Imagine that time exists not only as an abstract concept but also as a living pulse that can be felt through sound and seen in the flicker of images.

The Living Pulse of Time

Imagine that time exists not only as an abstract concept but also as a living pulse that can be felt through sound and seen in the flicker of images. On one hand, our hearing perceives time as a sequence of sounds whose duration we only become aware of once they have passed. It is the end of the sound that imprints on our memory a sense of its length, as if each moment only lives in remembrance before dissolving into the ether. This idea emphasizes how our past experiences shape our notion of the continuous flow of time.

On the other hand, the visual image of time appears before us as ever-changing scenes—whether landscapes, fleeting silhouettes, or even images reminiscent of a ship slipping beyond the horizon. In this dimension, time is seen as a dynamic stream of events that we try to understand and absorb by observing its movement. The sense of its elusiveness reminds us that every moment, although fleeting, is filled with unique beauty and energy.

In the end, these two approaches—the acoustic and the visual—vividly illustrate how multifaceted our perception of time is. It is not merely a mechanical counting of minutes but a living, pulsating flow where sound and visual imagery set the tone for our experience of existence. It is precisely through such figurative representations that time acquires its magic, making us aware of the significance of every moment.

How can one figuratively represent time: what it looks like, or how we perceive it by sound?

One can present time as something that exists in two different dimensions—auditory and visual.

On one hand, time can be perceived through the nature of sound. According to one author, the duration of any sound is determined only after it has ended. The author asks, “A long one—is it measured while it is sounding? In fact, I measure it only by its end. But once it finishes, it vanishes... In you, my soul, I measure time...” (source: link txt, page: 723). This metaphor emphasizes that our evaluation of duration and rhythm relies on the memory of what has already passed, rather than on the instantaneous perception of sound.

On the other hand, time can be visualized as something continuously moving and changing, like an image that we observe. For example, another author offers the following picture: “Let it move and not stop until it meets eternity. Let it never turn back... Or, consider this: you are sitting at a seaside café at a table amidst the solitude of a hot afternoon, and it passes by like a little ship on the horizon...” (source: link txt, page: 1140). Here, time is depicted as something that constantly eludes us—like a ship or a beautiful woman—demonstrating its elusive and unceasing character.

Thus, in one instance, we hear time through the rhythm of sounds, whose durations are only determined after they have ended, and in another, we see it as a dynamic flow of images, where each moment remains a brief yet vivid manifestation of eternal motion. These two approaches vividly demonstrate how we can figuratively perceive time, simultaneously hearing it through auditory nuances and witnessing its visual metaphors.

Supporting citation(s):
“A long one—is it measured while it is sounding? In fact, I measure it only by its end. But once it finishes, it vanishes. So what do I measure? ... In you, my soul, I measure time. Deliver me from vehement objections; deliver yourself too from vehement objections amidst the turmoil of your impressions. In you, I say, I measure time.” (source: link txt, page: 723)

“Let it move and not stop until it meets eternity itself. Let it never turn back and not be sealed off like water in a downspout, only to later burst forth in a sudden torrent. Just let it pass. It passes by, as if you were sitting by a window and it went by, like a beautiful woman who, thanks to old age, no longer holds any interest for you. Or like this: you are sitting in a seaside café at a table in the midst of the solitude of a hot afternoon, and it passes by like a little ship on the horizon. The ship moves, and the wind brushes your face, and the waves murmur against the shore, while time passes.” (source: link txt, page: 1140)