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Who is the solitary reaper? How does Wordsworth describe her?

At the most basic level, William Wordsworth's solitary reaper is a nameless young woman singing to herself as she works in a field. The narrator of the poem refers to her as "Yon solitary Highland Lass!" (2), and she appears to be a normal, relatively uninteresting commoner. However, the narrator describes the reaper's song with such vivid detail that, although she might be a common laborer, she is ultimately elevated to a level of significant importance by the end of the poem. 


Wordsworth focuses most of his description on the sound of the reaper's song, and he describes it in great detail. First, he compares it to a "Nightingale" (9), which then causes him to imagine "weary bands / Of travellers in some shady haunt, / Among Arabian sands" (10-12). Then, however, Wordsworth imagines that the song refers to "old, unhappy, far-off things, / And battles long ago" (20), suggesting that her song is less of an exotic tale and more of a sorrowful narrative. In any case, Wordsworth describes the reaper's song in rich, complex, and even conflicting detail. The fact that he does so is central to the poem, as the rich description of the reaper's song shows that a vital complexity can be found in even the most "common" sources. Thus, though she is simply a normal, anonymous person working in a field, the solitary reaper becomes an individual of great importance. It is fitting, therefore, that Wordsworth concludes that "her song could have no ending" (26).

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