New Riddles With Answers - page 13 of 53
Used left or right, I get to travel over cobblestone or gravel. Used up, I vie for sweet success, used down, I cause men great duress.
Hitchhikers stick out a thumb, left or right, to catch a ride over any road, and a thumbs-up signals success while a thumbs-down spells trouble.
When the day after tomorrow is yesterday, today will be as far from Wednesday as today was from Wednesday when the day before yesterday was tomorrow. What is the day after this day?
Working through each relative day-shift in the riddle - the day after tomorrow, the day before yesterday - and solving for consistency with Wednesday pins the day in question down to Thursday.
I can be moved. I can be rolled. But nothing will I hold. I'm red and I'm blue, and I can be other colors too. Having no head, though similar in shape. I have no eyes - yet move all over the place.
A ball rolls and moves in every color without holding anything inside, has no head or eyes despite its round shape, yet can end up anywhere it's kicked or thrown.
I'm in a box, full of that which is most rare. But I'm not a flute, and I'm not some hair. Though soft be my bed, I'm as hard as a rock. While dull in the dark, I glisten once unlocked.
A precious jewel rests on a soft velvet lining inside its box, hard as stone and dull until the box is opened and it catches the light.
I do not breathe, but I run and jump. I do not eat, but I swim and stretch. I do not drink, but I sleep and stand. I do not think, but I grow and play. I do not see, but you see me everyday.
Though lifeless without breath, thought, or appetite of its own, your leg runs, jumps, swims, stretches, and grows right along with you, visible every single day.
Some women don't like to be called that, yet every woman wants one. It cries and makes a lot of noise, but smiles and gurgles when you give it toys.
No grown woman likes being called a 'baby,' yet most dream of having one - a bundle that cries loudly one moment and gurgles happily with a toy the next.
Never was, I am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breath on this terrestrial ball. What am I?
Almost word-for-word the same riddle as another in this collection, this version's answer is 'the future' - something no one has ever truly seen, yet everyone lives their life trusting it will come.
Those wooden birds are now in sight whose voices roar, whose wings are white, whose maws are fill'd with hose and shoes, with wine, cloth, sugar, salt and news, when they have eas'd their stomachs here they cry farewell, until next year.
This old riddle describes wooden sailing ships with roaring cannons, white sails ('wings'), and cargo holds ('maws') full of goods that unload at port before sailing off again.
My voice is tender, my waist is slender and I'm often invited to play. Yet wherever I go, I must take my bow or else I have nothing to say. What am I?
A violin has a slender, curved 'waist,' a gentle tone, and needs its bow drawn across the strings or it produces no sound at all.
A beggar's brother went out to sea and drowned. But the man who drowned had no brother. Who was the beggar to the man who drowned?
Since the drowned man had no brother, the beggar who called him 'brother' must actually be female -- his sister.
I am the heart that does not beat. If cut, I bleed without blood. I can fly, but have no wings. I can float, but have no fins. I can sing, but have no mouth.
Wood has a grain sometimes called its 'heart,' oozes sap ('bleeds') when cut, and shaped into arrows, boats, or instruments, it can fly, float, or sing without wings, fins, or a mouth of its own.
Creatures of power, creatures of grade, creatures of beauty, creatures of strength. As for their lives, they set everything's pace. For all things must come to live. Under their emerald embrace. Either in their life or in their death.
Trees of every size and strength shelter all living things beneath their green canopy in life, and their wood often accompanies us even in death, as with a coffin.
I can trap many different things and colors, ever changing, not boring. Look closely and you may find yourself also caught in my trap.
A mirror captures every color and shape reflected before it, endlessly changing, and if you look closely you'll always find your own reflection caught within it.
I have an end but no beginning, a home but no family, a space without room. I never speak but there is no word I cannot make. What am I?
A computer keyboard has literal 'End' and 'Home' keys, a 'Space' bar that holds no room, and though silent itself, it can type out any word imaginable.
I am one small little piece of paper, yet sometimes hold lots of value. I am all you need to get in to big events, but will cost you. I am an important part of travel. And if lost, you're not coming. What am I?
