Solitary reeper notes
Poem:
Behold her(LOOK AT HER), single in the field,(ALONE AT THE FIELD)
Yon (THERE)solitary(LONELY)Highland Lass(MOUNTAIN GIRL)!
Reaping(HARVESTING THE CROPS) and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Word meanings:
solitary: alone, lonely
highland lass: a girl who lives in the highlands (mountain regions) of Scotland
reaping: cutting and gathering a crop; such as corn or rice
Explanation:
The poet says that he once saw a young woman working in the fields alone. She was a ‘highland lass’, meaning
that the woman looked like she had come from the highlands or the mountain regions of Scotland. The woman
was harvesting the grain and singing a song to keep herself entertained. The poet says that by stopping at the
fields or by gently passing, we would be able to hear her song clearly and she does not gets disturbed .
Poem:
Alone she cuts(harvests), and binds the grain(ties the straws),
And sings a melancholy (sad)strain(song);
O listen! for the vale (deep/intense)profound(valley)
Is overflowing with the sound.
Word meanings:
bind: tie or fasten two things or objects together tightly
melancholy strain: sad song
vale profound: the entire valley
Explanation:
The poet says that not only was the woman harvesting the grain, but she was also binding some of the straws
together to form a bunch of grains(alone). While she was doing work in the field, she was singing a sad song
which was echoing throughout the valley.
Poem:
No nightingale(famous for its melodious voice/singing) did ever chant
More welcome notes to weary bands(group of tired travellers)
Of travellers in some shady haunt(shady areas no direct sunlight in Arabian sands)
Among Arabian Sands.
Word meanings:
nightingale: a bird noted for her sweet song
weary: tired
band: a group of people
shady: suspicious
haunt: a place frequently visited by a person
Arabian Sands: the deserts of Arabia (the Middle East)
Explanation:
The woman’s voice was so melodious that the poet says that no nightingale would have ever sung more
meodiously than her. These nightingales can be heard in the deserts of Arabia. Their pleasant voice is the only
source of joy to the tired travellers who take shelter in the shade while crossing these deserts. Her voice was so
melodious that no nightingale has singed such melodious song for tired travellers resting in the shady areas of
arbian sands than her.
Poem:
A voice so thrilling ne’ er was heard
In spring-time from the cuckoo-bird,(famous for its melodious voice, it sings mostly during the spring season)
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides(nearby islands).
Word meanings:
thrilling: something which is exciting and pleasurable
farthest Hebrides: the most remote group of islands that lie to the north-west of Scotland
Explanation:
The poet describes the voice of the woman to be so incredibly melodious, that it generates a feeling of
excitement and pleasure that no other voice could ever generate. It was similar to the sound of the chirping of
the cuckoo-bird that is heard in the spring season. The sound of a cuckoo-bird is the only one that can be heard
across the silent sea to the north-west of the islands of Scotland. Her voice is so melodious that her voice
breaks the silence of sea just like co-co-bird.
Poem:
Will no one tell me what she sings? (poet was enchanted with the reapers voice, impressed with the dialect
// was singing)
Perhaps the plaintive numbers(sad song) flow(are being sung)
For old, unhappy, far-off things(in the past),
And battles long ago:
Word meanings:
plaintive numbers: sorrowful songs
far-off: something which is distant or faraway
Explanation:
The poet wants to know the story behind the song. Almost each and every song has a story or a motive behind
it. The woman was singing a sad but interesting song, and so the poet is curious to know what the song was
about. He thinks that maybe the song was just a sorrowful song about the battles that had already taken place
or the unhappy things that she may have faced in her life.
Poem:
Or is it some more humble lay(ordinary song),
Familiar matter of to-day(day to say happenings)?
Same natural sorrow, loss, or pain,(death,loss,tragedy)
that has been(occurred), and may be again(occur again)?
Word meanings:
humble lay: ordinary song
Explanation:
The poet thinks that maybe the song was about ordinary or day-to-day happenings which cause grief in
someone’s heart. Maybe the song was about some natural sorrows, loss of possessions, or pain caused by
harsh words. This is the kind of sorrow that a person tends to experience everyday, and so such topics are
familiar.
Poem:
Whate’er the theme(what ever was story,theme,reason behind the song), the maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending(continuously);
I saw her singing at her work(singing along with harvesting),
And o’er the sickle bending(her sickle was bending to harvest the crop) ;
Word meanings:
sickle: a tool for cutting grass and grain crops. It has a short handle and a blade shaped like a hook.
Explanation:
The poet says that no matter what the theme or the story behind the song was, the maiden or the young
woman was singing the song continuously, as if the song had no end. This indicates that the story behind the
song or the pain or sorrow symbolised by the song is never-ending. The song was as never-ending as her work,
as she kept on harvesting the grain using the sickle.
Poem:
I listen’d, motionless and still;(standing quietly/calm)
And, as I mounted(climbed) up the hill,(left that place)
The music in my heart I bore(carry),(narrator will remember the music for lifelong)
Long after it was heard no more.(as he moves away the music fades)
Word meanings:
listen’d: listened
mounted: climbed
bore: carried
Explanation:
The poet says that the song was captivating and moving that he could not even move. He stood still and just
listened to the song with all his attention. After that, he climbed up a hill, but his heart and mind was full of the
melody he had just heard. Perhaps, he was unable to concentrate on his journey. He wanted to listen to the
woman’s voice again, but when he came to the same fields, he saw that the woman was not there anymore. He
did not see the woman ever again, and so he did not hear the song again.
Summary
William Wordsworth, a Romantic poet, in this poem highlights the beauty of a highland lass's song. The poet is
walking in the highlands of Scotland when he comes upon a girl singing in the field. He is so enamoured by her
song that he stops in his travels and listens to her song. Her beautiful voice fills the whole valley. As he climbs
over the hill, the song lingers in his ears and remains with him for a long time.
One day, while walking in the highlands of Scotland, the poet comes across a girl who is cutting and binding
grain into sheaves. She is singing as she works. Though the tune is melancholy, her voice is so captivating that
the poet stops to listen to her.
He compares her song to the sweet notes of the nightingale and the cuckoo, both birds that sing in romantic
surroundings. Since he is not familiar with the dialect, or he is too far to catch the words of the song, he is
unable to understand the theme of the maiden's song. He is, nevertheless, intrigued by the song and wonders
what the theme of the song could be. This does not detract from his enjoyment of the song and he just stands
there and listens to her song as she goes about her work. One thing is clear, her song is sad and her notes are
plaintive. He wishes that her song would go on and on. Finally, the poet carries on, along his way, bearing in his
heart the memory of the song.