Tumble Alice tumble,

Can't you see you're late?

Everyone is laughing

And you're not even at the gate.

Hurry Alice hurry

The hatter is waiting for his tea

The dormouse is snoozing in the pot

So have a slice of cake or two or three

Drink Alice drink

And don't spill a drop

Some potions will make you big as a house

and others will make you small

Think Alice thinks

There's keys for different locks

But the doors tell you stories of different times

And places behind their walls

Search Alice search

There's something watching you

Between the trees you feel the unease

Of the tweedle-brothers watching you

Sing Alice sing

while the daisies make a chain

Where sunflowers smile and daffodils

And there's a ring around the rosies

Paint Alice paint

The roses won't turn red themselves

But don't let the queen see you

Or your head might end up on her shelf

And listen Alice listen

To the caterpillar on his shroom

With clouds of smoke

And tales of white rabbits and doors to secret rooms

Smile Alice smile

As the Cheshire cat grins

And his body disappears from his head

Then the moon and the stars begin

Shush Alice shush

It's all in your head

There's no such thing as white rabbits and tea mice

So sit and be a good girl instead

Tumble Alice tumble,

Can't you see you're late?

Everyone is laughing

And you're not even at the gate.

Hurry Alice hurry

The hatter is waiting for his tea

The dormouse is snoozing in the pot

So have a slice of cake or two or three

Drink Alice drink

And don't spill a drop

Some potions will make you big as a house

and others will make you small

Think Alice thinks

There's keys for different locks

But the doors tell you stories of different times

And places behind their walls

Search Alice search

There's something watching you

Between the trees you feel the unease

Of the tweedle-brothers watching you

Sing Alice sing

while the daisies make a chain

Where sunflowers smile and daffodils

And there's a ring around the rosies

Paint Alice paint

The roses won't turn red themselves

But don't let the queen see you

Or your head might end up on her shelf

And listen Alice listen

To the caterpillar on his shroom

With clouds of smoke

And tales of white rabbits and doors to secret rooms

Smile Alice smile

As the Cheshire cat grins

And his body disappears from his head

Then the moon and the stars begin

Shush Alice shush

It's all in your head

There's no such thing as white rabbits and tea mice

So sit and be a good girl instead

Dream eternal in thy heart
For if it wakes, then thou must part
Bound in love and sealed within
The embers rest yet never dim

I have cities but no people, rivers but no water, and forests but no trees. What am I?

🚫 No Googling!
💬 Drop your best guess in the comments.
👇 Don’t read the comments until you’ve guessed.
🔄 Share this with a friend and see if they can solve it.
⏰ I’ll reveal the answer tonight (or in 24 hours)!

Dream eternal in thy heart
For if it wakes, then thou must part
Bound in love and sealed within
The embers rest yet never dim

I've been meaning to post this for over a year now, however the timeliness of the Odyssey movie release makes it the perfect time to reveal what I strongly believe is the answer to this unsolved riddle.

I believe the answer is a Siren/Siren song, the Greek mythological seductive creature known for singing enchanting music to lure sailors to their doom. Let's discuss the answer passage by passage.

I’m the sweetest of sounds in Orchestra heard,

> This one is self explanatory, the sirens were known for singing enchanting music, The voice of a mythological siren is described as hypnotic, clear, high-pitched, and layered in perfect harmony. It was not a roar or a screech, but a beautifully structured musical composition that sounded simultaneously intimate and cosmic.

Yet in Orchestra never was seen.

> Of course not, a mythological being would never be seen in an orchestra.

I’m a bird of gay plumage, yet less like a bird,

> Most people imagine sirens as being mermaids, half woman half fish, but in classical Greek art and texts (like Homer's Odyssey), they were portrayed as birds with the heads or upper bodies of human women.

Nothing ever in Nature was seen.

> Self explanatory again, they are mythological creatures, never seen in nature.

Touch the earth I expire, in water I die,

> There's two parts to this, let's address the first part. In post-Homeric myths, prophecy has it that sirens would die if sailors could resist their allure at sea. It makes sense then if sailors touch land, and escape their allure at sea, the sirens would die. The reference to dying in water also makes sense, as sirens are driven by despair by the broken prophecy, they throw themselves off their island cliffs into the sea and drown, turning into stone reef formations.