A small paper ticket can be worth a lot, is your admission to big events or trips, and losing it means you won't be getting in.
My first brace Nelson yielded, midst the jar of angry battle, and the din of war; my second, when from labor we retreat, far from polite, yet offers us a seat; my whole is but my second more complete.
ARM (which Admiral Nelson famously lost in battle) plus CHAIR (where we rest after labor) combine into ARMCHAIR - a chair made 'more complete' with armrests.
I roam through the lands hoping to rescue my love. I search high and low, and will stomp on you if you get in my way. What am I?
In the Mario video game series, the hero treks across many lands to rescue Princess Peach, defeating enemies along the way by stomping on them.
We are little brethren twain, arbiters of loss and gain; man to our counters run, some are made, and some undone; but men find it, to their cost, few are made, but numbers lost; though we play them tricks for ever, yet they always hope our favor.
A pair of dice decides fortunes at the gaming table - luck rarely favors the gambler, yet players keep hoping the dice will turn in their favor.
As a whole, I am both safe and secure. Behead me, I become a place of meeting. Behead me again, I am the partner of ready. Restore me, I become the domain of beasts.
STABLE beheaded becomes TABLE (a meeting place), beheaded again becomes ABLE (paired with 'ready'), and restoring the S returns to STABLE - literally a barn, the domain of beasts.
I am in the sky but also in the ground. When you study me, no matter how long, I will always end with an f. I may be in your yard but not in your house. What am I?
Leaves fall from the sky and end up on the ground, the word 'leaf' always ends in 'f,' and leaves are found outdoors in the yard, not typically inside the house.
My first, if you do, you'll increase; my second will keep you from heaven; my whole, such a human caprice, is more frequently given than taken.
ADD (which increases a total) plus VICE (a sin that keeps you from heaven) combine into ADVICE - notoriously given far more often than it's actually taken.
My first is to be seen every day in the firmament; My second conquers kings and queens; And my whole is what I would offer to a friend in distress.
'Sol' is the sun seen daily in the sky, an 'ace' beats kings and queens in cards, and together they form 'solace' -- comfort offered to a struggling friend.
I am the beginning of sorrow, and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never seen out of darkness.
The letter S starts 'sorrow' and ends 'sickness,' sits inside 'happiness' and 'crosses,' pairs with 'risk' but not 'danger,' and appears in 'sun' but never outside 'darkness.'
My first is a heir; My second's a snare; My whole is the offspring of fancy; Which I sent, out of play, Upon Valentine's day, As a token of love, to my Nancy.
An 'heir' is often a 'son,' and a 'snare' is a 'net' -- combine son plus net to get 'sonnet,' a poem born of imagination and a classic Valentine's gift.
I am easy to see, but no one likes looking at me. Without me, there would be no you. I can make you complain, or make you happy. But you almost always take me for granted. What am I?
Everyone can see the sun, yet staring at it is uncomfortable; without it there'd be no life on Earth, and its presence affects everyone's mood, though it's easy to take for granted.
If you look you cannot see me. If you see me you cannot see anything else. I can make anything you want happen, but later everything goes back to normal.
Imagination itself is invisible, yet when you're absorbed in it you notice nothing else around you, conjuring anything you wish before reality resumes.
Before my birth I have a name, but soon as born I lose the same; and when I'm laid within the tomb, I do my father's name assume; I change my name three days together, yet live but on in any weather.
Before it arrives it's called 'tomorrow,' the moment it happens it becomes 'today,' and once past it takes on its father's name, 'yesterday' -- living on regardless of the weather.
I cost no money to use, or conscious effort to take part of. And as far as you can see, there is nothing to me. But without me, you are dead.
Air is free, invisible, and requires no real effort to take in with each breath, yet life is utterly impossible without it.
I come off a beautiful creature, which soars in the sky. I come off a peckish creature, which has a tail as mighty as the sun! I am sometimes dirty, and parents beg you not to pick me up. What am I?
A feather comes from birds like eagles (soaring) and roosters (whose tail feathers can be showy), and parents often discourage kids from touching a dirty one found outside.
I am as simple as a circle, worthless as a leader; but when I follow a group, their strength increases tenfold. By myself I'm practically nothing. What am I?
