William Wordsworth - Solitary Reaper

The haunting song of a young girl inspires the mind of a poet.

Samuel Godfrey George reads William Wordsworth:

BEHOLD her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,




And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?—
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;—
I listen'd, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• wordswprth
• william
• solitary
• reaper
• poetry
• english
• british
• romantic
• nature
• song
• woman
• pastoral
• landscape
• reading
• samuel
• godfrey
• george

[punkvijay224]

truly amazing...

[samuelgodfreygeorge]

@punkvijay224

Thank you.

[arcanus121]

An excellent reading Samuel. Thanks very much for this moment of beauty.

[samuelgodfreygeorge]

@arcanus121

Thank you Steven. Your words bring much joy.

[smartmanya1]

i cant get it . 5056 watched it but only 7 likes

[GilesConradWatson]

Lovely images. One of the things that confirmed my passion for poetry as a boy was a pile of 78rpm records (very old when I bought them, I hasten to add!) with poetry readings on them. This was one of the poems, and it had a profound effect on me, so I enjoyed this video very much.