"The Solitary Reaper" is a lyrical ballad by Romantic poet William Wordsworth, depicting a rural scene in the Scottish Highlands. The speaker of the poem encounters a solitary young woman (referred to as the "Highland Lass") working alone in the fields, reaping grain and singing a melancholy song. The speaker is both entranced and moved by her soulful melody, comparing it to the enchanting songs of a nightingale and a cuckoo bird.
The sound of her voice spills over the deep valley (the "vale profound"), filling silence with music so captivating it surpasses even the songs of renowned songbirds heard by weary travellers or amidst the remotest Hebrides islands. The speaker feels her song is more thrilling than any other sound he's encountered in nature.
The speaker does not understand the words of her song since it is likely in Gaelic, yet he imagines the possible themes of the song. He speculates it might be about old, unhappy, far-off things and battles long ago, or maybe it's simply about everyday occurrences or natural sorrows or pains – things that have happened and may occur again.
Regardless of the song's content, the maiden sings with such a passionate intensity that it seems like she could sing without stopping. The speaker pauses to listen and watch for a while, completely still and absorbed in the moment.
The final lines of the poem reveal the speaker getting back to his journey up the hill, carrying the music in his heart, bearing its lingering sweet remembrance even when it was no longer audible. Thus, 'The Solitary Reaper' reflects Wordsworth’s belief in the depth of the rustic life, the beauty of simplicity, and the emotional significance of music and nature.