English 3311 poetry

March 20, 2018

The Solitary Reaper

The solitary reaper is a beautiful poem by William Wordsworth. In this poem, he talks about the little girl who was singing a song while working. The author said does not disturb her because the whole valley is already filled with the overflow of her song. In this entire poem, the poet is telling he was impressed with the girl’s voice, thoughts and her concentration on her work and singing spirit. This poem was written in Scotland's charming area where the poet was visiting the hills, and he saw that girl, and she was singing a song so the poet cannot resist writing about the beauty he has seen in her.

In this poem, although poet did not understand that what the girl he just saw is talking about which aspect of life but still he listen to it and found it so surprising. In the first stanza, poet talked about the girl and her courage that she is working alone no one is helping her in cutting and tying. In second stanza poet talked about the peace and used a metaphor like the silence of seas and shadow in Arab deserts for her song. In the third stanza, he is just thinking that what she is singing and poet is also predicting her song it might be about the past bad happenings like battles. In the last stanza, the poet is talking about that no matter what she was singing I listen to her without blinking of eyes and carefully (Wordsworth).

In First, Stanza poet is talking about the alone girl with the sweet voice he doesn't want to disturb him. In this poem, the poet is talking about the girl who is single in highland part of Scotland. The poet is talking about that there are two ways either you stop her from singing or pass gently. The poet is very impressed that she is working alone cutting and binding, no one is helping her. The poet is impressed with her voice and way of singing. Here the poet is ordering just like previously he said: "stop here." The author is talking about the sound of that girl that it is overflowing with voice. The author is carefully listening to the song of that girl although he is listening he doesn't want to distract that girl because she is unaware of her surroundings. The author is fully fanaticized by the voice of that girl.

The second stanza starts with the poet's reaction to the song and its specialties moreover using metaphors of cuckoo birds. This stanza is different from the first stanza because in the first stanza poet was impressed by the girl, her busy mood at work and her alone struggle with cutting and tying reaps. Whereas, in this stanza poet is talking about the song of the beautiful girl, poet used the word count for sing or chirp and explained that no nightingale ever sings such song. Here he considered the nightingale as the sweet singer. Poet believes that it is a welcoming song and using metaphor of shady haunt for travelers. Poet thinks that her voice is very relaxing for him and it is like shady area in the desert (Wordsworth).

The poet resembles her voice with the shady area in Arabian Desert. He resembles her voice that it is as comfortable as the shadow in the desert. He feels relaxed by this voice as the travellers sit under the shadow tree in the desert. He is saying the voice of girl is never heard before. The Poet again uses the metaphor of cuckoo bird's voice for girl's voice. He uses the metaphor that her voice is such like it is breaking the silence of seas. In this sentence, he is also talking about the peace of that area that he can only listen that voice and her voice is like breaking silence of seas in all areas of Hebrides. The second stanza is all about the song of that girl poet was likes her voice and find peace in this voice that why he resembles this voice with the most peaceful thing in the world which is the silence of seas and the shady area in Arabian Desert.

In the third stanza, the author is only talking about the song and thinking that she is singing which type of song. In this stanza, the poet is in doubt that what the girl is singing. He is estimating about her song that it is looking like a sad song. Poet is thinking that its flow is very sorrowful than what she is singing. Poet is unable to understand her language, but he is estimating throw her flow, voice, and tone that it is could be a sad song. He thinks that it could be an unhappy memory of that girl or it is about her past she may experience any bad thing in her life, so she is singing that incident in this sad song (Wordsworth).

It is also a possibility that she is singing about the past battles that they might face in the past and she may lose something in those battles. The most of the poet's hypothesis about the song is representing that he understands her tone, voice flow and voice pitch and all the things are cued about the sad songs. He is predicting that she is looking sad and it looks that she bears all things in the very humble way. He is estimating that maybe she is talking about any casual or minor sad thing, but she is very sad about that occasion. It could be an ordinary daily matter, but again he thinks that I don't know what the matter behind her sadness is but it is like the pain of any loved one loss or sorrow about anything. Here the author again thinks that maybe she experiences something terrible in the past and again she has a fear of that occasion in future.

In the fourth stanza, the author is thinking that no matter what she was singing it matters that I still miss her voice and never listen such voice again. In the last and fourth stanza poet is thinking that no matter what she was or what the theme of that song was. I don't understand what she said and what she sings, the only thing which I appreciate her voice. I was still listening till the long distance, and I feel that this song has no end. He said she was singing and I was continuously listening to her voice very carefully without any distraction (Wordsworth).

The poet says that she was singing while working she was not thinking about anything else she was focusing on her work and in her mood, she was thinking about something. In this stanza, the poet uses the phrase of "no ending" maybe he is talking about the life. He said that he listened to the song without any movement and distraction. He was climbing the hills, but still, he was listening to the voice. He stated that music is in my heart till now because I could not forget that music and voice. I made that music in my heart, and after that, I not listen that voice. In this stanza poet suddenly shifted the tense like from present to past. It is depicting that poet listened to this song in the past and now memorized that time.

The solitary reaper is the strong romantic poem and lyrical balled. In this poem poet used different figures of speech such as Assonance, in the first stanza and hyperbole, to insist on something like Cuckoo bird. Apostrophe, in the first stanza of the poem "Yon solitary Highland Lass" This poem has a strong impact on imagery even poet also used many imagery techniques in this poem. He talked about the beautiful girl of Scotland while singing and working. In the first stanza, the author looks impressive by the girl's struggle, but in second stanza poet focus on the song that how she is singing and what is the effect of her singing on listeners. In the third stanza, he thinks that what she is singing and in the last stanza the poet represented that he listened to this song in the past and still remember that tone and voice. He never listened to that voice again, and he made that music in his heart, so he still remembers that time.

Reference

Wordsworth, W., & Lewis, C. "The solitary reaper." LCC Central School of Arts and Craft (1910).