Summary of 'The Solitary Reaper'

William Wordsworth was a great lover of nature. He admired simple rustic life; we can find common people like peasants and shepherds figuring in his poems. ‘The Solitary Reaper’ describes the poet’s, feelings on hearing an enchanting song of a country girl. This song touches his heart. It makes him spellbound. The song remains a dear memory for the poet long afterwards.

This poem is a beautiful description of the poet’s personal experience. Once, while passing through the hills, a melodious song catches his attention. He sees a young girl reaping and binding grain in a field. She is all alone and is singing a sad song. The poet stops there to listen to her music. He makes no noise so that she is not being disturbed.

The poet finds the song very enchanting and melodious. The entire valley is flooded with her beautiful voice. The music is sweeter than the song of a cuckoo or a nightingale. The poet then says that no nightingale could have sung so sweetly to welcome and soothe the tired travellers of the Arabian deserts as the solitary reaper. Her song is sweeter than the song of the cuckoo bird that disturbs the seas’ silence in the distant islands.

The poet cannot understand the theme of this reaper’s song as the dialect is quite unfamiliar to him. So, he makes some guesses. Perhaps, she is singing about some tragic event of the past or some familiar event of her life, like the loss of parting from the dear ones. It could have been about some battles that were fought long ago.

Then the poet moves on to say that he does not understand the theme of the song, the music of her song and the melodious voice leaves the poet spellbound. He stands motionless to listen to the girl’s song. It seemed as if the song was never-ending. The poet listens to her as she reaps and binds the grains bending over the sickle. Then the poet goes up the hill but he carries the music of the melodious song with him. The song leaves an everlasting impression on his mind. The poet also suggests that the appeal of music is universal.