“The Solitary Reaper,” by William Wordsworth 2/13/12

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.

REACTION: When first reading the poem, the reader assumes that the poet is writing about a young girl which he crosses paths with for a short time. She is singing the field, and this singing sparks his imagination. The most prominent part of this poem is the structure.

PARAPHRASE: Alone in a field, a young girl sings. When you happen upon her, you either stop or slow to listen. Her singing is sad and soft as she works in the field. She sings with more sadness than a nightingale. No one knows what she sings, but many people guess. Whatever she sings, it has no end. I listened to the singing until I could hear it no more.

SWIFTT:

                -SW: The word choice and grammatical structure help with the rhyme scheme ABABCCDD, and the iambic pentameter. The word choices that portray the sadness of the song evoke more emotion, like melancholy and the imagery of a nightingale.

                -I: Imagery of the girl sowing the field she is working in is present throughout the poem through numerous references. The poet also uses different items in order to provoke images that can relate to the song the young girl is singing. The poet references “Arabian sands” and a “spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird” to invoke the feelings and images he sees from the song.

                -F: There are no similes present in this poem. The author does reference the  song the maiden sings through metaphors mentioned in the imagery.                                                                                                         

                -T: The tone of this poem is very melancholy, mirroring the tone of the song that the maiden sings. The longing of the narrator hear the poem is present and communicated through the tone. He wishes to still hear the song even though it makes him melancholy himself.

                -T: The theme of this poem is that people are a part of nature. In the purest state of mind while this maiden is creating a literary work (the song/poem no one has heard), she is completely serene and connected to nature. The narrator mentions that one must slow around her or completely stop in oder to hear her song and not disturb her. The later reference that she is like a nightingale or cuckoo bird shows the direct connection the narrator sees between her and nature.  

CONCLUSION:  My original reaction was very correct. The narrator is listening to the song of a young girl working in a field. The song that she is singing connects her to nature and allows the narrator to experience nature as he hears the song.