The term "recumbent" appears across literature as a versatile descriptor for states of rest, decay, or inevitability. In some texts it vividly captures an almost mythic stillness—a recumbent naiad cradling water [1] or a serene yet enigmatic sleeping Buddha [2, 3]—inviting the reader to ponder both beauty and the passage of time. Other authors use it to illustrate human languor or inanimate monumentality: a protagonist slowly rising from a recumbent posture [4], a man left motionless in the dim light [5], or even figures symbolizing death and remembrance in burial practices [6, 7]. Even in scenes of action or social commentary, such as in Oscar Wilde’s call for Mr. Worthing to rise from his semi-recumbent state [8] or in the quiet resignation of characters in Hardy’s narratives [9, 10, 11], the word serves to underscore a momentary suspension of movement that often reflects inner states or broader cultural rituals.