Poem Summary & Line by Line Explanation

 

The poem “The Sower” by Victor Marie Hugo is about the struggle of a farmer and his firm determination in doing whatever he can even when all others go away. The poem has been divided into five stanzas having four lines each. The rhyme scheme of the poem is abab.

Stanza 1

Sitting in a porchway cool,

Sunlight, I see, dying fast,

Twilight hastens on to rule--

Working hours are well-nigh past

 

The poet says that one day he sits on a porchway (entrance) to enjoy the sunset. He watches the sunlight fading away fast. As the evening approaches, the twilight (evening) begins to rule i.e. dominate the light. In other words, the darkness starts spreading all over.At such a time, when there is no light, people stop their work (here it means working in the farms). They are not seen anywhere as they go back to their homes.

Stanza 2

Shadows shoot across the lands;

But one sower lingers still,

Old, in rags, he patient stands,--

Looking on, I feel a thrill.

 

There is nothing in the land but the shadows which shoot (spread) all over the places. However, among those shadows, the poet sees one sower (the one who sows seeds i.e. farmer). He lingers (stays) there. He is old, in rags (torn clothes) and stands there patiently. Watching him the poet feels thrilled.

 

Stanza 3

Black and high his silhouette

Dominates the furrows deep!

Now to sow the task is set,

Soon shall come a time to reap.

 

In the third stanza, the poet says that the sower’s silhouette (the shadow of the sower) is dark and keeps growing as the night approaches. It spreads over deep furrows (i.e. narrow trench made by a plough for sowing seeds) which are now invisible due to darkness.

According to the poet, the sower may be thinking it is the time to sow the seeds and he is doing it. Soon the crops will grow and sower will be able to reap the fruit of his hard labour and dedicated work. This stanza contains a lesson for young people. One should work hard while others give up. This way, they will be able to get fruits of their dedication.

Stanza 4

Marches he along the plain,

To and fro, and scatters wide

From his hands the precious grain;

Moody, I, to see him stride.

 

The sower marches (walks) to and fro (from one end to the other and back to the first one) along the plain (farm) and scatters the precious grain from his hands in the field. The grains are precious as they will grow into crops and will make the sower prosperous. The poet becomes moody i.e. sad by seeing him struggling so much.

Stanza 5

Darkness deepens. Gone the light.

Now his gestures to mine eyes

Are august; and strange--his height

Seems to touch the starry skies.

 

Soon, the darkness deepens i.e. night appears. The daylight is no more. The poet cannot see the gestures (activities) properly. This is when the poet realises that the sower’s actions are noble because he does not sow merely for himself. For the gesture of his actions the sower appears to be towering figure whose nobility elevates his position in the poet’s eyes such that his height seems to be touching the starry skyies. They seem to be strange which he cannot understand now. In the final line, the poet says that the height of the sower seems to touch the starry skies i.e. it becomes so dark that he becomes invisible.

 

Q. Write an appreciation of the poem with the help of the following points:

1. About the poem, poet and the title

2. Theme/summary/gist of the poem

3. Poetic style, language, poetic devices

4. Inspirational message/ moral value

5. Your opinion and critical evaluation of the poem

Answer:

About the Poem, Poet, and Title

• The Sower, poem is written by the great French poet Victor Hugo. The poem is translated from French to English by Bengali poet Torulata Dutta. The poem is about the sower, who is a hardworking farmer. In the poem, the poet gives reverence to the sower who is working still the time of evening while others are moving to their home. The title of the poem (The Sower) is apt and suitable to the theme of the poem because the poet talks about the sower and his determination to hard work. 

Theme/summary/gist of the poem

• The theme of the poem is about the sower who is working in his field still the time of evening. In the poem, the poet is watching the working figure of the sower. The people are moving towards their home because working time is almost over but the sower is still working in his field. The poet sees the appearance of the sower, who looks old and poor.

• The poet tells that it is the time of sowing and that’s why the sower has set a target to complete the sowing target. The sower knows that in time if he sows the grain, soon the harvest will come. In such a thought the sower is sowing the grain on his farm even if it is time to go home but still he is working on his farm. By watching such activities of the sower the poet feels how noble and dignified the sower is!

 Poetic style/language, poetic devices

The poem is written in simple and lucid language. The poem is a short poem that consists of five stanzas. The poem has fine rhyming pairs, which are as follows- cool-rule, fast-past, lands-stands, still-thrill etc. the rhyming scheme of the poem is abab,cdcd,efef etc. The poet uses fine figures of speech to increase the beauty of the poem; these figures of speech are Alliteration, Personification, Inversion, Antithesis, Repetition and Hyperbole. Examples of some of the poetic devices are
Personification

1. “Twilight hastens on to rule”- ‘Twilight’ is personified.

2. “Shadows run across the lands” – ‘Shadows’ are personified.

3. “Sunlight I see, dying fast” – ‘Sunlight’ is personified.

Inversion

(i) “Old, in rags, he patient stands.”
The order of the words are changed for poetic effect.
(ii) “Now to sow the task is set”
The order of the words are changed for poetic effect.
(iii) “Soon shall come a time to reap”
The order of the words are changed for poetic effect.
(iv) “Marches he along the plain”
The order of the words are changed for poetic effect.
(v) “Scatters wide/From his hands the precious grains.”
The order of the words are changed for poetic effect.
(vi) “Now his gestures to mine eyes/Are august,…”
The order of the words are changed for poetic effect.

 

Message /value/morals in the poem

• The poem, The Sower gives the message of perseverance, hard work and dedication towards our goal and target. Through the experience, we will definitely achieve the things in our life. The poet set out the example of the sower to the readers that we should always be optimistic in life and not to lose our hopes.

Your opinion about the poem

• I am impressed by the poet’s keen observation of the working figure of the Sower. The poem The Sower is the best example of hopefulness and dedication in our work.

 

Global Understanding

Q. Complete the following sentences based on the extract-

i. The shadows are_____.

ii. The poet feels a thrill when he sees_________.

iii. The sower’s silhouette is said to be______.

iv. The deep furrows are dominated by______.

 

Ans. i. running across the lands.

ii. a lingering sower who is old and dressed in rags, standing patiently.

iii. black and high.

iv. the sower’s silhouette.

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Complex Factual

Q. The poet feels a thrill when he looks at the sower. Give reasons.

Ans. As the working hours have well past and the sower is old and dressed in rags. His silhouette is black and appears to be so long that it dominatesthe deep furrows. All these descriptions gives the sower a mystical quality which makes poet feel the thrill.

 

Vocabulary/Poetic Devices

Give four pairs of rhyming words from the extract.

i. cool – rule ii. fast-apst

iii. lands-stands iv. Still-thrill

 

Interpretation/Analysis

Q. The word ‘Marches’ suggests_____.

Ans. It suggest that the farmer is just not walking in the field but is rather marching with a strong determination and an optimistic attitude. He does this to ensure that the grains are properly sowed and result in a better yield.

 

Personal Opinion

Q. Express in your own words the reverence the poet has for the sower.

Ans. Poet after watching carefully, the serenity and devotion of the man could be noticed. His age and experience must have shown him many bad harvests, but he refused to give up. Moreover, he might not live long enough to see the fruit of his hard work but this did not bring down the level of his dedication. His confident steps made the poet feel even his dark shadows more dominating than the deep trenches around the field. Thus, he developed an intense respect for the sower.

 

Q. what is the meaning of august personality ?

Ans. One who has reached the highest positon in his workplace through hard work, perseverance and dedication.