This paper will explore the notion of finite and infinite time portrayed by poetic symbolism in relation to standard cognitive models of time trajectories. From the point of view of cognitive science, time normally appears to be conceptualised on the basis of models that are correlated with space. In the case of metaphor creation, these usually follow various spatial patterns such as linear or cyclic in human thought. The type of pattern generally depends on the cultural and linguistic environment of the perceiver (Radden 2003). The view that time is equated with space is also shared by a number of other cognitivists such as Boroditsky (2000). However, the results of Boroditsky’s experiments suggest that time does not necessarily require access to spatial schemas since frequent or habitual metaphor mappings between space and time can be stored solely in the domain of time. In the field of poetry, the use of different symbols suggests that individual conceptualization can go beyond such patterns. One aspect of this difference concerns humanity’s struggle to understand the concept of infinity in time and its enigmatic features. A poet’s personal experience and reflection on life create individualistic patterns which may take on opposing characteristics.The claim that the biographical background of a poet plays a role in symbolic creation has been the subject of much debate in the past. The New Criticism and structuralist movements put forward the theory that semantics are not controlled or created by the poet but emerge within a closed semiotic system (Wimsatt 1954; Wimsatt& Beardsley 1946, 1949). In other words, the theories of intentional and affective fallacies proposed in this respect tend to disregard the intentions of the poet when a poem is analysed or evaluated. On the other hand, post-structuralistliterary movements, particularly in France,are in favour of a “legitimate” biography which determines the use of semiotic language according to the particular philosophical or socio-political situation in which the writer or poet lives (Dion & Regard 2013). The present study examines the symbolism of four poets from the English and Spanish-speaking worlds whose work often focuses on the passage of time: Emily Dickinson (Franklin 2005), D. H. Lawrence (Bricout 2017), Eugenio Montejo (Mora 2008) and Jorge Luis Borges (Arango 2001). Viewed from different time periods and cultural/linguistic backgrounds, all four poets/writers have been particularly concerned by the mysteries of time. The symbols and figurative language they use give us an insight intohow each of them conceptualizethe limits or the infinite nature of time.It can be seen, for example, that the notion of infinity often prevails in their symbolic language but for very diverse or even opposing reasons. Although certain patterns in their poetry may follow standard cognitive theories, the wide range of perception and reasoning involvedsuggests that the individual perceivesthe time dimension in ways which can differ from such theories and are intimately related to his or her own experience. The argumentation in the following study thus tends to support the post-structuralist view and suggests that poetry is often a reflection of a poet’s life history. An analysis of time trajectories in poetic symbolism thus needs to go beyond some of the existing cognitive theories in the field in order to understand the full extent of time perception in human thought. Roundtable: TIME TRAJECTORIES: LIMITS OF TIME, THE TIME OF LIMITS