--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At some point in the night she had a…" description: "\"“At some point in the night she had a dream. Or it was possible that she was partially awake, and was only remembering a dream? She was alone among the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/paul-bowles-3731_dream_at-some-point-in-the-night-she-had-a-dre_2152562.jpg" --- # At some point in the night she had a dream. Or it was… ![“At some point in the night she had a dream. Or it was possible that she was partially awake, and was only remembering a dream? She was alone among the rocks on a dark coast beside the sea. The water surged upward and fell back languidly, and in the distance she heard surf breaking slowly on a…” quote by Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/paul-bowles-3731_dream_at-some-point-in-the-night-she-had-a-dre_2152562.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/paul-bowles-3731_dream_at-some-point-in-the-night-she-had-a-dre_2152562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/paul-bowles-3731_dream_at-some-point-in-the-night-she-had-a-dre_2152562.jpg) > ““At some point in the night she had a dream. Or it was possible that she was partially awake, and was only remembering a dream? She was alone among the rocks on a dark coast beside the sea. The water surged upward and fell back languidly, and in the distance she heard surf breaking slowly on a sandy shore. It was comforting to be this close to the surface of the ocean and gaze at the intimate nocturnal details of its swelling and ebbing. And as she listened to the faraway breakers rolling up onto the beach, she became aware of another sound entwined with the intermittent crash of waves: a vast horizontal whisper across the bossom of the sea, carrying an ever-repeated phrase, regular as a lighthouse flashing: Dawn will be breaking soon. She listened a long time: again and again the scarcely audible words were whispered across the moving water. A great weight was being lifted slowly from her; little by little her happiness became more complete, and she awoke. Then she lay for a few minutes marveling the dream, and once again fell asleep.”” [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A dreamlike scene where the ocean’s rhythm and a whispered promise of dawn bring gradual relief and hope. **In simple terms:** Dream and sea promise a new day, easing her burden. Key Takeaway Embrace patience and trust in renewal. Themes hope healing nature dreams Mood calm reflective hopeful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - nighttime reflection - stress relief - meditation - creative writing - therapy Key Concepts transcendence reassurance psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does the ocean symbolize for you? - How can you find calm in repetitive sounds? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex emotional recovery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awake Remembering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awake-remembering-4531724/) [Awoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awoke/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Heard Surf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard-surf-4531723/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Little by little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-by-little/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Moving water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-water/) [Remembering Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering-dream-2597894/) [Shore Comforting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shore-comforting-4531722/) ## Related quotes > [“I woke, remembering a dream from the night before. Pictures of frightened children lingered in my mind as I approached them with a hunger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-ashby/i-woke-remembering-a-dream-from-the-night-before-pictures-of/) [Millicent Ashby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-ashby/) > [“What first occurs to us on remembering the dream/reading the text may be the most important thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/what-first-occurs-to-us-on-remembering-the-dream-reading-the-text-may/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [He awoke, opened his eye. 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He saw all of the light and color and history it contained and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/now-he-saw-the-familiar-wide-river-beside-the-path-differently-he-saw/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [Nature tops the list of potent tranquilizers and stress reducers. The mere sound of moving water has been shown to lower blood pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patch-adams/nature-tops-the-list-of-potent-tranquilizers-and-stress-reducers-the/) [Patch Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patch-adams/) > [Being on a boat that's moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what's important and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-taylor/being-on-a-boat-that-s-moving-through-the-water-it-s-so-clear/) [James Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-taylor/) > [Generally speaking, moving water is the most dangerous thing you can encounter underground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stone/generally-speaking-moving-water-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-you-can/) [William Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stone/) ## More by Paul Bowles > [“When I was young” … “Before I was twenty, I mean, I used to think that life was a thing that kept gaining impetus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/when-i-was-young-before-i-was-twenty-i-mean-i-used-to-think-that-life/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [A black star appears, a point of darkness in the night sky's clarity. Point of darkness and gateway to repose. 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It was asking the impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/how-could-any-young-man-merely-sit-back-and-wait-for-divine-justice/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [“There could be nothing, he reflected, to equal a government which was simply the honest enforcement, by means of the sword, of the laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/there-could-be-nothing-he-reflected-to-equal-a-government-which-was/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [Not all the ravages caused by our merciless age are tangible ones. The subtler forms of destruction, those involving only the human spirit, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/not-all-the-ravages-caused-by-our-merciless-age-are-tangible-ones-the/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [“What a wonderful thing to be an American!" he said impetuously. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/scene-vi-1940-it-is-our-fault-we-love-only-the-skull-of-beauty/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) [Explore all 122 Paul Bowles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) ## More Awoke quotes > [“Aelin awoke, drenched in sweat and twisted in the sheets, fear clenching her like a fist. She willed herself to breathe, to blink—to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/aelin-awoke-drenched-in-sweat-and-twisted-in-the-sheets-fear/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [It never dawned on me to be born I just awoke to the fact one day. 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Always it woke him, even in France,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-owen/move-him-into-the-sun-gently-its-touch-awoke-him-once-at-home/) [Wilfred Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-owen/) [Browse all 90 Awoke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awoke/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At some point in the night she had a dream. Or it was possible that she was partially awake, and was only remembering a dream? She was alone among the rocks on a dark coast beside the sea. The water surged upward and fell back languidly, and in the distance she heard surf breaking slowly on a sandy shore. It was comforting to be this close to the surface of the ocean and gaze at the intimate nocturnal details of its swelling and ebbing. And as she listened to the faraway breakers rolling up onto the beach, she became aware of another sound entwined with the intermittent crash of waves: a vast horizontal whisper across the bossom of the sea, carrying an ever-repeated phrase, regular as a lighthouse flashing: Dawn will be breaking soon. She listened a long time: again and again the scarcely audible words were whispered across the moving water. A great weight was being lifted slowly from her; little by little her happiness became more complete, and she awoke. 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