It’s difficult to imagine Wordsworth’s poetry without connotations to nature and the natural life. The poem is a picture of rustic life and its poignant beauty. The speaker recounts his experience of chancing upon a humming maiden who was reaping crops alone. It strikes one as uncommon. It begs the question, why was the reaper alone? Was it deliberate on the part of the poet? If so, what could his motives be? Perhaps the reaper represents the human soul when it’s left to become one with nature. The solitude in this poem is unique because we don’t know what the song actually means. We, as readers, are not told if the song she’s singing is of hope or despair. However, the plaintive tone may hint at a more somber subject. Perhaps this too was deliberate. In this sense, we can trace a pattern between the solitude of the soul when left alone with only nature or the natural world as companions. This is what lends the poem its beauty and stirs the poet’s heart.
The poem is attuned to the realm of sounds, be it the ‘melancholy strain’ of the young reaper or the sounds of various birds. In this sense, it is intensely rooted in the sensual world. The ears become a strong channel to the heart and mind, and together they create impressions that become unforgettable for the poet.
Fall appears as a theme as well as of critical importance. Fall or autumn signifies the end of summer and beginning of winter. It’s a season of harvesting, but it’s also a season of endings. Just as it brings joy in the form of harvest yet it also marks the beginning of the end of the year. Metaphorically, it’s the last stage before death. Death as a reaper with a sickle is a popular trope in literature and mythology. In this case, the poem is representative of the inevitability of death.