Summary for the poem Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth

 

Solitary Reaper

-        William Wordsworth

          Solitary Reaper is a Lyrical Ballad written by William Shakespeare. The poem was published in the year 1807.  The trip which Wordsworth made along with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth to Scotland in the year 1803 is the main source of his inspiration to write this poem.

    

Solitary Reaper is a poem of music. This poem talks about a Scottish girl who sings a plaintive song as she cuts hay with a sickle. The poet keenly listens to the song of the reaper but he is not able to comprehend the tone and language of the song. But he explores the melancholic strain in the poem. The poet glorifies the song of the Highland girl. He compares her song to that of a Nightingale and the Cuckoo bird.

            Wordsworth is curious to know about the song of the Solitary Reaper. He desires to explore the interior meaning of this poem. He guesses the song is about sorrow or loss or about unhappy thing. He doubts whether the song depicts the personal grief and loss of the solitary reaper.  

            The poet moves away from the field. The poet is disturbed by the music of the solitary. He desires to explore the hidden meaning of the poem. There is no conclusion for the song sung by the solitary reaper. In this Wordsworth recollects his memories of the solitary reaper. He poet claims that the song of solitary reaper will always echo in his heart. In this poem the poet longs for the song of solitary reaper.