NCERT Textbook - The Solitary Reaper | English Class 9 PDF Download

 Page 1


77
1. Sometimes  we see something beautiful and striking, and we remember  it for
a long time afterwards. Can you recollect this ever happening to you? If so,
what was it? What do you remember about it now? Are the details of what you
saw or the feelings  you experienced at that time fresh in your  mind?  Think
for a few minutes, then share your thoughts with the class.
2. Listen  to  one  of  William  Wordsworth’s poems,  that  describes a memorable
experience  he had, while  out on a walk. (Your teacher  will  play a recording )
Listen to the poem at least twice.
3. Now read the poem.
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
5. 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 chant
10 More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt
Among Arabian Sands.
highland lass: a girl who lives in the highlands (mountain regions) of Scotland
reaping:  cutting and gathering a crop; such as corn or rice
melancholy strain:  sad song
vale profound: the entire valley
Arabian Sands: the deserts of Arabia (the Middle East)
P .3   The Solitary Reaper
                        by  William Wordsworth
POETRY
Unit
Page 2


77
1. Sometimes  we see something beautiful and striking, and we remember  it for
a long time afterwards. Can you recollect this ever happening to you? If so,
what was it? What do you remember about it now? Are the details of what you
saw or the feelings  you experienced at that time fresh in your  mind?  Think
for a few minutes, then share your thoughts with the class.
2. Listen  to  one  of  William  Wordsworth’s poems,  that  describes a memorable
experience  he had, while  out on a walk. (Your teacher  will  play a recording )
Listen to the poem at least twice.
3. Now read the poem.
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
5. 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 chant
10 More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt
Among Arabian Sands.
highland lass: a girl who lives in the highlands (mountain regions) of Scotland
reaping:  cutting and gathering a crop; such as corn or rice
melancholy strain:  sad song
vale profound: the entire valley
Arabian Sands: the deserts of Arabia (the Middle East)
P .3   The Solitary Reaper
                        by  William Wordsworth
POETRY
Unit
78
A voice so thrilling ne’ er was heard
In spring-time from the cuckoo-bird,
15 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,
20 And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Same natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
that has been, and may be again?
25 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;
30 And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
About the Poet
William Wordsworth was born on 7th April 1770, in Cockermouth in the Lake District,
England. When many poets still wrote about ancient heroes in their grandiloquent
style, Wordsworth focused on nature, children, the poor, common people and used
ordinary words to express his feelings. He defined poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” arising from “emotions recollected in tranquility”. He
died at Rydal Mount on April 23, 1850.
4. Imagine that you are the poet, William Wordsworth. You continue on your walk,
and when you reach home you tell a friend what you saw and felt. Which of the
following best describes your  experience? (Work  in pairs,  then have a class
discussion.)
farthest  Hebrides:  the most remote group of islands that lie to the north-west of Scotland
plaintive numbers: sorrowful songs
humble lay: ordinary song
sickle:  a tool for cutting grass and grain crops. It has a short handle and a blade shaped like a hook.
Poetry
Page 3


77
1. Sometimes  we see something beautiful and striking, and we remember  it for
a long time afterwards. Can you recollect this ever happening to you? If so,
what was it? What do you remember about it now? Are the details of what you
saw or the feelings  you experienced at that time fresh in your  mind?  Think
for a few minutes, then share your thoughts with the class.
2. Listen  to  one  of  William  Wordsworth’s poems,  that  describes a memorable
experience  he had, while  out on a walk. (Your teacher  will  play a recording )
Listen to the poem at least twice.
3. Now read the poem.
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
5. 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 chant
10 More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt
Among Arabian Sands.
highland lass: a girl who lives in the highlands (mountain regions) of Scotland
reaping:  cutting and gathering a crop; such as corn or rice
melancholy strain:  sad song
vale profound: the entire valley
Arabian Sands: the deserts of Arabia (the Middle East)
P .3   The Solitary Reaper
                        by  William Wordsworth
POETRY
Unit
78
A voice so thrilling ne’ er was heard
In spring-time from the cuckoo-bird,
15 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,
20 And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Same natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
that has been, and may be again?
