The Sphinx's Riddle (Book 4)

 

This is the riddle that the sphinx posed to Harry in the maze during the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. It would be too much to ask for this riddle to fully make sense in a foreign language, given that each clue but the last yields a part of the pronunciation of the English word 'spider', but at least one translator comes close.

English

First think of the person who lives in disguise, Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies. Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend, The middle of the middle and the end of the end? And finally give me the sound often heard, During the search for a hard-to-find word. Now string them together, and answer me this, Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?

 

Chinese (Mainland)

The sphinx (斯芬科斯 sīfēnkēsī) asks the following riddle:

先想想什么人总带着假面， 行动诡秘，谎话连篇。 再告诉我什么东西总是缝缝补补， 中间的中间，尾部的尾部？ 最后告诉我想不出词的时候 哪个字经常被说出口。 现在把它们连起来，回答我， 什么是你不愿意亲吻的动物？

Xiān xiǎng xiǎng shénme rén zǒng dài-zhe jiǎmiàn, Xíngdòng guǐmì, huǎnghuà lián biān. Zài gàosu wǒ shénme dōngxi zǒngshì féng féng bǔ bǔ, Zhōngjiān de zhōngjiān, wěibù de wěibù? Zuìhòu gàosu wǒ xiǎng-bu-chū cí de shíhou Nǎ-ge zì jīngcháng bèi shuō chū kǒu. Xiànzài bǎ tāmen lián qǐlái, huídá wǒ, Shénme shì nǐ bú yuànyi qīnwén de dòngwù?

The answer that Harry gives is:

"spider! 蜘蛛!"

(Note: 蜘蛛 = zhīzhū)

The Chinese translator has a five-part footnote explaining the mechanics of the word play.

Notice how the verse is largely arranged into rhyming couplets.

 

Chinese (Taiwan)

The sphinx (人面獅身獸 rénmiàn-shīshēn-shòu = 'man's face lion's body creature') asks the following riddle:

首先設想一名偽裝身分的人， 他買賣機密，說的話沒有半句是真。 其次，告訟我最後才能改善的事物為何， 是最中之中還是最終之終？ 最後再告訟我當你苦苦沈吟， 搜索字眼時所最常發出的聲音。 現在把它們連在一起，回答我這個疑問， 有哪種生物你死都不願去親吻？

Shǒuxiān shèxiǎng yīmíng wěizhuāng shēnfen de rén, Tā mǎimài jīmì, shuō de huà méi yǒu bàn-jù shì zhēn. Qícì, gàosu wǒ zuì hòu cái néng gǎishàn de shìwù wéi hé, Shì zuì zhōng zhī zhōng háishì zuì zhōng zhī zhōng? Zuì hòu zài gàosu wǒ dāng nǐ kǔkǔ chényín, Sōusuǒ zìyǎn shí suǒ zuì cháng fāchū de shēngyīn. Xiànzài bǎ tāmen lián zài yīqǐ, huídá wǒ zhège yíwèn, Yǒu nǎ-zhǒng shēngwù nǐ sǐ dōu sǐ bù yuàn qù qīnwén?

Harry's answer is:

"一隻蜘蛛（spider）！"

(Note: 一隻蜘蛛 = yī-zhī zhīzhū)

As can be seen in Harry's reply, rather than give hints in a footnote, the Taiwanese translator simply gives English words in parentheses as Harry unravels the answer.

The Taiwanese translator also for the most part manages to arrange the verse into rhyming couplets.

Line 4 is interesting in that 'in the middle' and 'at the end' are rendered using homophones (i.e., 最中之中 zuì zhōng zhī zhōng 'in the middle of the very middle' is pronounced the same as 最終之終 zuì zhōng zhī zhōng 'at the end of the very end').

 

Japanese

The sphinx (スフィンクス sufinkusu) asks the following riddle:

最初のヒント。変装して生きる人だれだ 秘密の取引、嘘ばかりつく人だれだ 二つ目のヒント。だれでもはじめに持っていて 途中にまだまだ持っていて、なんだのさいごはなんだ？ 最後のヒントはただの音。言葉探しに苦労して、 よく出す音はなんの音 つないでごらん。答えてごらん。 キスしたくない生き物はなんだ？

Saisho no hinto. Hensō shite ikiru hito dare da Himitsu no torihiki, uso bakari tsuku hito dare da Futatsu-me no hinto. Dare demo hajime ni motte ite Tochū ni mada mada motte ite, nanda no saigo wa nanda? Saigo no hinto wa tada no oto. Kotoba-sagashi ni kurō shite, yoku dasu oto wa nan no oto Tsunaide goran. Kotaete goran. Kisu shitaku nai ikimono wa nanda?

Harry's answer is:

"スパイダァー！蜘蛛だ！"

(Pronunciation is Supaidā! Kumo da!)

Despite the odds, the Japanese translator actually manages to have the three clues spell out the word スパイダー supaidā, which is how the English word 'spider' is pronounced in Japanese. The first clue yields スパイ supai ('spy'), the second yields だ da (the syllable), the third yields ア a (the sound). The fourth yields the sense, 蜘蛛 kumo, which of course is only intelligible if you know the English word 'spider'.

 

Vietnamese

The sphinx (Bà Nhân) asks Harry the following riddle:

Trước tiên hãy nghĩ đến cái người sống trong sự trá hình, Kẻ thỏa thuận trong bí mật và chỉ nói dối mà thôi. Kế đến hãy nói cho ta biết cái gì luôn luôn là điều tu sửa cuối cùng Ở giữa cái giữa và cuối cái cuối? Và cuối cùng hãy cho ta cái âm thanh vẫn thường được nghe Trong suốt cuộc tìm kiếm cái từ khó tìm được. Bây giờ hãy xâu chúng lại với nhau, vá trả lời ta điều này, Sinh vật nào mà trò không muốn hôn chút nào?

Harry's reply is:

"con nhền nhện!"

The Vietnamese translation is the weakest of the four because in groping for clues, Harry quite inexplicably moves from the intermediate clues gián điệp 'spy' and ơ 'er' to the correct answer nhền nhện 'spider'. There is no explanation of the fact that 'spy' and 'spider' share a similar pronunciation in English, which is crucial to understanding the riddle.