The worlds first riddle!

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Hi all.

I know newbie's must seem dumb to you, and I do not seek to change your mind.
However, I offer for your consideration the following:

Whilst digging in a 4,500-year-old burial mound at Xiaguan in Yunnan province in central China, a parchment was found sealed inside a clay vessel for its owner to take with him on his journey to his ancestors. The parchment talks of a traveller, getting lost on a mountain, and whilst seeking safety sees two old men sitting by a fire next to the entrance of a cave. As he approached, he overheard the last part of their conversation, and he later recorded it thus.

Mr Riddle puzzle me in and puzzle me out.
Riddle me dark from the cave to shout.
The question is easy the answer is not.
It lives in the future that has yet to arrive.
I would if I could I could not and died.
Had I have lived I would have not lied.

Mr Puzzle riddle me left riddle me right.
Puzzle me bright from the fire to light.
The answer is easy the question is not.
It lies in the past that time has forgot.
Do I just jest or do I jest not.
I know the truth do I or do I not.

What was the question and answer?

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Type: Discussion • Score: 34 • Views: 1,235,899 • Replies: 12,117

Hi, Tryagain.

Just wanted to say, Welcome to A2K.

Hope you stick around. It is a very nice place.

Don't have a clue about the answer to your riddle!

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Thank you, Frank A. for your kind words. Do not feel bad about not knowing the answer, you are in good company. The labs, who for the last four years have been trying to produce a solution, have today informed me that due to a 'glitch' in the software, the project has been somewhat delayed. Sad

On a more positive note, I have been told that the Noble Prize committee have not rejected a suggestion to award a special mention to whoever is the first to produce an acceptable reasoning. Although which section could lead to a separate debate, �'Literature',' Physiology' or perhaps �'Peace'.
I have been led to believe Prof. P. Magnus at the University of Texas is on the verge of a breakthrough. If true, that is some feat. I am still at the stage of deciding who is who and who is telling the truth. Shocked

Regards.

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If this is a Chinese riddle, why does it rhyme in English?

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Question: Will man find God?
Answer: You won' know till your dead.

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I suspect it might have something to do with 'echo' but what do I know?

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Quote Eos

'If this is a Chinese riddle, why does it rhyme in English?'

Over three years of correspondence, and that question has never been raised.
The original text was in a form of Mandarin, this was put through a Cray T3E-1200E system (one teraflop p/s). I know nothing about ancient Chinese script. However, I would suggest that a translation of any language, if done correctly would retain the tone and style of the original author. If it rhymed in Chinese, it would rhyme in any language.
Perhaps there is an expert in old Chinese text who could make a contribution, as it could be relevant to the result.

In the meantime, the following by OCCOM BILL

Question: Will man find God?
Answer: You won' know till your dead.

In my humble opinion may well be on the right track. Especially if it could be proved that the deceased person was of high status, and could be returning to the ancestors to find the? Would it be the question or answer? Doh!

Quote Mungo
'I suspect it might have something to do with 'echo' but what do I know?'

About as much as the rest of us. :wink:

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Try

"About as much as the rest of us"? I'll take your word for that, but I would insist on "No more than the rest".

On further thought, "Darkness" seems to fit better; it fits with 'cave' and with 'light', with the distant forgotten past and the far unforseeable future. But . . . er . . . what do I know better than the rest!!

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Cray T3E-1200E system (one teraflop p/s)

Another mystery, what does this mean?

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Ceili wrote:

Cray T3E-1200E system (one teraflop p/s)

Another mystery, what does this mean?

At last, a question I can answer! A supercomputer one teraflop (1 trillion calculations per second) It managed the translation, but not the answer. Sad

However, I firmly believe the result lies in the human mind, and on reading the logic and lateral thinking throughout this site, it may lie here. (Apologies to all the people at MIT) Cool

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OK..... I maybe wayyyy off base here..but for some reason I believe its a riddle of life...a persons destiny.

"out of the cave to shout" ....Birth?

"it lives in the future and yet not to arrive"...your descendents.

"If I could I would,I could not and died." Can't live forever.

"from the fire to light"...Death?

"It lies in the past that time has forgot.
Do I just jest or do I jest not.".. ...in time all things are forgotten.

Have no clue what the question would be....lol

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Tryagain are you taking the piss or what?
Ancient chinese script that rhymes in english?
Needed 1 terror-floppy worth of computer to TRANSLATE?
You crack me up.

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I was going to let it go,.. but since Adrian didn't,

Tryagain wrote:

However, I would suggest that a translation of any language, if done correctly would retain the tone and style of the original author. If it rhymed in Chinese, it would rhyme in any language.

I have to ask: How many languages do you speak?... One?... I thought so. Laughing

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"If done correctly" is the operative phrase. Translating poetry and retaining tone, style and rhyme are possible but not to a perfect degree.

The Cray is complete bullshit. A computer would not do well at translating to start. And more processing power (Cray is a supercomputer) would not help.

There are no translation programs written on a scale that would require a Cray, and there is no need for a Cray in the first place.

The story about this riddle's discovery and its status is false.

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THANK YOU!

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"Tryagain",

Please source the following claims:

1) Discovery of the riddle in a dig.

2) That any "labs" are working on this riddle.

I believe both to be deliberately false statements. Whether you yourself are lying or whether you are innocently propagating a lie is something I don't know.

But I do not believe this tall (and illogical) tale at all. And if either of those claims I challenged are true there will be documentation in the forms of articles, journals and such.

Please provide them. These claims can easily be proven or debunked. For example, the claim that a Proffessor "Magnus" at the University of Texas is working on this riddle can be verified or debunked with a few phone calls.

I think you are jerking people's legs and would like to see you back up your assertions.

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Isn't all of this 'lie' talk and demands for verification just a little heavy handed?

Will the matter of a link to a millinery site next be raised when someone poses a riddle concerning hats?

Will there be demands for a certificate from the Official Department of Weights and Measures for those concerning scales to ensure that the scales are perfectly accurate?

I think the phrase I am looking for is 'sense of proportion' perhaps.

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"The parchment talks of a traveller, getting lost on a mountain, and whilst seeking safety sees two old men sitting by a fire next to the entrance of a cave. As he approached, he overheard the last part of their conversation, and he later recorded it thus."

Who is 'He'? The Traveller, writing about himself in the third person? Was a Big clue.

The Cray was an even Bigger clue and it was good to see most picked up on it.

The WHOLE wording was the riddle, not just the rhyme, as were the follow up posts.

Perhaps, this is the first time in history that there has been a request to evidence a riddle, and as this is the season of goodwill, I offer my congratulations to all as you were on the path to enlightenment. Idea

What was the question and answer?

Question. "Is this riddle true?"

Answer. "No it is not"

A happy and healthy New Year to you all. Smile

Ps. Sorry you lost the World Cup Adrian.

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Mungo wrote:

Isn't all of this 'lie' talk and demands for verification just a little heavy handed?

No. Nazi's were heavy handed. I am just asking "Tryagain" to provide validation for his/her claims. As you can see it was well founded. It was indeed a lie.

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The worlds first riddle!

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