the poet stood spellbound listening to the captivating song of the reaper.pick out words or expressions from the poem which highlight the quality of her song
Answers
The poet found the quality of the reaper’s song quite divine and sublime. He was so much attracted by her song that he stood transfixed. The words or expressions in the poem which highlight the quality of her song are given below:
1. No nightingale did ever chant
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of Travellers in some shady haunt.
Among Arabian Sands
In this expression the poet is comparing the reaper’s melody to the nightingale of Arabian sands. According to him her song is more melodious than the nightingale’s song.
2. 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.
In this expression the poet is comparing the reaper’s song to the sweet warbling of the cuckoo bird that sings on the islands of Hebrides.
3. I listen'd, motionless and still
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The Music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
In this expression the poet is stating that the song of the reaper made him stand still and halt during his walk. As he continued his walk after hearing the song, he carried the notes of the song in his heart.The poet has used many expressions to convey the quality of the solitary reaper’s song.
Stanza 1: (The focus is on introducing the setting of the poem.)
To begin with, he says that she ‘sings a melancholy strain’, meaning a sad song. The impact of the song is such that the area around seems to be ‘overflowing with the sound’.
Stanza 2: (The focus is on the sound quality.)
The maiden’s singing is likened to the sweet sounding nightingale in the lines ‘No Nightingale did ever chaunt’. The poet then goes on to say that her song is much more melodious and refreshing than the bird’s voice. The reaper’s song sounds like ‘welcome notes’ to tired travellers. In fact, her song is as refreshing as a ‘shady haunt’ or an oasis, in the Arabian desert.
Continuing with the praise, the speaker says that he had never heard ‘A voice so thrilling’ from the cuckoo bird even during ‘spring-time’. Yet, the reaper’s voice was very powerful, for it seemed to be ‘Breaking the silence of the seas’ even on far away islands.
Stanza 3: (The focus is on the possible subject of the song.)
The song is sad and is called ‘plaintive’. The subject could well be historical, like ‘old, unhappy, far-off things’ or may be even ‘battles’ that had been fought years ago.
It could even be about regular life and ‘humble’ thoughts about ‘Familiar matter of to-day’.
There was a possibility of the song being about ‘Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,’ that she had faced and could go through ‘again’.
Stanza 4: (The focus is on the effect the song has on the speaker.)
The poet is so captivated by the song that he simply stands ‘motionless and still’.
Even after he rides away from the place, he continues to think of the song. In his own words, ‘The music in my heart I bore’ even after ‘it was heard no more’.
(Note: Please do not answer literature questions in the point form. This has been done only to make it easier for you to remember the details in a logical order.)