The Solitary Reaper [Poem] Summary and Analysis

The Solitary Reaper [Poem] Summary and Analysis

Summary & Analysis of The Solitary Reaper The Solitary Reaper was written on 5th November 1805 and published in 1807 in the collection Poems. As his works were based on experiences, “Solitary Reaper” too was based on his experiences of observing someone else. He was a great poet and Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death from Pleurisy on 23 April 1850. > Introduction 'The Solitary Reaper ' is a poem about music: the song a Scottish girl sings as she cuts hay with a sickle. Though the poem’s narrator cannot understand what the girl is actually singing about, the girl’s song sticks with him, its melancholy beauty echoing in his head “long after” its sound has faded. In this way, the poem suggests the ability of art to transcend cultural boundaries and even language itself. Art, in the poem, can communicate feelings or emotions even in the absence of concrete understanding. And yet, at the same time, the poem also communicates a bit of uncertainty about whether poetry itself…