Zero looks like a plain circle, means nothing on its own or when leading a number, yet placed after other digits it multiplies their value tenfold with each one added.
I am essential to life on earth! I am split into thirds. Two thirds are the same. One of the thirds is 8. The other two are 1 each. What am I?
Water (H2O) is made of two hydrogen atoms (each atomic number 1) and one oxygen atom (atomic number 8) — 'two thirds the same' and 'one of the thirds is 8.'
There's not a kingdom on the earth, but I have traveled over and over, and though I know not whence my birth, yet when I come, you know my roar. I through the town do take my flight, and through the fields and meadows green, and whether it be day or night, I neither am nor can be seen.
The wind has traveled everywhere without a birthplace of its own, roars audibly through town and field, yet remains completely invisible day or night.
Within passion's fruit they will be found, and more of them in the pomegranate's crown. Rowed they are within an apple's core, yet other fruits have them more. And though the nectarine has but one, still, this is all just in fun. Playing hide and seek- a children's game. Finding out each player is just the same.
Passion fruit, pomegranates, apples, and nectarines all contain seeds in varying numbers, and the poem plays on "seeds" sounding just like "seeks" in hide-and-seek.
Words come out of it, aligned in perfect silence. A messenger of black on white, a slinky fellow drawing lines, of thin and soft graphite.
A pencil silently produces words on paper, its slender graphite core leaving soft, dark lines like a quiet messenger of black on white.
Is said to make the world go around, but only if we let it. It puts a value on a thing, and makes you do some crazy things, just so you can get it.
Money is often blamed for making the world go round, assigns value to everything, and drives people to do things they normally wouldn't, all in pursuit of getting more of it.
I am merry creature in pleasant time of year, As in but certain seasons, I sing that you can hear; And yet I'm made a by-word, A very perfect mock; Compared to foolish persons, And silliest of all folk.
The cuckoo bird sings cheerfully only in certain seasons, yet its name became slang for someone foolish or a little crazy - a 'cuckoo' insult born from the bird itself.
Five hundred begins it, five hundred ends it. Five in the middle is seen. First of all figures, the first of all letters. Take up their stations between. Join all together, and then you will bring before you the name of an eminent king.
D (500 in Roman numerals) starts and ends the name, V (5) sits in the middle, and A (first letter of the alphabet) and I (the first Roman numeral) fill the remaining spots, spelling DAVID, the biblical king.
I am in the past, never in the future. I don't exist, but have existed. I saw what you saw, and this is what I will ever see. What am I?
A memory exists only in the past, can never be renewed by the future, and forever replays exactly what was once seen, unchanged.
Mouthless but I will tell you a name that is not mine, I will show you the years I have seen but I have no eyes, memory I have but I have no mind.
A gravestone bears someone else's name, marks the years of a lifespan without having eyes to have seen them, and serves as a silent 'memory' with no mind of its own.
Six letters do my name compound; Among the aged oft I'm found; The shepherd also, by the brook, Hears me when leaning on his crook; But in the middle me divide, And take the half on either side, Each backward read, a liquor tell, Ev'ry gay toper knows it well.
Split 'murmur' down the middle into 'mur' and 'mur,' and each half read backward spells 'rum' - the liquor every heavy drinker ('toper') knows well.
Oh lord! I am not worthy! I bend my limbs to the ground. I cry, yet without a sound. Let me drink of waters deep. And in silence I will weep.
The weeping willow bends its long branches toward the ground near water, its drooping form evoking a silent, sorrowful weeping.
Kings and queens may cling to power, and the jesters may have their call. I am the most common but I can rule them all. What am I?
In many card games the Ace outranks even the King and Queen, and though it's the lowest-numbered card, it can trump every other card in the deck.
I am never quite what I appear to be. Straight-forward I seem, but it's only skin deep. For mystery most often lies beneath my simple speech. Sharpen your wits, open your eyes, look beyond my exteriors, read me backwards, forwards, upside down. Think and answer the question...What am I?
A riddle looks simple on the surface but hides a deeper meaning, rewarding those who examine it from every angle - fittingly, this very riddle describes itself.
