Notes For All Chapters English Literature Class 9
The poet recollects an emotional experience. The poet sees a solitary Highland girl reaping and singing by herself in the field. The song of the reaper finds an immediate echo in the heart of the poet. He listens to her song standing there silently. The melodious song leaves a deep impact on the poet. The song continues echoing in his heart long after it is heard no more. The beautiful experience gives him a long-lasting pleasure.
Sees the Reaper in the Field
Once the poet was in the countryside of Scotland. There he saw a Highland girl working in the field all alone. She was reaping and binding the crops. She was singing a song in her dialect. The song had an immediate effect on the poet. He stopped there and heard it with rapt attention.
Sweeter Than the Songs of Night jaie and the Cuckoo
The reaper was singing a melancholy song. The whole valley was overflowing with its sad, deep and melodious voice. The song of the reaper was even sweeter than the song of the nightingale. The song of the nightingale refreshes the tired travellers in the desert of Arabia. Her song was more exciting and thrilling than the song of the cuckoo. The cuckoo sings in the spring time. Her song breaks the silence of the seas and echoes the farthest Hebrides islands.
Makes a Guess About the Theme
The poet couldn’t understand the local Scottish dialect in which the reaper was singing. He only made a guess. Perhaps she was singing about some old and sorrowful events that took place in the distant past. The theme of her song could be the battles that were fought long ago. Perhaps her song related to some ordinary things of day-to-day life. The theme of her song could be about some natural calamities, sorrows, loss or pains that brought disasters to men and might bring so in the future.
Profound Effect of the Song
Whatever was the subject matter of the song, it didn’t matter for die poet. The song had a profound effect on the poet. He heard it with rapt attention. It seemed that it had no ending. The effect of the song was not transitory. The music and melody of the song kept echoing in the heart of the poet long after it was heard no more.
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