Victor Hugo was a famous 19th century French poet, novelist, and dramatist. This poem was originally written in French by Hugo and later translated to English by Toru Dutt, one of the first Indian women poets to write in English. The poem describes an old man still sowing seeds in a field as evening falls. The speaker, sitting comfortably inside, initially sees the sower as a ragged figure. But as night deepens, the sower's silhouette dominates the field and his gestures seem grand, almost touching the starry sky, gaining the speaker's respect and appreciation for his devoted work ensuring future harvests.

2. TOPIC: “THE SOWER BY
VICTOR MARIE HUGO’’
submitted by,
ARATHY K R
B.Ed, English
Mangalam college of education

3.  A French poet , novelist and dramatist of the Romantic Age.
 Considered one of the greatest and best known French writers.
 He was born on February 26,1802 in Besancon, France.
 His best known works are Les Miserable(1862) and The
Hunchback of Notre-Dame(1831).
 He produced more than 4000 drawings, which have since been
admired for their beauty .
 He was died on May 22,in Paris, France.
ABOUT THE POET

4. TRANSLATOR OF THE POEM
TORU DUTT(1856-1877)
First Indian Poetess in English.
Translated Victor Hugo’s Sainson des
Semailles;Le Soir from French to English.
An accomplished translator, essayist and novelist and a poet of equality.
TORU DUTT

5. Sitting in a porch way cool
Fades the ruddy sunlight fast,
Twilight hastens on the rule-
Working hours are well-nigh past.
Shadows shoot across the lands;
But one sewer lingers still,
Old, in rags, he patient stands
Looking on, I feel a thrill.
Black and high his silhouette
Dominates the furrows deep!
Now to sow the task is set,
Soon shall come a time to reap.
THE SOWER

6. Marches he along the plain,
To and fro , and scatters wide
From his hands the precious grain;
Moody, I, to see him stride.
Darkness deepens. Gone the light.
Now his gestures to mine eyes
Are august; and strange—his height
Seems to touch the starry skies.

7. ABOUT THE POEM
 The is about a sower who marches along the plain scattering the precious
grain.
 The twilight has fallen and working hours are over , but the sower still
lingers carrying his work with extreme devotion.
 The poet who sits comfortably in a cool porch way looks down upon the
sower as an old man in rags.
 But , as time passes he is fascinated to see the silhouette of the sewer
dominating the furrows.

8.  The poet’s thinking undergoes a complete change.
 He develop a sense of respect for the man who quietly sows the
seeds and waits patiently for the time to reap.
 His image grows tall to touch the starry skies and his gestures
seem to impressive.

9. The Sower is appreciated by the viewer. The Sower is sowing the
food: life. The Sower is poor and surely has been bad harvests, but
he is ever-hopeful for a bounteous harvest with each toss of grain.
The man is old, but the energy in “throws, flings, grand gestures of
his hand” suggests an ageless being. His work and hopes lifts up to
Heaven. He is appreciated , with much emotion, by the observer who
is watching “ the last lone hour of work.” it may well be that the old
man will not live long enough to himself see the result of his sowing,
but it is probable that he is not sowing merely for himself.
THEME OF THE POEM

10. Porch way - a small area at the entrance
of a building.
Twilight - the soft glowing light from
the sky.
.
Furrows - A long narrow trench made
in the ground by a plough.
Starry sky - sky full of stars ; night-sky
WORD MEANINGS WITH IMAGES

11. SCAFOLDING QUESTIONS
 What are the various activities involved in farming ?
 Where is the speaker sitting ?
 Why does the speaker feel a thrill on seeing the sower now ?
 What time of the day is it ?