A speaker urges a reaper to move quickly through the ripe fields. The wheat stands thick and the barley has turned golden, so the moment for cutting and gathering is now. There is a sense of both hurry and reverence: harvest will not wait, but the work is also a kind of partnership with the land. The speaker calls labor hard yet enduring, comparing it to love, and reminds the reaper that the land is his. That gives the poem a feeling of earned belonging. The mood is warm and earthy, full of sunlight and urgency, but also steady. The reaper is described as a “sunbrowned master,” respected and at home in the field. Overall, it feels like a proud, affectionate call to embrace the work and take what the season offers.
Go, Reaper — Summary
Go, reaper, Speed and reap, Go take the harvest Of the plough: The wheat is standing Broad and deep, The barley glumes Are golden now.
Labour is hard, But it endures Like love: The land is yours: Go reap the life It gives you now, O sunbrowned master Of the plough!