The Solitary Reaper - William Wordsworth

The Solitary Reaper - Poem

(William Wordsworth)

Poem- Text:

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.

***

SUMMARY:

‘The Solitary Reaper’ is a fine lyric written by Wordsworth. In this poem, he describes a highland girl working alone in the field.

The girl is reaping and singing by herself.  The whole valley is filled with her melancholic voice.  The poet compares the girl’s song with that of a nightingale and a cuckoo bird. He says that the girl’s song is more melancholic than that of the nightingale singing in Arabian deserts. He further says that the girl’s voice is sweeter than that of the cuckoo birds singing in the highlands of Hebrides.

The poet does not understand the language and theme of the song. But, it appears to him that she might be singing about some old unhappy incident or present-day sorrow.  Whatever the theme of her song, the girl is singing as if there is no end. The poet carries the song in his heart long after he left the place. Such is the impression of the girl’s song on the poet.

***

NOOJILLA SRINIVAS

Lecturer in English,

Govt. Degree College - Alamuru

M: 7981862200

email: noojillasrinivas@gmail.com 

The Sun Rising - John Donne

THE SUN RISING – By JOHN DONNE

Poem- Text:

Busy old fool, unruly sun,

Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices,
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Thy beams, so reverend and strong
Why shouldst thou think?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long;
If her eyes have not blinded thine,
Look, and tomorrow late, tell me,
Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou leftst them, or lie here with me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear, All here in one bed lay.

She's all states, and all princes, I,
Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honor's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,
In that the world's contracted thus.
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy center is, these walls, thy sphere.

*** 

Summary:

‘The Sun Rising’ is a poem written by John Donne. This is an emotional lyric in the form of a dramatic monologue.

In the first stanza, the poet rebukes the Sun for disturbing the lovers. He says that the lovers’ seasons are not controlled by the Sun. The Sun should take care of late school boys, ill-tempered trainees, farm labourers and courtiers. Like others, lovers do not have any seasonal or climatic limitations.

In the second stanza, the poet asks the Sun not to think that his rays are very strong. If the poet wishes, he can stop the rays by closing his eyes. But, he would not do so, as he would miss the sight of his mistress. The poet says that both Indias of spices and mine are present in his room. He says that all the kings of the world lay in his bed.

In the third stanza, the poet says that all the states are in his mistress and all the princes are in himself.  Except the lovers, everything else is unreal for the poet.  Their love is the only true honour and wealth.  In their contracted world, the Sun is only half as happy as they are. The poet says that the sun can perform his duty by giving light and warmth to the lovers.  The poet says that his bed is the centre of the universe and his room is the sphere of the Sun. 

*** 

NOOJILLA SRINIVAS

Lecturer in English,

Govt. Degree College - Alamuru

M: 7981862200

email: noojillasrinivas@gmail.com 

Not Just Oranges - Isai Tobolsky

Summary:

“Not Just Oranges” is a story written by Isai Tobolsky. The story presents different emotions of human beings such as love, innocence, arrogance, and repentance.

In the story, a woman lives alone with her little daughter. She loves her daughter very much. She works as a charwoman in a hospital and her income is very small. But she feeds and nourishes her daughter very well.

Once, the little girl asks her mother to buy a blue ball. When her mother gets her a ball, she plays with it very happily. But one day the ball bounces into the window of their neighbours, the Malachovs. It breaks an expensive vase on the window sill. The old lady Mrs. Malachov becomes very angry.  The little girl and her mother go to Malachovs’ house and promise to pay for the broken vase. But the Malachovs ridicule them about their poverty. Hurt by this, the girl and the mother return their home leaving their ball at Malachovs’ house. The girl cries for a long time and sleeps. 

After some time, the old lady Malachova comes to their house and returns the ball. She also informs that they need not pay for the vase. Then the charwoman presents her two oranges. Moved by their innocence, the old lady leaves the oranges for the girl. She gave them not just oranges but her love and repentance. 

****

Noojilla Srinivs

Lecturer in English

Govt. Degree College, Alamuru

Res: Rajahmundry

M: 7981862200

noojillasrinivas@gmail.com