A Riddle

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I am smooth as velvet pure;
akin to a smoky breath,
my taste runs darker than rum.

I'm a fragrance rejected
by the spectrum of seven.
Cimmerian crashing waves

in the deepest dusk of day,
painted on the horizon,
I watch the sun lay to rest.

Licking a tulip's petal,
I adorn an amethyst
oh so regal in bearing.

'Pray tell,' I sigh, 'what am I?'
Last edited by WaitingForLife on Fri Jan 21, 2011 6:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Call me crazy; I prefer 'enjoys life while one can'.
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The pen's mightier than the sword - especially when it's wielded by a flipmothering dragon.
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Wow! You have a real talent for poetry! The language is really exotic and luxurius, I wish I could write like this.

I haven't a clue what the answer is though. Good job! And keep writing!
I've learned so much from people who never existed - Unknown




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Thanks! :)

I suggest the use of a thesaurus to spice up your language. You can find a free one on the internet, no sweat. And I'd be mildly surprised if you would have known the answer, as it really is quite hard. ^^
Call me crazy; I prefer 'enjoys life while one can'.
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The pen's mightier than the sword - especially when it's wielded by a flipmothering dragon.
-------
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Alrighty. If you did not know (how could you know? I haven't told you yet :P), I'm a huge fan of riddles. Not the best at solving them, but a fan all the same. That been said, I thought this was absolutely awesome.

Now, because I don't really know the answer, it's hard for me to edit the piece itself, because if I don't know exactly what you're describing, then how on earth can I tell you a description is wrong? I can't. So, I'll just break this down and see if I can defend my answer without sounding too much like an idiot.

By the time I finished reading, I came up with the Black Sea as an answer.

WaitingForLife wrote:I am smooth as velvet pure;
akin to a smoky breath,
my taste runs darker than rum.


I didn't pay as much attention to "smooth as velvet pure" as I did the other lines. "akin to smoky breath" could have been used to describe an inland sea, surrounded by different countries and probably cities. Also, you mentioned the Cimmerians, who, in The Odyssey lived in a land of fog and darkness. Though they're said to not be related to the actual Cimmerians, it still sort of fit in my mind. Now, "my taste runs darker than rum" hinted me a bit in that black is the darkest color, and I usually associate rum with the sea (thank you, Pirates of the Caribbean). Black Sea. :P

WaitingForLife wrote:I'm a fragrance rejected
by the spectrum of seven.
Cimmerian crashing waves


You stumped me by calling it a "fragrance," and for that reason (among others that I'll get to in a minute) I doubt I'm correct with my answer. But, looking past that, "rejected by a spectrum of seven" refers to the color spectrum, I assume, because it has seven colors. Out of the main colors of the spectrum, black is not one of them, I believe. And again, "Cimmerian crashing waves" hinted me on the actual answer, the Black Sea, since I'm pretty sure they lived in that area. I'll have to check the book/google/something.

WaitingForLife wrote:in the deepest dusk of day,
painted on the horizon,
I watch the sun lay to rest.


In the last two stanzas, I don't really good evidence to back up my answer other than my gut feeling, so stick with me here :P "deepest dusk of day, painted on the horizon" suggests a pitch black sky in my mind, and "I watch the sun lay to rest" sets the image of a sunset on the water.

WaitingForLife wrote:Licking a tulip's petal,
I adorn an amethyst
oh so regal in bearing.


I was COMPLETELY stumped with these lines. Beautiful images, indeed, but I could not figure them out for my life. I thought, perhaps, water on an amethyst would make it shine, or something lame like that (or if that's what you actually meant, I suppose it's not very lame... but I doubt that was what you were going for :P). I also associated this stanza with treasure, which, again, brings up thoughts about the sea. But that's all I got.

So, there you go. :) Whether my answer is correct or incorrect, it was a lot of fun trying to figure this out. You obviously put a lot of thought into this, and I love the challenge. This will be something to ponder over the next few days, for sure :) Great riddle, keep it up!




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Nice try and good evidence supporting your answer, but I'm afraid the Black Sea is incorrect. ^^

That been said, you were correct in assuming it's the color spectrum. Also, "fragrance" was put there to do exactly that, stump you. ;) The last stanza is most propably the most vital bit of information to figuring it out; just a little hint. :P

But I'm glad you enjoyed tyring to figure it out, as I had a lot of fun writing it too. :) Thanks for the comment!

(P.S. If you ever want to know the actual answer, just PM me. Though that does sorta skirt the point, but oh well, we all cheat at some points. :P You can also PM me if you come up with a new answer, or just reply here, any way you want to.)
Call me crazy; I prefer 'enjoys life while one can'.
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The pen's mightier than the sword - especially when it's wielded by a flipmothering dragon.
-------
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Wow this is really hard. Well, I like it anyway... My only guess is water, which I'm pretty sure is incorrect.

...So, what is it??? ;)
"A kitten is an angel with whiskers."




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I'm so over-analytical, it's irritating. Hate riddles! (kidding, kidding.)
As the above comment said, my only other guess is water. But that almost seems too simple to be true. :P




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I think I have it. It's a cocktail, called the Cimmerian Shade, made with Creme de Violette, sparkling red wine, rose essence, and grape syrup. Colourwise, it's a very, very dark purple, and has a heavy, fruity taste.

"Cimmerian crashing waves" suggested a drink over ice.
The tulip's petal suggested the plant extract, ie, violets.

Meh, is that your answer?
There will come a time you'll see, with no more tears
and love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there
with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.
~Mumford and Sons


My name is ElderMimmi.




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Water is incorrect I'm afraid. :P Uu, another really nice guess with good evidence behind it, eldermimi, but it's not what I'm looking for. ^^
Over-analytical is the right word; think smaller, simpler. The closest guess yet is eldermimi's, though it's a little too grandiose. Now don't get me wrong, I really liked your guess. :) It's just that I'm looking for something far simpler.

And Kittengirl throw me a PM if you really want to know the answer. Everyone else is welcome to do so of course. :P

Hope you all enjoyed trying to figure it out! :)
Call me crazy; I prefer 'enjoys life while one can'.
-------
The pen's mightier than the sword - especially when it's wielded by a flipmothering dragon.
-------
◥▶◀◤



Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.
— Sigmund Freud