The Solitary Reaper – CBSE Notes for Class 9 English Literature Reader
CBSE NotesCBSE Notes English Literature ReaderNCERT Solutions English Literature Reader
The Poet
William Wordsworth was born on 7th April, 1770 in England. He was a great lover of nature. He admired simple rustic life, you can find common people like peasants and shepherds figuring in his poems. Some of his famous poems include ‘The Prelude’, ‘Ode to Duty’, ‘Intimations of Immortality’ and ‘The Solitary Reaper’. He died in 1850.
The Summary
‘The Solitary Reaper’ is a beautiful description of the poet’s personal experience. Once, while passing through the hills of Scotland, 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 song. He makes no noise so that she is not be disturbed.
The poet finds the song very enchanting and melodious. The entire valley is flooded with her beautiful voice. The song 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 whatever be 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 op his mind and haunts him for long.
The Theme
‘The Solitary Reaper’ describes the poet’s, feelings on hearing an enchanting song of a country girl. This song touches his heart. It makes/leaves him spellbound. The song remains a dear memory for the poet long afterwards.
Explanation of the Poem
1. Behold her ………….gently pass.
Explanation
The poet tells Us to look at a girl who is working in a field all alone. She is reaping the crop and is Singing a song. Then the poet tells the passers-by that it doesn’t matter to her whether they stop there or go away as she is so engrossed in her work that she won’t even notice.
Rhyme scheme: abcb
2. Alone she cuts…………….with the sound.
Explanation
The solitary reaper is all alone in the field. She cuts and binds the grain and is also singing a sad Song. The whole valley echoes the sound of that reaper’s songs
Poetic Device:
Alliteration : And sings a melancholy strain.
Rhyme scheme: aabb
3. No nightingale……………. Arabian sands.
Explanation
The poet then moves on to compare the melodious song of the reaper to that of a nightingale who sings welcome
songs to the tired group of travellers who take rest in shady places among the Arabian sands. According to the poet, the song of the reaper is sweeter and more melodious than the song of the nightingale.
Poetic Device:
Alliteration: No nightingale did ever chant.
More welcome notes to weary bands.
Among Arabian sands.
Rhyme scheme: abcb
4. A voice ………… farthest Hebrides.
Explanation
The poet compares the song of the Solitary Reaper to another bird-cuckoo bird which is well known for its sweet voice. The voice of the reaper is sweeter and more thrilling than that of the cuckoo bird which breaks the silence of the sea among the remotest group of islands.
Poetic Devices:
Alliteration: Breaking the silence of the seas.
Rhyme scheme: aabb
5. Will no one …………long ago.
Explanation
The poet is unable to guess the theme or subject of the song as he can’t understand the dialect. So, he asks others if they could tell him what she was singing. Then he himself tries to guess that perhaps the song was related to some old, unhappy events that took place long ago or the battles which were fought long ago.
Poetic devices:
Alliteration: Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow.
For old unhappy far off things.
Rhyme scheme: abcb
6. Or is it……….may be again ?
Explanation
The poet makes further guesses that her song might be related to some familiar day-to-day matter or some natural calamity, loss or pain which has already happened in the past or may happen again.
Poetic Device:
Alliteration: Some natural sorrow, loss or pain.
Rhyme scheme: aabb
7. What e’er the theme ………….sickle bending.
Explanation
Then the poet says whatever the theme of the song of the Solitary Reaper may be, but it seems as if the song had no ending. She kept on singing a never-ending song and was bending on the sickle and working as well.
Poetic Device:
Alliteration: I saw her singing at her work.
Rhyme scheme: abcb
8. I listen’d ………….. heard no more.
Explanation
The poet gets mesmerized by the song and listens to it while standing there silently. Then he started climbing the hill. He could still hear the echo of the girl’s song as he had cherished that in his heart even though he could hear it no more. The song had left a deep impression on his mind.
Poetic Device:
Alliteration: The music in my heart I bore.
Rhyme scheme: aabb
The post The Solitary Reaper – CBSE Notes for Class 9 English Literature Reader appeared first on Learn CBSE.