RIDDLE POSTS BY TAG: 'SYMPHOSIUS'

Symphosius Riddle 1: Graphium

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

De summo planus, sed non ego planus in imo
Versor utrimque manu: diverso munere fungor.
Altera pars revocat quidquid pars altera fecit.

Translation:

I am flat on top, but not on the bottom.
I am turned on both sides by hand: I perform a variety of jobs.
One part undoes what the other part does.

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Stylus


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 2: Harundo

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Dulcis amica dei, ripae vicina profundae,
Suave canens Musis; nigro perfusa colore,
Nuntia sum linguae digitis signata magistris.

Translation:

Sweet friend of a god, neighbour of the deep bank,
Singing pleasantly for the Muses; bathed in the colour black,
I am the tongue’s messenger, distinguished by the master’s fingers.

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Reed


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 3: Anulus cum gemma

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Corporis extremi non magnus pondus adhaesi.
Ingenitum dicas, ita pondere nemo gravatur;
Una tamen facies plures habitura figuras.

Translation:

At the end of the body I clung, not a heavy weight.
You would say I was innate, so little is anyone bothered by the burden;
My face, though single, can have many forms.

Click to show riddle solution?
Ring with Gem


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 4: Clavis

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Virtutes magnas de viribus affero parvis.
Pando domos clausas, iterum sed claudo patentes.
Servo domum domino, sed rursus servor ab ipso.

Translation:

I bring great powers with little strength.
I open closed doors, and then I close the open ones.
I keep the house for the master, but in turn I am kept by him.

Click to show riddle solution?
Key


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 5: Catena

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Nexa ligor ferro, multos habitura ligatos;
Vincior ipsa prius, sed vincio vincta vicissim;
Et solvi multos, nec sum tamen ipsa soluta.

Translation:

I am bound, tied by iron, and can bind many;
I myself am bound first, but I bind the bound in turn;
And I release many, yet am not myself released.

Click to show riddle solution?
Chain


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 6: Tegula

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Terra mihi corpus, vires mihi praestitit ignis;
De terra nascor, sedes est semper in alto;
Et me perfundit, sed me cito deserit, umor.

Translation:

Earth gave me body, fire gave me strength;
From the land I am born, my seat is always on high;
And moisture floods me, but quickly leaves me.

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Roof-tile


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 7: Fumus

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Sunt mihi, sunt lacrimae, sed non est causa doloris.
Est iter ad caelum, sed me gravis inpedit aer;
Et qui me genuit sine me non nascitur ipse.

Translation:

Tears are mine, but the cause is not sadness.
My path is toward the sky, but heavy air impedes me;
And he who birthed me, without me, is not himself born.

Click to show riddle solution?
Smoke


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 8: Nebula

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Nox ego sum facie, sed non sum nigra colore,
Inque die media tenebras tamen affero mecum;
Nec mihi dant stellae lucem nec Cynthia lumen.

Translation:

I am night on the face of it, but I am not the colour black,
And yet at midday I bring the shadows with me;
The stars do not give me light nor Cynthia her moon-beam.

Click to show riddle solution?
Cloud


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 9: Pluvia

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Ex alto venio longa delapsa ruina;
De caelo cecidi medias transmissa per auras;
Sed sinus excepit, qui me simul ipse recepit.

Translation:

From on high I come, a long, descended rushing-down;
I fell from the sky, sent through mid-air,
But the basin draws me out that at the same time receives me.

Click to show riddle solution?
Rain


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:

  • line 2: transmissa > demissa


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Symphosius Riddle 10: Glacies

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Unda fui quondam, quod me cito credo futuram.
Nunc rigidi caeli duris conexa catenis
Nec calcata pati possum nec nuda teneri.

Translation:

I was once a wave, which I believe I will be again before long.
Now bound by the hard chains of rigid heaven,
I can neither endure being walked upon nor be held bare.

Click to show riddle solution?
Ice


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:

  • line 3: Nec > et


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Symphosius Riddle 11: Nix

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Pulvis aquae tenuis modico cum pondere lapsus,
Sole madens, aestate fluens, in frigore siccus,
Flumina facturus totas prius occupo terras.

Translation:

Delicate dust of water, fallen with modest weight,
Dripping in the sun, flowing in the summer, dry in the cold,
About to make rivers, I first occupy whole lands.

Click to show riddle solution?
Snow


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 12: Flumen et piscis

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Est domus in terris clara quae voce resultat.
Ipsa domus resonat, tacitus sed non sonat hospes.
Ambo tamen currunt hospes simul et domus una.

Translation:

There is a house in the earth which resounds with clear voice.
The house itself reverberates, but the silent guest does not make a sound.
Yet both run, guest and house at the same time, as one.

Click to show riddle solution?
River and Fish


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 13: Navis

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Longa feror velox formosae filia silvae,
Innumera pariter comitum stipante caterva,
Curro vias multas, vestigia nulla relinquens.

Translation:

Long, swift daughter of the beautiful forest, I am borne,
With an innumerable crowd of fellows equally compressed,
I run along many roads, leaving no trace.