I have no voice but I can teach you all there is to know. I have spines and hinges but I am not a door. Once I've told you all, I cannot tell you more. What am I?
A book is silent yet teaches everything within it, has a 'spine' and hinge-like binding without being a door, and once you've read it all, it has nothing more to tell.
First I may be your servant's name; then your desires I may proclaim; And, when your mortal life is over, hold all your wealth within my power.
'Will' can be a given name (short for William), a verb expressing desire or intention, and the legal document that controls how your wealth is distributed after death.
You get many of me, but never enough. After the last one, your life soon will snuff. You may have one of me but one day a year, When the last one is gone, your life disappears.
You accumulate birthdays year after year, always wanting more, and once your very last birthday has come and gone, your life is over.
It is more feared than fear itself, And no one can escape it. It takes no sides and does not judge, it does not know to hold a grudge. It is the most clearest result, Of how life beats you by default.
Death is universal, unavoidable, and impartial, everyone eventually experiences it regardless of who they are, making it the inevitable end result of life.
I am the outstretched fingers that seize and hold the wind. Wisdom flows from me in other hands. Upon me are sweet dreams dreamt, my merest touch brings laughter.
A feather's barbs catch the wind like fingers, quill pens (made from feathers) once wrote down wisdom, feather pillows cradle sleepers' dreams, and a feather's light touch famously tickles and causes laughter.
It's true I bring serenity. And hang around the stars. But yet I live in misery, you'll find me behind bars. With thieves and villains I consort. In prison I'll be found. But I would never go to court. Unless there's more than one.
Adding the letter S turns 'star' into 'stars,' 'bar' into 'bars,' and 'court' into 'courts' - it only shows up when there's more than one of something, fitting every clue in the riddle.
To give me to someone I don't belong to is cowardly, but to take me is noble. I can be a game, but there are no winners. What am I?
Blaming someone else for your own fault is cowardly, but voluntarily taking the blame yourself is considered noble; in a 'blame game,' there's never a true winner.
A thousand colored folds stretch toward the sky. Atop a tender strand, rising from the land, until killed by maiden's hand. Perhaps a token of love, perhaps to say goodbye.
A flower's many colorful folded petals rise on a slender stem until picked by a maiden's hand - given as a token of love or laid down in farewell.
Comes in bits and pieces, put together forms a whole. It's athletics for the mind, the more you think the more you find. Sometimes it can be a grind, but then, that is the goal.
A puzzle is made of separate pieces that only reveal the full picture once combined, making it a genuine workout for the mind.
My first is ocean but not in sea, My second in milk but not in me. My third is in three but not in throw, My fourth in vow but not in crow. My fifth is in eight but not in night, My last is in wrong and also right. My whole is praise for thoughts or men; Or women, too, or tongue or pen.
Each line hides one letter of CLEVER - C from ocean, L from milk, E from three, V from vow, E from eight, R from wrong - spelling out a word of praise for sharp thinking.
I am a window, I am a lamp, I am clouded, I am shining, I am colored and set in white, I fill with water and overflow. I say much, but I have no words.
An eye has a colored iris set in white, can well up and overflow with tears, and though it says nothing aloud, its expressions can speak volumes.
A young man wants to have it, but when he has it he no longer wants it. Blade in hand he attacks it And does his best to remove it. Yet he knows that it is all in vain.
A young man looks forward to growing his first beard, then shaves it off once he has it, knowing all along that it will simply grow right back.
It comes only before, it comes only after. Rises only in darkness, but rises only in light. It is always the same, but is yet always different.
The moon precedes and follows the sun in the sky, is most visible rising at night yet shines with reflected daylight, and though it is the same moon each month, its phase is always changing.
Sometimes you feel it weigh a ton. Yet it is nothing, but somehow still there. Makes you uncomfortable around anyone, But speak its name and it's gone.
Silence can feel like a heavy, physical presence between people, yet the instant you say the word 'silence' out loud, it is broken and gone.
My first part compliments people. My second part makes things known. My third part hurts feelings. My fourth part holds a previous treasure. My fifth part is used when sharing fancy beverages. What am I?
