in true Romantic fashion, is immediately struck by the primal unity of everyone and everything that exists on this earth; an almost musical unity that transcends artificial distinctions of language, enabling us to communicate with one another.

In William Wordsworth's "The Solitary Reaper," a nameless narrator encounters a young woman singing in a field. The song is enchanting, and the narrator spends much of the poem imagining exotic locales and trying to comprehend the meaning, or theme, of the song. Though the narrator is not ultimately able to pinpoint a unified theme for the song, he does realize that the young woman's "song could have no ending" (26), and thus Wordsworth ultimately concludes that the song is an evocation of an eternal truth. Though the poet cannot define said truth, the fact that it is has "no ending" is important, as it lends a transcendent endlessness to the finite existence of the solitary reaper. Therefore, though Wordsworth does not pinpoint an ultimate meaning for the reaper's song, he does conclude that the beauty of the song accords the young woman access to a sense of the infinite, thus allowing her to transcend the limitations of her existence and attain a higher level of dignity. 

We know that the solitude of the figure described in this poem is of particular importance to the poet because the title itself describes her as a "solitary reaper." The title of a poem can be useful in giving us some guidance as to the poet's purpose in writing and as to their particular concerns.

In the first stanza of this poem, there are many other words which emphasize the fact that the reaper is by herself in the field as she pursues her daily business. In the opening line, she is described as "single," while the second line doubly confirms this with the word "solitary." For further emphasis, Wordsworth reinforces the image of the lonely girl working on her own with the phrases "by herself" and "alone." As she works, she is also singing, but we can assume from the nature of her song that she is not especially enjoying her solitude—her singing has a "melancholy strain," an evocative phrase which contributes to the mood of the poem. A single, solitary figure, performing repetitive work while filling the valley with the sound of her melancholy song, is a haunting image.

William Wordsworth's poem "The Solitary Reaper" describes a girl, alone, off in the distance ("Yon solitary Highland Lass") who is working in a field and singing.

The phrases from the poem that most directly describe the song are "a melancholy strain," "welcome notes," "plaintive numbers," and "humble lay."

Here is a complete list of the phrases that describe her song:

1. "a melancholy strain"

"Melancholy" means "sad and mournful," and a "strain" is a piece of music. So this phrase describes the song as a sad little tune.

2. "the Vale profound / Is overflowing with the sound."

These lines mean that the deep surrounding land is filled (even over-filled) with the sound of the reaper's song.

3. "No Nightingale did ever chaunt / More welcome notes to weary bands / Of travellers in some shady haunt, / Among Arabian sands:"

Above, the speaker describes the song as made up of "welcome notes," or musical notes that are a joy to hear.

4. "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard / In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,"

This means that the song is being sung with a voice that thrills, or excites and enchants, the listener, even more so than the song of a cuckoo-bird would.

5. "Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow / For old, unhappy, far-off things, /And battles long ago:"

Above, the sections of the song are described as "plaintive numbers," meaning they are sad, mournful songs, specifically songs about sad things from the past.

6. "Or is it some more humble lay, / Familiar matter of to-day?"

One meaning of "lay" is a song that tells a narrative story, so in the line above, the speaker describes the song as perhaps an everyday little song about normal life--nothing overly proud or showy.

7. "Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang / As if her song could have no ending;"

Above, the speaker means that the song seems never-ending. Even though it does end, it continues to echo in the speaker's mind:

8. "The music in my heart I bore, / Long after it was heard no more."

The primary experience that the speaker undergoes as a result of hearing the song in the poem is to activate his/ her own moral imagination.  Not understanding the words or lyrics to the song, the speaker begins to wonder what could be the basis for singing and, in the process, helps to develop the speaker's own sensation of what might be from what is.  Some of the thoughts which enter the speaker's moral imagination is that the song could be one of "old, unhappy, far off things" or "battles" that have been waged.  The fact remains that the speaker does not fully know what is being sung or what the words mean, but it can mean so much to the speaker and in the final analysis, this activation of imagination becomes its overall effect.

The solitary reaper's song is a powerful one.  Interestingly enough, it might not mean that much to her.  The song is something that she is singing to complete her work in the field.  Presumably, this is something that she sings to pass the drudgery of her day.  There is little to indicate that she is singing a song of transcendent quality to her own state of being in the world.  Rather, she is simply singing a song to allow her work to pass without as much in way of boredom.  Yet, this is not how the song is received by the speaker of the poem, presumably Wordsworth.  He is transfixed by the song.  Unaware of the language in which it is sung, his mind goes to different suppositions and conjectures on what the song might mean.  It is here where the readert fully grasps the song's impact on the speaker, as it allows him to understand the concepts of beauty, grace, and personal meaning it holds for him.  The song allows the speaker to transcend his current reality, allowing him to move into what can be or even what should be, as opposed to what is.  For a moment, the song moves him to a realm where so much is altered that he fully embraces this particular moment.  A song that might not have held in way of meaning for the one who sang it is read and felt much differently by another who hears it.

The reaper's song "overflow[s]" the valley in which she works and compels the speaker of the poet to stop and listen. Although he cannot understand the words of the song she is singing, it seems to address some type of "sorrow, loss, or pain" and has a melancholy mood about it. The speaker feels it might describe "old, unhappy, far-off things," and he stands "motionless and still," completely absorbed by the beautiful sound. She sings as though her song will never end, and when he must finally move on, he says that he "bore" the music "in his heart" for a long time "after it was heard no more." In other words, the reaper's song has such a significant and long-lasting effect on him that he continues to be emotionally affected by it long after he can no longer hear the maiden singing.

The song in the poem is what provides the internal reflection for the subjective experience that is so vital to the poem.  The speaker, presumably Wordsworth, experiences what he does because of the song.  He sees the woman working in the field.  By itself, this might be an experience in its own right, but it is the song she sings that becomes the trigger for the speaker's moral and artistic imagination.  The words in the song are not entirely clear to the speaker and this lexical ambiguity is critically important.  It is through this that Wordsworth is able to project what he thinks the song means.  The song is the vehicle that takes Wordsworth's imagination to different parts of the world and it allows him to envision the sadness or the "melancholy strain" that he perceives to be present.   It is the song that allows for the subjective experience.  Only through the song is Wordsworth is able to grasp the moment of the woman singing. The notions of "seeing into the life of things" and that poetry is rooted in the common experiences comes from the song being sung in the poem.