Incantation Quote by M.L. Stedman
““The old clock on the kitchen wall still clicked its minutes with fussy punctuality. A life had come and gone and nature had not paused a second for it. The machine of time and space grinds on, and people are fed through it like grist through the mill. Isabel had managed to sit up a little against the wall, and she sobbed at the sight of the diminutive form, which she had dared to imagine as bigger, as stronger – as a child of this world. ‘My baby my baby my baby my baby,’ she whispered like a magic incantation that might resuscitate him. The face of the creature was solemn, a monk in deep prayer, eyes closed, mouth sealed shut: already back in that world from which he had apparently been reluctant to stray. Still the officious hands of the clock tutted their way around. Half an hour had passed and Isabel had said nothing.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Clockmaker's Daughter, 2020
The relentless passage of time mirrors human grief, as Isabel clings to hope while confronting inevitable loss.
In simple terms: Time moves on, grief persists, yet hope lingers.
Key Takeaway
Find solace in small rituals amid loss.
Themes
grief
time
hope
loss
memory
Mood
somber
reflective
poignant
Type
literary
emotional
When to use this quote
- hospital stays
- bereavement counseling
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
existentialism
human resilience
rituals
Questions to Reflect On
- How do rituals help process grief?
- What does the clock symbolize in your life?
A Different Perspective
May idealize hope over acceptance.
![“[Poetry] was a form of incantation, a means of welding the world inside his head to the one that surrounded him, words the fiery chain that bound it all together.” quote by Elizabeth Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/266/elizabeth-hand-29627_art_poetry-was-a-form-of-incantation-a-means_826614.jpg)