25 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;
30 And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
About the Poet
William Wordsworth was born on 7th April 1770, in Cockermouth in the Lake District,
England. When many poets still wrote about ancient heroes in their grandiloquent
style, Wordsworth focused on nature, children, the poor, common people and used
ordinary words to express his feelings. He defined poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” arising from “emotions recollected in tranquility”. He
died at Rydal Mount on April 23, 1850.
4. Imagine that you are the poet, William Wordsworth. You continue on your walk,
and when you reach home you tell a friend what you saw and felt. Which of the
following best describes your  experience? (Work  in pairs,  then have a class
discussion.)
farthest  Hebrides:  the most remote group of islands that lie to the north-west of Scotland
plaintive numbers: sorrowful songs
humble lay: ordinary song
sickle:  a tool for cutting grass and grain crops. It has a short handle and a blade shaped like a hook.
Poetry
79
a) “I was walking past some fields when I saw a young girl, a farm worker,
harvesting grain by hand, with a sickle. She was so beautiful that I stood out
of sight and watched her for a long time. I have never seen anyone more
gorgeous! In fact, she reminded me of other beautiful experiences I’ve had
- the song of the nightingale or the cuckoo, for instance. I’d certainly like to
see her again!”
b) “As I was standing on the hill top just now, I heard a very sad and plaintive
song. I looked down, and saw a young woman reaping grain, singing as she
did so. She seemed quite melancholy as she sang. But somehow her song
brought great comfort and joy to me. In fact, I found it a very emotional
experience. As I continued my walk along the hill top, I also heard a
nightingale and a cuckoo. But the young farm worker’s song affected me
most deeply, even though I couldn’t understand the words.”
c) “Just now, as I was walking in the valley, I saw a young farm worker in the
field. She was singing to herself as she worked. I was so affected by her
singing that I stopped and listened. She had a beautiful voice which seemed
to fill the whole valley. The song was a sad one and I couldn’t understand
the words. But its plaintive tone and melancholy sound touched me greatly
and its beauty reminded me of the song of a nightingale and a cuckoo. After
some time, I walked up the hill, carrying the memory of the young woman’s
hauntingly beautiful song with me.”
5. The poet  could  not understand the words  of the song,  yet he raised  several
possibilities about its theme. In the chart below are some of these possibilities.
Read the third stanza again, and find the phrase that matches each. Complete
the chart by writing a phrase in each of the empty boxes. Work in pairs.
death or illness of
a loved one
a disaster or calamity in
the past
everyday, routine
events
an important historical
event
What is the theme of
the solitary reaper's song?
Poetry
Page 4


77
1. Sometimes  we see something beautiful and striking, and we remember  it for
a long time afterwards. Can you recollect this ever happening to you? If so,
what was it? What do you remember about it now? Are the details of what you
saw or the feelings  you experienced at that time fresh in your  mind?  Think
for a few minutes, then share your thoughts with the class.
2. Listen  to  one  of  William  Wordsworth’s poems,  that  describes a memorable
experience  he had, while  out on a walk. (Your teacher  will  play a recording )
Listen to the poem at least twice.
3. Now read the poem.
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
5. 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 chant
10 More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt
Among Arabian Sands.
highland lass: a girl who lives in the highlands (mountain regions) of Scotland
reaping:  cutting and gathering a crop; such as corn or rice
melancholy strain:  sad song
vale profound: the entire valley
Arabian Sands: the deserts of Arabia (the Middle East)
P .3   The Solitary Reaper
                        by  William Wordsworth
POETRY
Unit
78
A voice so thrilling ne’ er was heard
In spring-time from the cuckoo-bird,
15 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,
20 And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Same natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
that has been, and may be again?
25 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;
30 And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
About the Poet
William Wordsworth was born on 7th April 1770, in Cockermouth in the Lake District,
England. When many poets still wrote about ancient heroes in their grandiloquent
style, Wordsworth focused on nature, children, the poor, common people and used
ordinary words to express his feelings. He defined poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” arising from “emotions recollected in tranquility”. He
died at Rydal Mount on April 23, 1850.
