H.

W NOTE
THE SOLITARY REAPER

(a) Read the second stanza again, in which Wordsworth compares the
solitary reaper’s song with the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo.
On the basis of your reading (and your imagination), copy and
complete the table below. (Work in groups of four, then have a brief
class discussion.)
Place Heard by Impact on listener
Solitary Reaper Scottish Highlands the poet holds him spellbound
Nightingale
Cuckoo
(b) Why do you think Wordsworth has chosen the song of the
nightingale and the cuckoo for comparison with the solitary reaper’s
song?
(c) As you read the second stanza, what pictures come to your mind?
Be ready to describe them in your own words, to the rest of the class.
(Do not be afraid to go beyond what the poet has written.)
Answer:
(a)
Place Heard by Impact on listen
Solitary Reaper Scottish Highlands the poet holds him spellb
Nightingale Arabian Sands weary travellers feel refreshed
Cuckoo Hebrides islanders thrilled
(b) The nightingale and the cuckoo are the two birds which are
famous for their sweet and melodioussongs. So, it is quite natural that
Wordsworth compares the sweet song of the solitary reaper to these
birds.
(c)
 The first picture that comes to my mind is the desert of Arabia.
The scorching sun is burning everything. Poor travellers are tired
and thirsty. They are making their camels run for some shady
haunts. At last, they find a shady place with water. They lie down
to have some rest. Suddenly, a melodious voice captures their
hearts. The nightingale’s song refreshes the tired travellers. They
are up again for their onward journey.
  The Hebrides are wrapped in silence. A ship anchors there. A
sweet voice breaks the silence of the seas. It is the melodious
voice of the cuckoo. The song thrills all the seamen. The whole
mountain region resounds with the song.
2. In the sixth line of the first stanza, we read:
“… and sings a melancholy strain…. ”
This “s” sound at the beginning of sings and strain has been repeated.
Poets often do this.
Do you know why? Do you know what this “poetic repetition” is
called? Can you find other instances of this, in The Solitary Reaper?
Answer:
In ‘sings’ and ‘strain’, “s” sound has been repeated. The use of the
same letter or sound at the beginning of words that are close together
is quite common in poetry. This “poetic repetition is called
“alliteration”. It is used to heighten the musical and lyrical impact of
the poem.
Repetition of “s” sound in ‘silence of the seas’.
Repetition of “a” sound in ‘Among Arabian Sands’.
Repetition of “1” sound in ‘Listened, motionless and still’.
3. How could the poet hear the song of the Solitary Reaper, when
it could be heard no more?
Ans. One day, while climbing up a hill, the poet hears solitary
reaper’s song. The song reminds him of a nightingle and a cuckoo. He
finds the song so enchanting that it leaves an indelible mark on the
poet’s mind and he believes that the memory of the song will remain
with him forever. This also shows that music has a universal appeal.
4. ‘Solitary Reaper’ is a poem that depicts a simple peasant girl
gifted with an extraordinary voice. What qualities make the girl
unforgettable?
Ans. The melodious voice of the Solitary Reaper is unforgettable. It
has tender melancholic strains, the sweetest human voice ever heard
that haunted the poet for all time. He could not understand the dialect,
nor the theme of her song. Her musical notes ran like water and
surpassed the beauty of the songs of the nightingale and the cuckoo.
The intensity and the enchanting quality of her song left an
everlasting impression on the poet mind.
5. Discuss the effect of the Solitary Reaper’s song on the listeners.
Why is it compared to the nightingale and the cuckoo?
Ans. The poet describes the solitary reaper’s song, filling the deep
valleys, sweeter than the voice of a nightingale. It is more welcome
than a nightingale’s chant heard by weary travellers in the shady
haunts of the Arabian desert. It is more thrilling than a cuckoo bird’s
song which in spring time can break the silence of the seas. It made
the poet stand motionless and still to listen and carry it with him in his
heart as he mounted up the hill never to forget it evermore.
References to the Arabian sands and Scotlands Hebrides (far-off
Islands) impart an exotic feeling.