In Chapter 12 - 6, the book states, "The song is an insane attempt to stop time by means of its words." What does this expression mean and indicate?

This quote is from Doctor Zhivago. It
takes place while Yuri is in the camp and the war is raging between the whites and the
blacks (the revolution). Yuri is grieving because he wants to be with his family and
Lara. He is worried about what is happening to them while he is away. This quote is both
a simile and a metaphor, comparing an old Russian folk song to water held back by a dam
and to "an insane attempt to stop time."

I believe it
refers to the spirit of the Russian people. First of all, because the song is a Russian
folk song. Folk songs often express very deep thoughts about life, love, emotions,
history. Often the song appears to be a mere ditty, but the meaning is much deeper, like
water that appears to be calm on the surface, but is really quite deep. In a folk song,
refrains are often repeated and repeated. These refrains focus on what the song is
about, what is important in the song. If one focuses on the refrain and thinks about it,
one can discern the meaning. When this happens, it is as if the floodgates open. It is
an ephiphany. One figures out what the song is about, and it is profound. One gets a
glimpse into the sorrow and spirit that was behind its writing. A folk song may be
trying to teach a lesson, it may be trying to get peoples' attention and say: LOOK! Pay
attention! Watch out! Don't be fooled.

Pasternak is
expressing his feeling of hopelessness, however, that a song, just like the Russian
people, cannot stop time with their words. To do so is insane. It is his comment on the
grief and sorrow the common people experienced not only under the Tsar, but afterwards,
under the leaders of the bloody Russian Revolution. If you understand the history of
Russia, you will see that the Russian people have suffered for centuries, yet they are
resilient.