10Jun 07
A riddle
posted by
A while back I was reading a book about Francis Scott Key. Besides, being the author of the Star Spangled Banner, he wrote hundreds of other poems. There is one I’d like to share with you all. It’s actually a riddle. See if you can figure it out.
A Riddle
I made myself, and though no form have I,
Am fairer than the fairest you can spy:
the sun I outshine in his mid-day light,
and yet am darker then the darkest night;
Hotter am I than fire, than ice more cold,
Richer than purest gems or finest gold;
yet I am never neither bought or sold.
The man that wants me never yet was seen;
The poor alone possess me; yet the mean
And grudging rich oft give me to the poor,
Who yet are not made richer than before
the blindest see me, and the deafest hear,
Cowards defy me, and the bravest fear:
If your’re a fool,your know me
if you grow in knowledge, me you soon will cease to know.
Get me–and low and poor thy state will be;
forget me–and no equal shalt thou see.
Now catch me if you can–I’m sometimes caught,
Though never thought worth catching, never sought,
Am I still hid? Then let whoever tries
To see me, give it up, and shut his eyes.
WHO AM I?
I hope you enjoy figuring it out. The answer will be given at a later time.
Hmm… Nothing comes to mind so I’m looking forward to seeing what the answer is!
Well, nothing really makes sense. We’ll have to keep thinking. That is an amazing riddle. I’m sure it required a lot of out of the box thinking.
Something tells me I’ve heard that before but I can’t recall the answer. Whew, that’s really a stumper!
So, uh, Matthew, are you going to tell us the answer or leave us hanging?
Okay, here is the answer to Francis Scott Key’s riddle. The ‘I’ is Nothing. A simple answer to a conclusion difficult to reach.
Eureka! Nothing makes perfect sense. I have heard this riddle before (and unfortunately was not one of those who guessed correctly). I wonder if there are other words like that which would create similar riddles.