4. Imagine that you are the poet, William Wordsworth. You continue on your walk,
and when you reach home you tell a friend what you saw and felt. Which of the
following best describes your  experience? (Work  in pairs,  then have a class
discussion.)
farthest  Hebrides:  the most remote group of islands that lie to the north-west of Scotland
plaintive numbers: sorrowful songs
humble lay: ordinary song
sickle:  a tool for cutting grass and grain crops. It has a short handle and a blade shaped like a hook.
Poetry
79
a) “I was walking past some fields when I saw a young girl, a farm worker,
harvesting grain by hand, with a sickle. She was so beautiful that I stood out
of sight and watched her for a long time. I have never seen anyone more
gorgeous! In fact, she reminded me of other beautiful experiences I’ve had
- the song of the nightingale or the cuckoo, for instance. I’d certainly like to
see her again!”
b) “As I was standing on the hill top just now, I heard a very sad and plaintive
song. I looked down, and saw a young woman reaping grain, singing as she
did so. She seemed quite melancholy as she sang. But somehow her song
brought great comfort and joy to me. In fact, I found it a very emotional
experience. As I continued my walk along the hill top, I also heard a
nightingale and a cuckoo. But the young farm worker’s song affected me
most deeply, even though I couldn’t understand the words.”
c) “Just now, as I was walking in the valley, I saw a young farm worker in the
field. She was singing to herself as she worked. I was so affected by her
singing that I stopped and listened. She had a beautiful voice which seemed
to fill the whole valley. The song was a sad one and I couldn’t understand
the words. But its plaintive tone and melancholy sound touched me greatly
and its beauty reminded me of the song of a nightingale and a cuckoo. After
some time, I walked up the hill, carrying the memory of the young woman’s
hauntingly beautiful song with me.”
5. The poet  could  not understand the words  of the song,  yet he raised  several
possibilities about its theme. In the chart below are some of these possibilities.
Read the third stanza again, and find the phrase that matches each. Complete
the chart by writing a phrase in each of the empty boxes. Work in pairs.
death or illness of
a loved one
a disaster or calamity in
the past
everyday, routine
events
an important historical
event
What is the theme of
the solitary reaper's song?
Poetry
80
6.A. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions
by ticking the correct choice.
(a) The central idea of the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is _______ .
(i) well sung songs give us happiness
(ii) melodious sounds appeal to all
(iii) beautiful experiences give us life-long pleasure
(iv) reapers can sing like birds
(b) In the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ to whom does the poet say, ‘ Stop here or gently
pass’?
(i) to the people cutting corn
(ii) to himself
(iii) to the people who make noise
(iv) to all the passers by
(c) ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is a narrative poem set to music. This form of verse is called a
_______ .
(i) ballad
(ii) soliloquy
(iii) monologue
(iv) sonnet
(d) The poet’s lament in the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is that _______.
(i) he cannot understand the song
(ii) he did not know the lass
(iii) she stopped singing at once
(iv) he had to move away
(e) Why does the poet feel that the reaper was most likely singing sorrowful songs?
(i) The poet himself was sad
(ii) The tune was melancholic
(iii) The surrounding was dismal
(iv) The reaper was weeping
Poetry
Page 5


77
1. Sometimes  we see something beautiful and striking, and we remember  it for
a long time afterwards. Can you recollect this ever happening to you? If so,
what was it? What do you remember about it now? Are the details of what you
saw or the feelings  you experienced at that time fresh in your  mind?  Think
for a few minutes, then share your thoughts with the class.
2. Listen  to  one  of  William  Wordsworth’s poems,  that  describes a memorable
experience  he had, while  out on a walk. (Your teacher  will  play a recording )
Listen to the poem at least twice.
3. Now read the poem.
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
5. 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 chant
10 More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt
Among Arabian Sands.
highland lass: a girl who lives in the highlands (mountain regions) of Scotland
reaping:  cutting and gathering a crop; such as corn or rice
melancholy strain:  sad song
vale profound: the entire valley
Arabian Sands: the deserts of Arabia (the Middle East)
P .3   The Solitary Reaper
                        by  William Wordsworth
POETRY
Unit
78
A voice so thrilling ne’ er was heard
In spring-time from the cuckoo-bird,
15 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,
20 And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Same natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
that has been, and may be again?