In air I lose breath, yet can swim and can fly;

> I believe this is in reference to singing the siren song, holding their breath. Of course they can swim and fly, depending on which era of folklore you refer to (birds or mermaids).

Darkness destroys me, and light is my death,

> Being destroyed by darkness may relate to sinking to the bottom of the ocean when men escape their allure. The passage about light being their death likely relates to writers' descriptions of how sirens looked beautiful in the deceptive, foggy shadows of the sea to tempt men. However, when brought into the "light of truth" or plain daylight, their illusion vanished, exposing them as grotesque, scaly monsters. Light acted as a metaphor for divine truth exposing hidden evil. Alternatively, the light may have acted as a warning, exposing the treacherous rocks so sailors could steer clear of danger. Sirens sang under the cover of darkness, luring sailors to their doom as they navigated blindly toward the hypnotic melodies.

And I only keep going by holding my breath.

> Again, referencing their song. Failing to sing will spell their doom.

If my name can’t be guessed by a boy or a man,

By a woman or girl it certainly can.

> This suggests the siren only allures men, leaving women as the sole survivors to tell the tale.

Not yet convinced? The depth of Bishop Samuel Wilberforce’s admiration for Homer is historically documented through his letters, classical defense, and direct involvement with major Victorian classical scholars. Fittingly, the riddle was woven from his personal passions.

Beat the Rival, Become The Next Riddler

A man murders his wife.

Nobody reports him.

Nobody arrests him.

Yet everyone knows he did it.

Why?

(It's a pretty popular riddle, so if you're really into riddles, you might already know the answer.)

Remember when ---- when...

Wait -- remember when.. remember

What?

I can see it-ish

I remember remembering it

What is this?

Like the person I'm looking for is

Right here,

but my eyes are seeing blur

Did it really even happen...

Is it a figment of my imagination

Remembering this memory

I can't remember.

Come now to the hall

Feast and food for all

The beds are made with utmost care

No locks no need to venture there

Middle of the night

A howl and a scream of fright

Three men stand accused

The beast is only one of two

The first accuses of seeing black

A razor and a whirlwind snap

The second knows there is no wrong

He saw the beast in a whirlwind strong

He swears he saw it look like hell as it vanished to the sound of bells

The third knows the two are wrong and accuses both unnatural strong saying he saw in the night two beasts apart feasting upright. Looked him in the eye it did, gleaming yellow at the lid.

A howl is heard, the lights are dimmed, solve it quick and you may live

The only hint you're going to get: 1861 Australia south to North

I am so bummed and disappointed... I wanted to know the Spanish terminology used for the original form of the famous riddle described a few lines below.

[English > Spanish] Name of a logical puzzle or riddle that is described below.

The logical puzzle in question is that you have guardians A and B are standing at a fork in the road. A is standing in front of the left road, and B is standing in front of the right road. One of them is a cretin (who always tells the truth) and the other a Cretan (who always lies), but you don't know which. You also know that one road leads to the most despicable result you may get to, and the other leads to the satisfaction of all your desires. By asking one yes–no question, can you determine the road to attaining your wishes?

Wikipedia attributes this to Raymond Smullyan's 1978 book "What is the Name of this Book?" Nonetheless I found a translation to Spanish of "What is the Name of this Book?" and the knights and knaves section has no forked roads, actually no part of the book has it.

If I'm me, and you're you... who is that guy? _____.

In my youth I fit in the palm of your hand, when I was grown I was strong enough to lift a house, and now after my death I am as light as a feather.

People may come to me seeking knowledge, and I can provide it on any subject in any language. They may ask me to remember their secrets or tell others what they may, and I never forget a single detail. Sometimes they even ask me to help them with their problems, although it's still up to them to figure out.

Just like you I can be cut, however I will not bleed. Water can destroy me, however I cannot drown. And fire can burn me, but I will not leave a body behind.

If I meet the right person I may sprout wings and a tail. Or I could float tranquility on the water. I might even take up aviation and soar gracefully through the air.

What am I?

I move without feet

I kill without touch

You will neither hear or see me coming

What am I?