--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I cannot touch her face And I cannot…" description: "\"“And I cannot touch her face And I cannot touch her hair, And I kneel to empty shadows-- Just memories of her grace; And her voice sings in the winds ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/william-hope-hodgson-38192_grace_and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot_2415755.jpg" --- # And I cannot touch her face And I cannot touch her hair… ![“And I cannot touch her face And I cannot touch her hair, And I kneel to empty shadows-- Just memories of her grace; And her voice sings in the winds And in the sobs of dawn And among the flowers at night And from the brooks at sunrise And from the sea at sunset, And I answer with vain callings…” quote by William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/william-hope-hodgson-38192_grace_and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot_2415755.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/william-hope-hodgson-38192_grace_and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot_2415755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/william-hope-hodgson-38192_grace_and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot_2415755.jpg) > ““And I cannot touch her face  And I cannot touch her hair, And I kneel to empty shadows-- Just memories of her grace; And her voice sings in the winds And in the sobs of dawn And among the flowers at night And from the brooks at sunrise And from the sea at sunset, And I answer with vain callings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .”” [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker longs for a lost love, finding solace in nature’s sounds and cycles. **In simple terms:** Missing love is expressed through natural imagery. Key Takeaway Find comfort in nature when grieving. Themes loss longing nature Mood melancholic reflective Type poetic lypective When to use this quote - mourning - creative writing - meditation Key Concepts memory grief poetry Questions to Reflect On - What natural element brings you peace? - How does remembering love through nature change your grief? A Different Perspective Nature may not fully heal deep emotional wounds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Nature of Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/) [Sunrise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunrise/) ## Related quotes > [Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/grace-is-the-voice-that-calls-us-to-change-and-then-gives-us-the/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf, and a girl who became one. I won't let this be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/this-is-the-story-of-a-boy-who-used-to-be-a-wolf-and-a-girl-who/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I won't let this be my good-bye. I've folded one thousand paper crane memories of me and Grace, and I've made my wish. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-won-t-let-this-be-my-good-bye-i-ve-folded-one-thousand-paper-crane/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“I want to see the sunrise with you. I want to watch the sunset. I want to make out during a movie. Silly, huh?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-nichols/i-want-to-see-the-sunrise-with-you-i-want-to-watch-the-sunset-i-want/) [Emma Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-nichols/) > [“I will be with you in the sunrise that warms and brightens your face and in the stars you gaze up at when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-m-mcaloon/i-will-be-with-you-in-the-sunrise-that-warms-and-brightens-your-face/) [Peggy M. McAloon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-m-mcaloon/) > [During the 1970s and 1980s, the popular television soap opera As The World Turns portrayed sunrise during the opening credits and sunset during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/during-the-1970s-and-1980s-the-popular-television-soap-opera-as-the/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Just when normal life felt almost possible--when the world held some kind of order, meaning, even loveliness (prismatic spray of light through an icicle;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wroblewski/just-when-normal-life-felt-almost-possible-when-the-world-held-some/) [David Wroblewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wroblewski/) > [“The very name Impressionism is taken from an Atlantic Ocean painting - that of Monet, of sunrise in the harbor of Le Havre, done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-very-name-impressionism-is-taken-from-an-atlantic-ocean-painting/) [Simon winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [“The first sign that Karma was now in cahoots with the Devil Incarnate to ruin her existance should've been before sunrise and pre-coffee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/the-first-sign-that-karma-was-now-in-cahoots-with-the-devil-incarnate/) [Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/) > [Everyday's a battle against; everyday's a fight for. Everyday is collaged with shadows cast in everyday's sunrise. Everyday is a new chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-ryan/everyday-s-a-battle-against-everyday-s-a-fight-for-everyday-is/) [Debby Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-ryan/) > [The best things in life are free. Sunsets and sunrises are free. Air is free. Love is free. Death is free. The best things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-best-things-in-life-are-free-sunsets-and-sunrises-are-free-air-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If a person measures his spiritual fulfillment in terms of cosmic visions, surpassing peace of mind, or ecstasy, then he is not likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/if-a-person-measures-his-spiritual-fulfillment-in-terms-of-cosmic/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [“Wasn't sunrise meant to be the hour of hope? 'The season of creation' some poet or other had once called it. Fucking poet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzma-aslam-khan/wasn-t-sunrise-meant-to-be-the-hour-of-hope-the-season-of-creation/) [Uzma Aslam Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzma-aslam-khan/) > [I'm not a night owl, but for Glasto there was no chance I was going to miss a moment. I heard intriguing things about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-corrin/i-m-not-a-night-owl-but-for-glasto-there-was-no-chance-i-was-going-to/) [Emma Corrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-corrin/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) ## More by William Hope Hodgson > [Impossible, that blind the mind, and looked out into the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/impossible-that-blind-the-mind-and-looked-out-into-the-unknown/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [“And then, suddenly, an extraordinary question rose in my mind, whether this stupendous globe of green fire might not be the vast Central Sun—the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/and-then-suddenly-an-extraordinary-question-rose-in-my-mind-whether/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [“And they made dim the lights in the Great Causeway, that there should no glare go forth into the Land, when the Gate was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/and-they-made-dim-the-lights-in-the-great-causeway-that-there-should/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [“Yes, Doctor,' I said. 