This charade riddle points to the word "hand": lending a hand compliments, information gets handed over, a backhand can hurt, heirlooms are handed down, and drinks are handed round -- though the fit for each clue is loose in the source material.
Physicists have built devices to move me very fast. My last seven letters can be commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and journals. What am I?
Physicists accelerate subatomic particles to tremendous speeds, and dropping the leading letter from 'particles' leaves 'articles' - the written pieces found in newspapers, magazines, and journals.
I saw a fight the other day; A damsel did begin the fray. She with her daily friend did meet, then standing in the open street, she gave such hard and sturdy blows, he bled ten gallons at the nose; yet neither seemed to faint nor fall, nor gave her an abuse at all.
This old riddle's 'fight' and 'bleeding' are a playful disguise for two people working a water pump - the 'blows' and 'ten gallons' describe pumped water, not real violence.
The ones who see it may go blind, Contracting the fool's madness. You have to dig to find it, Crush big stones or mine it. Wash dirt clumps in a pan and wait for it to settle, A shiny, precious metal.
Gold prospecting has historically driven some miners to obsession ('gold fever'), and the shining metal is uncovered by digging, crushing ore, or panning dirt in a stream.
Lots of them make up a word, And lots of words are in them. It's easy when you think about it. A while ago we stamped and mailed them.
The word 'letters' works both ways at once - the alphabet letters that build every word, and the mailed 'letters,' themselves made of words, once stamped and sent by post.
I stand up tall and made of steel, with baguettes and garlic at my heel. I love the colours red, white and blue, but obviously not as much as you. I am a marvel for all to see, though to some I am a monstrosity! What am I?
The Eiffel Tower is a steel landmark in Paris near famous French bread and garlic markets, lit in the colors of the French flag, and once considered by critics a monstrosity rather than a marvel.
I am whole but incomplete. I have no eyes, yet I see. You can see, and see right through me. My largest part is one fourth of what I once was.
A skeleton is a whole set of bones yet incomplete without flesh; its empty eye sockets let light pass through, and its largest single part, the skull, forms from far fewer fused bones than the many separate ones a baby's skull once had.
A young lady walked through the meadow and scattered her glass pearls. The Moon saw this, yet didn't tell her. The Sun woke up and gathered the pearls.
Morning dew, likened to scattered glass pearls, forms unseen overnight under the moon's watch and is 'gathered' away again once the sun rises and evaporates it.
My first is in blood and also in battle. My second is in acorn, oak, and apple. My third and fourth are both the same. In the center of sorrow and twice in refrain. My fifth starts eternity ending here. My last is the first of last, Oh Dear!
Each clue spells one letter of BARREL - B from blood and battle, A from acorn/oak/apple, R doubled from the center of 'sorrow' and twice in 'refrain,' E starting 'eternity,' and L, the first letter of 'last.'
I run over fields and woods all day. Under the bed at night I sit not alone. My tongue hangs out, up and to the rear, awaiting to be filled in the morning.
Shoes are worn out and about all day, kept under the bed at night, and each has a "tongue" sticking out, waiting to be put on (filled with a foot) in the morning.
I've been argued on my colour. Without me you'll die. So many attempts on your life use me, so make sure you have many of my "White" friends. What am I?
Blood's true color has long been debated, and red blood cells are essential to survival, working alongside their 'white' counterparts to keep the body alive against constant threats.
Searing 'cross the pitch-black skies, I scream in celebration, Yet moments later, my outburst through, I am naught but imagination.
A firework streaks into the night sky and bursts with a celebratory "scream" (whistle and bang), but once its brief display fades, all that remains is the memory of the show.
Matt is the fiftieth fastest and the fiftieth slowest runner in his school. Assuming no two runners are the same speed, how many runners are in Matt's school?
If Matt is 50th fastest, 49 runners are faster than him, and if he's 50th slowest, 49 are slower - adding Matt himself gives 49 + 49 + 1 = 99 runners total.
Once upon a time there were seven dwarfs who were all brothers. They were all born two years apart. The youngest dwarf is seven years old. How old is his oldest brother?
