English literature, a style of writing that focuses on emotion and imagination. He was often called a nature poet because of his emphasis on the connection between humans and the natural world. Behold her, single in the field,  She was singing in a hilly dialect. Though the poet left that place, the song remained in his heart, long after he heard that song. 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. In the second stanza of “The Solitary Reaper,” the poet compares the young woman’s song with ‘Nightingale’ and ‘Cuckoo’ – the most celebrated birds by the writers and poets for the sweetness of voice. In August of 1803, William Wordsworth, his sister Dorothy, and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge embarked on a walking tour of the Scottish Highlands. A #3D sound enhanced recitation on The Voice of Literature. And o’er the sickle bending;– Its mood can be described as one of relaxation,depression and gentleness. This Poem is due to Wordsworth’s Highland tour with his sister Dorothy in 1803. The Solitary Reaper. Reaping and singing by herself; … B EHOLD her, single in the field, Yon solitary Highland Lass! Poem Analysis, https://poemanalysis.com/william-wordsworth/the-solitary-reaper/. "The Solitary Reaper" is one of Wordsworth's most famous post-Lyrical Ballads lyrics. ‘The Solitary Reaper’ was singing and doing her work without minding anyone. It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. I saw her singing at her work,  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. It was first published in 1807. Among the farthest Hebrides. She's a highland lass, and she's singing while she works. And, as I mounted up the hill, Below is the picture of that place. Each of the poem’s stanza comprises of an alternate rhyme scheme of ABAB and CCDD, however, in the first and last stanza the ‘A’ rhyme is off. The Solitary Reaper Introduction Don't fear the reaper, Shmoopers. — Wordsworth's preface to the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads, in which he lays out his theory of poetry and his relationship with Romanticism. Yon solitary Highland Lass! Behold her, single in the field, Will no one tell me what she sings?—  Have a specific question about this poem? Struggling with distance learning? Even after a long time, he has come away from that place, he says, he could still listen. The beautiful experience left a deep impact and gave him a long-lasting pleasure. This poem fully reflects the loneliness of the poet. As she “cuts and binds the grain” she “sings a … He finds that the traditional poetic metaphors for a beautiful song fail him. 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. The Solitary Reaper, poem by William Wordsworth, published in 1807 in the collection Poems, in Two Volumes.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. “The Solitary Reaper” is a lyrical poetry published by the nature poet William Wordsworth in 1907. 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 sense of rhythm throughout the poem. Wordsworth classified it as a “Poem of Imagination”. Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,  (including. The speaker does not understand the song, and he cannot tell what it was about. 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. And, as I mounted up the hill,  The poet couldn’t understand what she was singing. So she was singing to herself. 528. "The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth". International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth, William Wordsworth is written as a recollection, that whatever may be the theme of her poem, https://poemanalysis.com/william-wordsworth/the-solitary-reaper/. He compares her song to that of Nightingale and the Cuckoo-bird, yet he states that her song is the best. 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. Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. No Nightingale did ever chaunt  The poem was inspired by the poet’s trip to Scotland in 1803 with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. This poem is unique for it is not based on the poet’s experience but of his friend and author, Thomas … The imagery used in a literary work enables the readers to perceive things involving their five senses. The poem thus calls, implicitly, for a new kind of poetry: one that is better able to approximate and describe the pure, unpretentious beauty of the reaper’s song. The Solitary Reaper's song was sweeter than the song sung by the nightingale or the cuckoo bird. But it turns out to be hyperbole for he exaggerates that her song is better than theirs. Wordsworth became known as a Lakeland Poet because of the area where he lived, which is renowned for its beautiful, wild landscapes, charming pastures, and countless lakes. Please log in again. This poem is unique for it is not based on the poet’s experience but of his friend and author, Thomas Wilkinson’s. LitCharts Teacher Editions. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass! The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem. “The Solitary Reaper” is made up of four octaves, primarily written in iambic tetrametre and generally following the rhyme scheme of ababccdd. Biography of William Wordsworth For old, unhappy, far-off things, It is a widely read poem, published in the collection Poems, in Two Volumes. But the poem was originally written on November 5, 1805. He says that it induces as much thrill in the atmosphere as that of … The Solitary Reaper Summary "The Solitary Reaper" opens with the speaker directing our attention to a solitary reaper (someone who cuts down crops—like corn or rye—by hand). The Solitary Reaper, a poem which he judges to have the degree of complexity necessary for full illustration of Wordsworth's theory. Reaping and singing by herself;  He symbolically puts forth that her voice is so melodious and more than that of the two birds, known for their voice. 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