'In brief, your argument is that Life is a thing, state, fact, or element, call-it-what-you-like, which requires the Material through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/yes-doctor-i-said-in-brief-your-argument-is-that-life-is-a-thing/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [“I read, and, in reading, lifted the Curtains of the Impossible that blind the mind, and looked out into the unknown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/i-read-and-in-reading-lifted-the-curtains-of-the-impossible-that/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [“There had stood a great house in the centre of the gardens, where now was left only that fragment of ruin. This house had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/there-had-stood-a-great-house-in-the-centre-of-the-gardens-where-now/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [“Moreover, they who returned, if any, would be flogged, as seemed proper, after due examination. And though the news of their beatings might help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/moreover-they-who-returned-if-any-would-be-flogged-as-seemed-proper/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [“Six days, and I have eaten nothing. It is night. I am sitting in my chair. Ah, God! I wonder have any ever felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/six-days-and-i-have-eaten-nothing-it-is-night-i-am-sitting-in-my/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [The world was held in a savage gloom - cold and intolerable. Outside, all was quiet - quiet! From the dark room behind me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/the-world-was-held-in-a-savage-gloom-cold-and-intolerable-outside-all/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [By millions of years, time winged onward through eternity, to the end - the end, of which, in the old-earth days, I had thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/by-millions-of-years-time-winged-onward-through-eternity-to-the-end/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) > [“The history of all love is writ with one pen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/the-history-of-all-love-is-writ-with-one-pen/) [William Hope Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) [Explore all 12 William Hope Hodgson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/) ## More Grace quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“There is still a certain grace in a dead festival. It has been happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-is-still-a-certain-grace-in-a-dead-festival-it-has-been-happy/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [“Serve in the grace of strength within thy soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/serve-in-the-grace-of-strength-within-thy-soul/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Grace does not destroy nature, it perfects it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/grace-does-not-destroy-nature-it-perfects-it/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Asanas bring perfection in body, beauty in form, grace, strength, compactness, and the hardness and brilliance of a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/asanas-bring-perfection-in-body-beauty-in-form-grace-strength/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) > [Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to us free of charge to enable you to do with ease what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/grace-is-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-coming-to-us-free-of-charge-to/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [ “Through the grace of a thief, one can become a thief and through the grace of a Gnani \[the enlightened one\], one can become… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/through-the-grace-of-a-thief-one-can-become-a-thief-and-through-the/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Grace is upside-down, to-do-list wrecking, scandalous and way-too free. It's one-way love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/grace-is-upside-down-to-do-list-wrecking-scandalous-and-way-too-free/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) [Browse all 6,886 Grace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And I cannot touch her face  And I cannot touch her hair, And I kneel to empty shadows-- Just memories of her grace; And her voice sings in the winds And in the sobs of dawn And among the flowers at night And from the brooks at sunrise And from the sea at sunset, And I answer with vain callings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Hope Hodgson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot-touch-her-hair-and-i-kneel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grace" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot-touch-her-hair-and-i-kneel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/william-hope-hodgson-38192_grace_and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot_2415755.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/william-hope-hodgson-38192_grace_and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot_2415755.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/william-hope-hodgson-38192_grace_and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot_2415755.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And I cannot touch her face And I cannot touch her hair, And I kneel to empty shadows-- Just memories of her…” — William Hope Hodgson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William Hope Hodgson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hope-hodgson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And I cannot touch her face ...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot-touch-her-hair-and-i-kneel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hope-hodgson/and-i-cannot-touch-her-face-and-i-cannot-touch-her-hair-and-i-kneel/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```