The Solitary Reaper Quotations
1. “Behold her, single in the field, / Yon solitary Highland Lass!” – (Stanza 1)Explanation: The poet invites us to look at the lonely Scottish girl working alone in the field. Her solitude and simplicity make the scene peaceful and beautiful. She becomes the living symbol of harmony between nature and human life.
Explanation: The poet urges us to listen carefully because the whole valley is filled with the girl’s song. Her music blends with nature and turns the quiet landscape into a living, singing world.2. “O listen! for the Vale profound / Is overflowing with the sound.” – (Stanza 1)
Explanation: The poet compares the girl’s song with the nightingale’s sweet notes. He says even that famous bird never sang so beautifully. Her human voice brings more comfort than nature’s finest music.3. “No Nightingale did ever chaunt / More welcome notes to weary bands.” – (Stanza 2)
4. “Will no one tell me what she sings?” – (Stanza 3)Explanation: The poet wonders about the meaning of her song. Though he does not understand the words, he feels its deep emotion. This shows that true art touches the heart beyond language.
5. “The music in my heart I bore, / Long after it was heard no more.” ✪✪✪ – (Stanza 4)Explanation: The poet carries the memory of the song within his heart even after the sound fades away. This shows how beauty and emotion leave lasting impressions on the human soul.
Explanation: The poet notices that the girl’s song sounds sad and emotional. Though its words are unknown, its tone expresses human sorrow and tenderness that everyone can feel.6. “And sings a melancholy strain;” – (Stanza 1)
7. “No Nightingale did ever chaunt / More welcome notes to weary bands / Of travellers in some shady haunt, / Among Arabian sands.” – (Stanza 2)Explanation: The poet imagines weary travellers in the Arabian desert finding rest and joy in the nightingale’s song. Yet the poet says, the reaper’s song is even more refreshing and comforting.
8. “A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard / In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird.” – (Stanza 2)Explanation: The poet declares that even the joyful call of the cuckoo bird in spring cannot match the thrill of the girl’s song. Her voice carries deeper emotion than nature’s music.
9. “Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain, / That has been, and may be again?” – (Stanza 3)Explanation: The poet imagines that the song might express eternal human emotions, sorrow, loss, and pain that people have always felt and will always feel.
10. “As if her song could have no ending;” ✪✪✪ – (Stanza 4)Explanation: The poet feels that the song flows endlessly, like nature itself. Its music seems eternal, beyond time and words. It symbolizes beauty that never dies.