“A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard 

In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird.”

These lines are from William Wordsworth’s (1770–1850) famous poem “The Solitary Reaper” (1807). In these lines, the poet praises the Highland girl’s song. He compares it to one of nature’s sweetest sounds, the call of the cuckoo bird in spring.

The poet says that he has never heard any voice as thrilling and beautiful as the girl’s song, not even the joyful cry of the cuckoo bird. The cuckoo is known as a bird that sings in spring.  Its song brings freshness and hope to nature. But here, the poet feels that the girl’s voice is even more powerful than that natural music.

The word “thrilling” means full of emotion and deep feeling. The reaper’s song moves the poet’s heart in a way that no bird’s song ever cou