Listen to the Water-Mill: Through the live-long day How…
“Listen to the Water-Mill: Through the live-long day How the clicking of its wheel Wears the hours away! Languidly the Autumn wind Stirs the forest leaves, From the field the reapers sing Binding up their sheaves: And a proverb haunts my mind As a spell is cast, "The mill cannot grind With the water that is past.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The poem reflects on time passing unnoticed, likening life to a mill that cannot grind water that has already flowed away, urging mindfulness of the present.
In simple terms: Time slips by unnoticed like a mill’s wheel.
Key Takeaway
Cherish each moment before it passes.
Themes
time
mindfulness
impermanence
Mood
contemplative
melancholic
Type
poetic
reflective
When to use this quote
- daily routine
- creative work
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
reflection
poetry
nature
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you stay present in daily tasks?
- What moments do you let slip by?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may oversimplify complex life events.