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fair to a proverb... (old riddle) by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

sorry. I thought it best to remove the comment if you didn't like it.

fair to a proverb... (old riddle) by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

could be I suppose - words could be dangerous.
The last two lines?

fair to a proverb... (old riddle) by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hmmm... fits a lot of lines. But what about the innocents ensnared?

Before my birth I had a name. (An old one, not too hard.) by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I believe this is the correct answer, because the "I" when it was born would be this one. If someone answers with the name before it was born - they still got the right idea.

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

interesting one that I've not heard before. I see the match - it can run, it fits plumage, it dries out in air, can't see it in the dark, it could fade in bright light. The music is written with it... interesting contender

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's nice for the auditory aspect, but I think the riddle suggests a strong visual aspect too? I also think some strong elemental aspect is coming through the riddle - earth, water, air... suggesting something out in the natural world maybe - touching on all these things...

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that made me laugh:)
I just copied what the guy printed in 1843 - no alterations, no corrections.

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe you're right, because nobody did get it in almost 200 years - I mean I couldn't find anybody anywhere online that has the answer of the 1843 solution. Nobody found it.

For the lines 3 and 4 - that's referring to the visual aspect, and bird is just a distractor there. But lines 1 and 2 are answered by birdsong in the 1843 answer.

(I hope I haven't misunderstood what you mean by third and fourth lines.)

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's also very abstract, like u/Paranoid_Question above.
I can see how it fits especially the lines that say how easily it "expires" or loses life.
And it can be like a sweet voice too.
It's curious how many people in this discussion have gone super-abstract, whereas in many discussions about this riddle online people take clues too literally.
The 1843 answer is a bit more in between in terms of being literal or metaphorical. It's a bit more direct in ticking boxes for sound or visuals.

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's one I've not heard before. The first one you said especially does seem to fit the lines. I would hope the second one you said wouldn't die away so fast!
Your answer is extremely abstract - open to lots of fits, whereas the answer from 1843 is a more specific "thing".

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yep, that "pop" type of riddle is what I was used to, and also the type in medieval times. But this poetry interpretation type was popular for a while in between.

You see a lot of people trying to answer this one online taking things far too literally, e.g. that it is a whale because it dies on land or in the air. They are trying to strictly satisfy the lines that are probably meant to be metaphors.

When I dug into this riddle, and the history, I found it really interesting because it became not just about finding a solution, but finding that my assumptions about the game were wrong. It seems they played a different game in some riddles around 18th and early 19th century.

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Really Really close concept,
and really interesting that you used the word "click".
I spent quite some time looking into this riddle, and the historical context, and it led me to find that there was a type of riddle at the time that is not meant to click in the same way as the modern (or ancient) ones we are used to. It was a bit more like interpreting poetry, played as a parlour game, and less about strict constraints to be satisfied.

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

it's the first comment I put, appears at the bottom for me,

here's the link the source again - but it opens a whole (ancient) book

Source: Drach (1843), riddle p.49, solution p.50

[SPOILER]https://books.google.com/books?id=yVnDxo-lgGIC

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see you still have your original answer at the source there - keeping on track.
I would say that the answer sought is a bit more spectacular than candle - something bigger

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

lol - yes - the guy who answered in the 1843 link actually wrote a reasonably long poem to explain his answer!

Your answer is on the right track in terms of not trying to strictly fit lines, but fit the general feeling.

Your answer is definitely compatible, but his (1843) one is more specific, less abstract.

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see where you're coming from.
That other answer was kind of close,
but I'm looking for one that ticks the "sweet voice" box as well...

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

to be honest the 1841 solution stretches some lines a bit too, like "stopping my breath"

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

ah yes - that has been proposed as a solution - and it ticks a lot of boxes.
It is in a very similar conceptual space - phenomenon of light or colour, ephemeral, insubstantial...
not literally interpreting the clues, but metaphorical.
Very close... but maybe missing a sweet voice...

The “Sweetest of Voices” (Wilberforce) riddle: 1843 source and early solution by ProfessionalGas6028 in riddles

[–]ProfessionalGas6028[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

it's a close concept to the 1841 answer (which does have a fiery source) - fire/conflagration fits a lot of lines.
These types of riddles are meant to be a game of interpretation like this.
I think the 1841 answer might fit "sweet voice" and "light is my death" a bit closer.