With seven brothers spaced two years apart and the youngest at 7, the ages run 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 - so the oldest is 19, not the 21 many people mistakenly guess.
There is a clothing store in Bartlesville. The owner has devised his own method of pricing items. A vest costs $20, socks cost $25, a tie costs $15 and a blouse costs $30. Using the method, how much would a pair of underwear cost?
Each price is exactly $5 per letter in the item's name (vest=4 letters=$20, blouse=6 letters=$30), so 'underwear,' with nine letters, costs 9 x $5 = $45.
In the land of the green glass door there are riddles but no answers, sheets but no blankets, and books but no words. Name something found in the land of the green glass door.
This classic party riddle allows only items whose name contains a double letter - 'riddles,' 'sheets,' and 'books' all qualify, just like the example word 'letters.'
We travelled the sea far and wide. At one time, two of my sailors were standing on opposite sides of the ship. One was looking west and the other one east. And at the same time, they could see each other clearly. How can that be possible?
Standing back-to-back at opposite ends of the ship (bow and stern), one facing west and the other facing east, they would actually be facing toward each other along the length of the ship and could see one another clearly.
I'm simple for a few people. But hard for them to hear. I live inside of secrets. I bring people's worst fears. What am I?
The truth can be painfully hard for some people to accept, often hides inside secrets, and confronting it is many people's greatest fear.
I have many feathers to help me fly. I have a body and head, but I'm not alive. It is your strength that determines how far I go. You can hold me in your, but I'm never thrown. What am I?
An arrow has feathered fletching to help it fly true, is lifeless wood and metal on its own, and its range depends on the archer's strength - it is shot from a bow, never thrown.
Many shapes, many sizes. Can't be seen, only felt. I bring pain, I bring joy, I bring laughter, I bring happiness. I can tear the mightiest from their thrones, and those who have me are rich. What am I?
Love cannot be seen or touched but produces the strongest emotions imaginable, has toppled kings and empires throughout history, and having it makes anyone feel "rich" regardless of material wealth.
With me you are blind, To others and what they are, Over me you cannot see, Even though I'm in your head, I am full of myself, I think I'm better than you, I'm a horrible thing to be, Can you tell me, What am I?
The official answer is ignorance -- being blind to the truth about others and unaware of one's own blind spots -- though the line "I think I'm better than you" arguably fits arrogance or pride even more closely; the source's stated answer is used here since willful ignorance often produces that same dismissive, superior attitude.
I live in a busy place in the city, I'll let you stay with me for a while, If you don't feed me, I can get you into trouble. What am I?
A parking meter sits on a busy city street, lets you stay parked for the time you've paid, and gets you a ticket - trouble - if you forget to feed it coins.
Half of the population uses me, and you lose me all the time. I'm small and yellow, black, brown or silver. You use me to hold things up. What am I?
Bobby pins are small metal hair fasteners used mostly by women, constantly lost, and made in colors like black, brown, or silver to blend into hair.
I am two-faced, but bear one head. Men spill their blood for me. I have no legs but travel widely. I make kings immortal. I am potent when shared; Yet lust for my power keeps me locked away. What am I?
Currency (like coins) is 'two-faced' with heads and tails, people fight and even die over it, it travels the world through trade, and hoarded wealth is often locked away in vaults.
I'm a king that speaks for my country At birth I protected by no one As I grow my father gives me 2 soldiers to protect me As I get matured many more are given to me And at my full age my father gives me 32 white soldiers to guard me and protect me What am I?
The tongue "speaks" for a person, is unprotected at birth, gains "soldiers" (teeth) as a baby grows, and by adulthood is guarded by a full set of 32 white teeth.
I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry; on the same spot I'm always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I?
A windmill has four rotating blades ('wings') that never carry it anywhere, and it works silently and tirelessly in the same spot.
I am one of many, You forget I'm here, but I'm just below. Without me, you'd surely topple, Go ahead, what am I?
Toes are often overlooked, positioned at the front of your feet, yet they play an important role in balance -- without them, you'd more easily topple over.
I love to wake up at noon And help with the many jobs I prefer the countryside to the city I help produce the things you eat What am I?
