The Solitary Reaper- William Wordsworth

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.

First Instinct

          After reading though “The Solitary Reaper” By Wordsworth, my first reaction was that the poem was that the poem is about a woman. Readers can assume that the poem is about a woman because throughout the poem Wordsworth repeatedly uses words like she and her. My next reaction was that the woman is by herself in a field. This woman likes to sing songs that attract people to visit her. However, the individual who the poem is written by cannot hear the songs the woman is singing.

Paraphrasing

She is by herself in a field
The hill lady!
Gathering and singing to herself;
Stop or pass
Alone she chops and gathers grain,
And sings a sad song,
Listen! For the farewell
Is to full of sound.

No nightingale ever sang
More beautiful note to exhausted groups
Of traveller in their lairs,
Among foreign lands
A voice so beautiful never heard
In the spring for the birds
Stopping since of the sea
Among the greater distance islands.

No one will tell me what she sings
Maybe the mournful songs flow
Because of the past sad things
And sad battles from the past
Or is the song happy?
Because of today
Some sorrow, lost or pain
That happened or may be happening again

Whatever the woman’s songs are about
As if she have stopped singing;
I saw her singing while she worked
And over the reaping hook;
I just listened not moving
Finally climbing the hill
The music was in my heart
After walking a distance the song could no longer be heard.

SWIFTT

          Syntax/ Word: Throughout the poem, uses specific words to set up a mood. The phrase “more welcome notes to weary bands” is used to describe the types of songs the woman is singing because she is thinking about past events that occurred in her life that make her sad. This is significant because by using phrase like this Wordsworth makes it easier for the readers to realize that the diction is somewhat on the depressed side.

          Imagery: Throughout the poem, Wordsworth uses visual imagery to have the reader’s picture what he is discussing. For example, in the beginning stanza, Wordsworth mentions a woman working in a field by herself singing. With this image the readers can picture cutting and harvesting grains in a field while singing. This is significant to the poem because the readers can better visualize the woman and the environment in which the poem takes place in. Another image that is in the poem, is the picture of somebody walking over a hill listening to the songs the woman is singing. This is significant to the poem because according to Wordsworth, everybody stops to listen to the woman sing. This image supports the statement of travelers stopping to listen and watch her harvest the grains on her field.

          Figurative: After analyzing the poem closely, the readers can conclude that Wordsworth does not use any forms of figurative language in “The Solitary Reaper”.

          Tone: Once the reader have fully analyzed the poem by Wordsworth, readers can conclude that the tone of the poem is alluring. There is an alluring tone about the poem for plenty of reasons. First reason is that the woman is the charming travelers to stop and listen to her sing. environment surrounding him. He notices how the still water reflect the night time sky. Second reason is that travelers are fascinated by her singing nothing they have ever heard sounds like her voice.

          Theme: After further analyzing the poem by Wordsworth, the readers can have a better understand of what the theme of the poem is. The theme of the poem singing is the key to expressing feelings when an individual is depressed. The woman in the poem singing beautifully sad song because she is contemplating sorrowful memories or events that are occurring in her life at the moment.  
Conclusion

          After further analyzing the poem “The Solitary Reaper” by Wordsworth individuals can conclude what Wordsworth’s true meaning for writing the poem was. Once I closely analyzed the poem, I could conclude that my first reaction was correct. The true purpose for writing the poem is to depict a sad woman. The woman could be sad because of past events that occurred in her life or because of current events occurring in her life. Throughout the poem, the ability to sing is being compared to being sad. Readers can conclude that Wordsworth’s opinion about being able to sing comes from the individual feeling some kind of sorrow. If an individual tries to sing and does feel some kind of sorrow, they are truly not singing. Therefore, an individual who is dealing with depression is singing to express his or her pain.