25 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;
30 And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
About the Poet
William Wordsworth was born on 7th April 1770, in Cockermouth in the Lake District,
England. When many poets still wrote about ancient heroes in their grandiloquent
style, Wordsworth focused on nature, children, the poor, common people and used
ordinary words to express his feelings. He defined poetry as “the spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” arising from “emotions recollected in tranquility”. He
died at Rydal Mount on April 23, 1850.
4. Imagine that you are the poet, William Wordsworth. You continue on your walk,
and when you reach home you tell a friend what you saw and felt. Which of the
following best describes your  experience? (Work  in pairs,  then have a class
discussion.)
farthest  Hebrides:  the most remote group of islands that lie to the north-west of Scotland
plaintive numbers: sorrowful songs
humble lay: ordinary song
sickle:  a tool for cutting grass and grain crops. It has a short handle and a blade shaped like a hook.
Poetry
79
a) “I was walking past some fields when I saw a young girl, a farm worker,
harvesting grain by hand, with a sickle. She was so beautiful that I stood out
of sight and watched her for a long time. I have never seen anyone more
gorgeous! In fact, she reminded me of other beautiful experiences I’ve had
- the song of the nightingale or the cuckoo, for instance. I’d certainly like to
see her again!”
b) “As I was standing on the hill top just now, I heard a very sad and plaintive
song. I looked down, and saw a young woman reaping grain, singing as she
did so. She seemed quite melancholy as she sang. But somehow her song
brought great comfort and joy to me. In fact, I found it a very emotional
experience. As I continued my walk along the hill top, I also heard a
nightingale and a cuckoo. But the young farm worker’s song affected me
most deeply, even though I couldn’t understand the words.”
c) “Just now, as I was walking in the valley, I saw a young farm worker in the
field. She was singing to herself as she worked. I was so affected by her
singing that I stopped and listened. She had a beautiful voice which seemed
to fill the whole valley. The song was a sad one and I couldn’t understand
the words. But its plaintive tone and melancholy sound touched me greatly
and its beauty reminded me of the song of a nightingale and a cuckoo. After
some time, I walked up the hill, carrying the memory of the young woman’s
hauntingly beautiful song with me.”
5. The poet  could  not understand the words  of the song,  yet he raised  several
possibilities about its theme. In the chart below are some of these possibilities.
Read the third stanza again, and find the phrase that matches each. Complete
the chart by writing a phrase in each of the empty boxes. Work in pairs.
death or illness of
a loved one
a disaster or calamity in
the past
everyday, routine
events
an important historical
event
What is the theme of
the solitary reaper's song?
Poetry
80
6.A. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions
by ticking the correct choice.
(a) The central idea of the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is _______ .
(i) well sung songs give us happiness
(ii) melodious sounds appeal to all
(iii) beautiful experiences give us life-long pleasure
(iv) reapers can sing like birds
(b) In the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ to whom does the poet say, ‘ Stop here or gently
pass’?
(i) to the people cutting corn
(ii) to himself
(iii) to the people who make noise
(iv) to all the passers by
(c) ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is a narrative poem set to music. This form of verse is called a
_______ .
(i) ballad
(ii) soliloquy
(iii) monologue
(iv) sonnet
(d) The poet’s lament in the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is that _______.
(i) he cannot understand the song
(ii) he did not know the lass
(iii) she stopped singing at once
(iv) he had to move away
(e) Why does the poet feel that the reaper was most likely singing sorrowful songs?
(i) The poet himself was sad
(ii) The tune was melancholic
(iii) The surrounding was dismal
(iv) The reaper was weeping
Poetry
81
6.B. Read the given stanzas and answer the questions given below by selecting the
correct option.
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.
1. The exclamation mark used in O listen! suggests
A. a call for attention.
B. a request to listen.
C. a sense of wonder.
D. a warning to alert.
2. Select the option that illustrates the task done by “she”.
(1) (2) (3) (3)
A. Option (1)
B. Option (2)
C. Option (3)
D. Option (4)
3. Select the option that displays lines with the same rhyme scheme as that of the
given stanza.
A. Clear sky, no clouds high up
The farmer looks and sighs
No monsoons yet, God why?
It will rain, it must.
B. The farmer looks at the sky
Thankful for the monsoon days
I am sure it’s going to rain, he says
Thankful for the clouds up so high
Poetry