A Short Summary of the Poem "The Solitary Reaper" by William Wordsworth

The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth

About the Poet: 
William Wordsworth is an important poet in Romantic Period in English literature. He belonged to the Lake District in England and spent his most of life among the beautiful lakes and mountains of the Lake District. He wrote poetry about the beautiful English countryside and English nature. Some of his poems are immortal records of the attraction that he had for the beauty of nature and its impact on the soul. 

Summary of the Poem: 
        The Solitary Reaper is one of his poems on the captivating power of the countryside. It is about simple, rustic folk who had no art or artifice, but lived quiet and subdued life in the lap of nature. These people do their assigned duties without question or dissatisfaction. The picture of the solitary reaper who sings in a musical and lilting tone as she cuts and binds the grain is haunting in its power not only for the poet but also for the reader. The way Wordsworth evokes the scene and its charm is deft and simple, but leaves on with the reader. This is one of the most memorable poems in English literature. 
        Wordsworth was on a walking tour in the Highlands of Scotland when he came across the figure of the solitary reaper, cutting and binding grain and singing to herself all the while. She was singing in her own native dialect which was Erse, and therefore this was not completely comprehensible to the poet. This makes him wonder about the theme of her song. It could refer to one of many things such as nostalgia, tales of long ago, some familiar stories of everyday life or some human sorrow or pain which has passed but could return. This makes the song mysterious in a way but at the same time touching and melancholy to the ears of the poet. He moves on in his work but the song remains in his heart much after he had left the scene and could bring back joy and beauty in later years. 
        The poet sees a young girl working in the field. The place is deserted and the girl is alone. The girl is singing a song while cutting the grain. The poet is passing by the field but when he listens her song he feels to stop there to listen to her song. The girl is cutting and binding the grain and the poet feels that she is singing a melancholy song. He feels that the valley nearby is filled with her song and one could feel that her song is everywhere in the surroundings. 
        The poet compares the beauty and melody of the song of the girl with the nightingale and the cuckoo bird. The poet feels that the girl's song is more beautiful and melodious than the song of the nightingale which gives a soothing feeling to the tired group of travellers who are in search of shade in the Arabian sands. The poet feels that the girl's voice is more thrilling than the cuckoo bird which sings to break the silence of the seas on the Hebrides island.
        The girl is singing in a local Scottish dialect, so the poet does not understand the theme of her song. The poet predicts that she may be singing some melancholy lines of poetry about old, unhappy and far off things. She may be singing about some battles that have been fought long ago. He predicts further that her song is a simple song of familiar matter in today's times. Even he feels that her song is about some natural sorrow, loss or pain which has been and which may come again. 
        Though the poet does not understand the theme of the girl's song he feels that her song should never end. The poet sees her singing at her work and over the sickle bending. The song of the girl has a profound effect on the poet. The poet listens the song remaining motionless and still and as he climbs up the hill the music of the song remains in his heart after a long time. The poet never forgets the song of the girl and he has the sweet memory of that song for forever in his life. The poem has eight stanzas of four lines each. The stanzas follow varying rhyme scheme. The first and seventh stanzas have abcb rhyme scheme. The second, fourth, sixth and eight stanzas have aabb rhyme scheme. The third and fifth stanzas have abab rhyme scheme.

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