What is the summary of the poem The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth stanza wise summary?
Answers
The poet, William Wordsworth, describes about a Solitary Reaper, whose singing was so spell bounding that one could forget his/her pain and has a deep impact on poet's heart too.
A girl who lives in the mountain region of Scotland was singing in the field. She was reaping as well as singing by herself. The poet was passing through the field when he observed the girl singing. He tells the passerby to stop here to listen her song or pass silently so that she might not get disturbed. She was cutting and binding the grains alone and was singing a melancholy ( tasteless ) song. The poet says that listen even the deep valley is overflowing with the sound of her song.
Even the nightingale's song was not chanting, the tired travellers might feel relax under the shade by hearing her song. Such a influential voice was her.
Among Arabian Sands, this type of voice was never heard not even from the Cuckoo bird to break the silence of the seas located at very distant group of islands.
The poet tries to guess what she was singing. He reasoned that perhaps she was singing a sad or mournful song for old and unhappy things which happened in her life or may be she was singing sad songs for the battles happened long ago or it may also be an ordinary song related to daily life.
He guessed every situation of singing behind her song and then concluded that it has no ending of her song. He listened the song still and motionless. And when he left that place, then too the impact of song on her heart was soo deep that the music of the song remained in the core of his heart .
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.
Poem Summary
This poem is written by William Wordsworth. The poem starts by giving us an introduction about a lass ( girl ) reaping lonely in the fields.
She was reaping and she starts singing in a sad tune .
The tune is described as melancholic strain .
The tune is heard in the distant valleys and this clearly is a poem from the heart of the Nature.
The next two stanzas refer to the reaction of the poet to the sad tune of the poem.
He compares the tune to the sound of a cuckoo and nightingale bird .
Our tone was so heart touching that the poet could not help comparing it to break the silence of the seas .
The season was the spring time and normally the seas were silent because the waters froze to ice .
The poet tries to guess what she sings about .
Family matter , sorrow of battles creep into the poet's mind.
The poet listened motionless and enjoyed the song .