Introduction.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was a leading English Romantic poet, renowned for his deep connection to nature and his belief in its restorative power. He was a central figure in the Romantic movement, emphasizing emotion, imagination, and the beauty of the natural world in his work. Wordsworth’s poetry reflects his philosophy that nature and human experience are deeply intertwined. His contributions helped to shape the course of English literature in the 19th century.

It is a lyrical poem that describes the poet’s encounter with a Highland girl singing while reaping in a field. The song, though incomprehensible to the poet, deeply moves him with its beauty and melancholy, symbolizing the power of nature and the human connection to it. The poem captures the Romantic themes of solitude, memory, and the transcendent power of music.

“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 Cukoo-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, for-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.