A farmer can often sleep in later than city workers on any given day, handles countless different chores on the land, and grows the food people eat.
I'm a very valuable thing to have. Use me right now, you should. Yet if you cut off my hindquarters, I'd be but a piece of wood. What am I?
This is a wordplay riddle: "logic" is valuable to use, but if you remove its ending ("-ic," the "hindquarters"), you are left with "log" -- literally a piece of wood.
I'm a word, six letters long; I sometimes enter with a gong. All in order from A to Z, I start with the letter B. What is the word?
"Begins" has six letters, starts with B (the second letter of the alphabet), and events such as boxing matches often "begin" with the sound of a gong.
I have a title and many pages I am a genteel of genteel descent I am a killer veteran of war I am a slave to my lord Pledged to his service.
A knight holds a noble title ("genteel descent"), is a battle-hardened warrior, and is sworn in loyal service to his lord -- the "many pages" evoke both his title and the chivalric records written of him.
I have a leg but I do not move, A face but no expression, Be it wind or rain I stay outside. What am I?
A scarecrow has a single supporting pole ("leg"), a stitched or painted "face" without real expression, and stands outdoors in all weather to guard a field.
As beautiful as the setting sun, As delicate as the morning dew; An angel's dusting from the stars, That can turn the Earth into a frosted moon. What am I?
Snow is often poetically described as beautiful, delicate, and star-like as it dusts the earth, transforming the ground into a bright, moon-like white landscape.
Everyone has it. Those who have it least don't know that they have it. Those who have it most wish they had less of it, But not too little or none at all.
Everyone has an age; very young children do not understand the concept of their own age, while the elderly often wish to be younger -- yet nobody truly wants to be an infant again either.
I come when the weather is at its prime, Though, it might be wise to leave nothing on the street. But, in the wintertime My name is obsolete What am I?
Hail typically forms during warm-season storms and can be hazardous to leave things exposed to, but once true winter cold sets in, precipitation falls as snow instead, so the term becomes obsolete.
My thunder comes before my lightning. My lightning comes before my rain. And my rain dries all the ground it touches. What am I?
A volcano rumbles like thunder before it flashes fire, and the molten 'rain' of lava that follows scorches and dries out everything it touches.
You use me for multiple reasons, I am many colored, and many shaped. I may or may not also tell you your sexual preference. What am I?
A scarf comes in endless colors, shapes, and uses for warmth or fashion; the riddle's final line is a wink at real-world scarf color codes some subcultures use to signal orientation.
Looks like water, but it's heat. Sits on sand, lays on concrete. People have been known, To follow it everywhere. But it gets them no place, And all they can do is stare.
A mirage is an optical illusion caused by heat that looks like water on sand or pavement; anyone chasing it can never actually reach it.
I am rather large and usually majestic. I am every hue of the rainbow I can eat you, I may heat you, You only wish you could see me. What am I?
Dragons in myth are described as majestic, multicolored creatures that can breathe fire (heat you) and devour people (eat you), yet remain mythical -- something people only wish they could see.
It may only be given, Not taken or bought, What the sinner desires, But the saint does not.
Forgiveness must be freely given by another person -- it cannot be bought or seized -- and it is most desperately sought by those who have sinned rather than by those who have not.
I look flat, but I am deep, Hidden realms I shelter. Lives I take, but food I offer. At times I am beautiful. I can be calm, angry and turbulent. I have no heart, but offer pleasure as well as death. No man can own me, yet I encompass what all men must have.
The ocean looks flat from the surface but harbors vast, hidden depths; it takes lives through drowning yet provides food through fishing, and it belongs to no single person while sustaining all of humanity.
I have one eye, See near and far, I hold the moments you treasure, And the things that make you weep.
A camera has one "eye" (its lens), captures scenes near and far, and preserves cherished or sorrowful moments as photographs.
A harvest sown and reaped on the same day In an unplowed field, Which increases without growing, Remains whole though it is eaten Within and without, Is useless and yet The staple of nations.
This classic riddle describes war: it can be started and ended ("sown and reaped") within a single day, grows through destruction rather than cultivation, consumes nations from within and without, and has tragically been a grim "staple" of human history.