--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is almost startling to hear this…" description: "\"It is almost startling to hear this warning of departed time sounding among the tombs, and telling the lapse of the hour, which, like a billow, has rol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/washington-irving-1386_bell_it-is-almost-startling-to-hear-this-warn_1034423.png" --- # It is almost startling to hear this warning of departed… ![“It is almost startling to hear this warning of departed time sounding among the tombs, and telling the lapse of the hour, which, like a billow, has rolled us onward towards the grave.” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/washington-irving-1386_bell_it-is-almost-startling-to-hear-this-warn_1034423.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/washington-irving-1386_bell_it-is-almost-startling-to-hear-this-warn_1034423.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c47/washington-irving-1386_bell_it-is-almost-startling-to-hear-this-warn_1034423.png) > “It is almost startling to hear this warning of departed time sounding among the tombs, and telling the lapse of the hour, which, like a billow, has rolled us onward towards the grave.” [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage likens time’s warning to a rolling billow that carries us inevitably toward death, emphasizing mortality’s relentless passage. **In simple terms:** Time’s warning rolls us toward the grave like a wave. Key Takeaway Acknowledge mortality to live meaningfully. Themes mortality time impermanence Mood somber thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - graveyard visit - historical reflection - personal aging Key Concepts literature existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of mortality shape your choices? - What gives you comfort against time’s flow? A Different Perspective Focusing on death can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bell/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Departed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departed/) [Grave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grave/) [Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graves/) [Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hour/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Lapses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lapses/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Sounding Tombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sounding-tombs-2382843/) [Startling Hear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startling-hear-2382845/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Sounding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-sounding-2382846/) [Tomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomb/) [Tombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tombs/) [Tombs Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tombs-telling-2382842/) [Warning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warning/) [Warning Departed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warning-departed-2382844/) ## Related quotes > [I just have these lapses. 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