For such a thin NW (for which the wavelength is much bigger than the NW diameter) the electromagnetic wave can not be carried though the core of the NW. The solution of the electromagnetic coupling between the NW and the light might be very complex. For the propagation, and simplifying the process, the NW behave as a sort of wave guide for some wavelengths. When you have more than one NW this is even more complex, and two parallel NWs might behave as a wave guide under some conditions (NW diameter, NW pitch, dielectric functions, wavelength). There are a few papers you can search asking for antenna effect + NW ( Google Scholar, mendeley...) explaining this in detail.
I don't quite understand the set-up you seem to have in mind. As stated above, a single nanowire will behave differently from an array of nanowires, and whether such an array consists of a regular or random arrangement of particles also makes a difference. In metallic nano-particles the interaction with light is mostly via their surface plasmons, in semiconductor nano-particles this could be via higher energetic phonons or polaritons.