Wordsworth.

William wordsworth is the poet of nature. In this poem he tells us how happy he was to listen to the song of a village girl. The poet was passing through a valley in Scotland when he saw the girl. She was reaping the crop all alone. She was also singing a sweet song. Although the poet could not understand what she sang, yet he was so impressed by the sad tune that he stood there for sometime, and enjoyed the music of the song.

STANZA NO. 1: "Behold her, ---------------------------------------------- or gently pass."

In these lines the poet asks the passers to look at the country girl who is working in the fields at the bottom of the hill. She is singing a song and is also reaping the crop. The girl is working all alone. The poet tells the people to either stop or to pass silently, without disturbing the lovely reaper.

STANZA NO. 2: "Alone she cuts ------------------------------------------- with the sound."

In these lines the poet says that the lonely girl is working in the field at the bottom of the hill. She is busy in cutting and binding the grain. She is also singing a sad song. Her song is echoing and the whole valley is filled with her sweet sad voice.

STANZA NO. 3: "No nightingale did ------------------------------------ Arabian sands."

In this stanza wordsworth has compared the song of the country girl to that of a nightingale who sings happily to the tired travelers in the deserts of Arabia, where they stay to take rest under some shady place. The beautiful voice of the nightingale has a consoling effect upon the travelers. They became happy to hear the song, which gives them comfort in the desert. But the sweet sad voice of the country girl is better then the song of the nightingale.

STANZA NO. 4: "A voice so trilling -------------------------------------- farthest Hebrides."

In this stanza the poet has compared the song of the country girl to the song of the cuckoo bird who sings in themonth of spring. The says that the cuckoo bird, singing in the far off Hebrides islands in the spring does not sing more beautiful than this girl.

STANZA NO. 5 — 6 : "Will no one tell ----------------------------------------- and may be again?"

In this stanza the poet says that the girl was singing in Celtic language, therefore he could not understand the meaning of her song. But from the sweet sad song, he guessed that her song might be about some tragic events of the past. The poet thinks perhaps the girl is singing about some battles, which were fought along time ago, in which many people had lost their lives. Again guessing at the theme of her song, the poet thinks that perhaps the girl is singing about some ordinary matters of daily life. The song may be about some natural sorrow loss or pain, which has happened in the past or may be happen in the future.

STANZA NO. 7: "Whate’er the theme --------------------------------------------- the sickle bending."

In these lines the poet says that he could not understand the meaning of her song. The poet says whatever the theme of her song might have been, he stood there and listened the sad song of the girl. The girl continued singing, as if her song would never come to an end. It appeared as if she was not going to stop. The poet saw her singing while she was bending over the sickle and cutting the grain.

STANZA NO. 8: "I listened till ---------------------------------------------------- heard no more"

In these lines the poet says that he stood there for a long time, listening to the sweet song of the girl. At last he was overjoyed and had no more desire to listen the song of the girl. Then he climbed up the hill, but as he went away, he took away the music of the song in his mind.

MANSOOR ALI SHAH.