The speaker is a solitary traveler wandering through the Scottish Highlands. He has a deep appreciation for the traditional agrarian way of life and the natural world around him. Possessing a sensitive and reflective nature, he finds himself easily captivated by art and is capable of carrying the emotional weight of a beautiful experience long after the moment passes.

The Solitary Reaper is an ordinary country maiden performing traditional agricultural labor. She works entirely alone in the fields while singing a beautiful, melancholy song whose exact language or subject remains a mystery. She personifies the timeless agrarian lifestyle of the countryside and the elegant dignity of everyday physical labor.