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Topic: A lonely wanderer (Read 1844 times) |
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maryl
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A lonely wanderer, wounded with iron, I am smitten with war-blades, sated with strife,
Worn with the sword-edge; I have seen many battles, Much hazardous fighting, oft without hope
Of comforts or help in the carnage of war Ere I perish and fall in the fighting of men.
The leavings of hammers, the handiwork of smiths, Batter and bite me, hard-eged and sharp;
The brunt of the battle I am doomed to endure. In all the folk-stead no leech could I find
With wort or simple to heal my wounds; But day and night with the deadly blows
The marks of the war-blades double and deepen.
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Speaker
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Re: A lonely wanderer
« Reply #1 on: Jun 16th, 2003, 6:46pm » |
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Well into the fray.
I kept coming back to Jesus as being wounded with iron on the cross.
That led me to consider all the smiting and other damage that are inflicted on the philosophy of "man's love for his fellow man," and how there is no leech to cure us of this ill. But, they don't seem to come together into a good answer.
anywho...
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Icarus
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Re: A lonely wanderer
« Reply #2 on: Jun 16th, 2003, 7:01pm » |
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Except for "a lonely wanderer" and "worn with the sword-edge", I would say whiskers. It fits the rest I think, but I don't see these two phrases. (Okay, "sated with strife" doesn't fit either, but I am thinking this phrase is more "colorful imagery", than descriptive.)
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"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
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Re: A lonely wanderer
« Reply #3 on: Jun 16th, 2003, 7:06pm » |
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I like that idea Icarus. I also tried to find something mundane and that would have existed whenever this riddle was written.
How about lonely wanderer as in they keep finding their way back even after they have been eliminated.
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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. <Ben Franklin>
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Speaker
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Re: A lonely wanderer
« Reply #4 on: Jun 16th, 2003, 7:15pm » |
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How about a wart? 
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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. <Ben Franklin>
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James Fingas
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Re: A lonely wanderer
« Reply #5 on: Jun 17th, 2003, 10:01am » |
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What about a shield or some part of armour?
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Doc, I'm addicted to advice! What should I do?
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maryl
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on Jun 17th, 2003, 10:01am, James Fingas wrote:| What about a shield or some part of armour? |
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Ah, but alas, thou doth smite me through words of ancient understanding, and casteth mine riddle asunder. I bewail mine final resting place and hearken no more to the quest of the unconquerable. Go forth yonder and seek yet another.
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Icarus
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Re: A lonely wanderer
« Reply #7 on: Jun 17th, 2003, 6:32pm » |
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I had thought of "shield" (or armor) as well, but rejected it for many of the same reasons as I didn't like my whiskers answer.
How is a shield "A lonely wanderer"?
How is it "sated with strife"?
"No leech could I find with wort or simple to heal my wounds" is only true if one demands that this phrase be interpreted very literally (doctoring with herbs cannot fix a shield), even though much of the rest must be interpreted figuratively.
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"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
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maryl
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I would think the phrase "lonely wanderer" just means it goes to wherever the battle is, and it is alone in it's defence. Although of course it doesn't actually have feelings-it's entire existence consists of strife, and because it is a shield no human remedy can help it.
(I had more trouble understanding the monsters in my previous riddle.) And I really liked your whiskers reply, but I couldn't see how whiskers could be a lonely wanderer, actually maybe "a" whisker could be, ya, that is a good guess.
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| « Last Edit: Jun 18th, 2003, 11:46am by maryl » |
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