Click to show riddle solution?
Ship


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:

  • line 2: Innumera > innumeris and stipante caterva > stipata catervis


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Symphosius Riddle 14: Pullus in ovo

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Mira tibi referam nostrae primordia vitae:
Nondum natus eram, nec eram iam matris in alvo;
Iam posito partu natum me nemo videbat.

Translation:

I will tell you the wondrous beginning of our life:
I was not yet born, nor was I then in my mother’s womb;
And then, after I was born, no one saw me.

Click to show riddle solution?
Chicken in an egg


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 15: Vipera

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Non possum nasci, si non occidero matrem.
Occidi matrem, sed me manet exitus idem:
Id mea mors patitur quod iam mea fecit origo.

Translation:

I cannot be born if I do not kill my mother.
I killed my mother, but the same exit remains for me:
My death suffers that which my birth did then.

Click to show riddle solution?
Viper


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 16: Tinea

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Littera me pavit, nec quid sit littera novi.
In libris vixi, nec sum studiosior inde.
Exedi Musas, nec adhuc tamen ipsa profeci.

Translation:

Letters nourish me, but I do not know what letters are.
I have lived in books, but I am not more studious for it.
I have consumed the Muses, yet have not thus far made progress.

Click to show riddle solution?
Bookworm


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 17: Aranea

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Pallas me docuit texendi nosse laborem.
Nec pepli radios poscunt nec licia telae;
Nulla mihi manus est, pedibus tantum omnia fiunt.

Translation:

Pallas taught me to know the work of weaving:
My garments do not require shuttles, nor my threads a loom;
I do not have hands, by my feet alone is everything done.

Click to show riddle solution?
Spider


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:

  • line 2: pepli > telae


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Symphosius Riddle 18: Coclea

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Porto domum mecum, semper migrare parata,
Mutatoque solo non sum miserabilis exul,
Sed mihi concilium de caelo nascitur ipso.

Translation:

I carry my house with me, always ready to move,
And after I have moved ground I am not a miserable exile,
But rather my company is given from heaven itself.

Click to show riddle solution?
Snail


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 19: Rana

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Raucisonans ego sum media vocalis in unda,
Sed vox laude sonat, quasi se quoque laudet et ipsa;
Cumque canam semper, nullus mea carmina laudat.

Translation:

I sound hoarse of voice in the middle of the water,
But my voice sounds of praise, as if it were also praising itself;
And though I am always singing, no one praises my songs.

Click to show riddle solution?
Frog


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:

  • lines 2 and 3: these are printed in reverse order, but numbered "3, 2."


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Symphosius Riddle 20: Testudo

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Tarda, gradu lento, specioso praedita dorso;
Docta quidem studio, sed saevo prodita fato
Viva nihil dixit, quae sic modo mortua canto.

Translation:

Tardy, with a slow step, and endowed with a brilliant back;
Certainly learned in my zeal, but by cruel fate betrayed,
Alive, I said nothing; recently dead, I sing thus.

Click to show riddle solution?
Tortoise


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:

  • line 2: Docta quidem studio > Tecta quidem, subito


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Symphosius Riddle 21: Talpa

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Caeca mihi facies atris obscura tenebris;
Nox est ipse dies nec sol mihi cernitur ullus;
Malo tegi terra: sic me quoque nemo videbit.

Translation:

My face is blind, hidden in dark shadows;
Night is itself day, nor is any sun perceived by me;
I like to be covered by earth: and this way no one will see me.

Click to show riddle solution?
Mole


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 22: Formica

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Provida sum vitae, duro non pigra labore,
Ipsa ferens umeris securae praemia brumae.
Nec gero magna simul, sed congero multa vicissim.

Translation:

I am prudent in my life, not lazy when it comes to hard work,
Bearing on my own shoulders foodstuffs for a safe winter.
Nor do I carry a lot all at once, but I collect a lot little by little.

Click to show riddle solution?
Ant


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 23: Musca

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Improba sum, fateor: quid enim gula turpe veretur?
Frigora vitabam, quae nunc aestate revertor;
Sed cito submoveor falso conterrita vento.

Translation:

I am shameless, I admit: for what filth does my throat actually fear?
I avoided the cold and am now returned with the summer;
But I am quickly driven away, terrified of the false wind.

Click to show riddle solution?
Fly


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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Symphosius Riddle 24: Curculio

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Non bonus agricolis, non frugibus utilis hospes,
Non magnus forma, non recto nomine dictus
Non gratus Cereri, non parvam sumo saginam.

Translation:

Not good to farmers nor a useful guest to crops,
Not great in size nor called by my true name,
Not pleasing to Ceres, I acquire not a little nourishment.

Click to show riddle solution?
Weevil


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:

  • Title: Curculio > gurgulio (but maintaing the translation "weevil")
  • line 3: non parvam sumo saginam > sed multa vivo sagina


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Symphosius Riddle 25: Mus

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022
Original text:

Parva mihi domus est sed ianua semper aperta.
Exiguo sumptu furtiva vivo sagina.
Quod mihi nomen inest, Romae quoque consul habebat.

Translation:

My house is little, but the door is always open.
I live at small cost on stolen food.
A Roman consul also had what my name is.

Click to show riddle solution?
Mouse


Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.



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