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One of many can be swallowed,
One is rot upon the vine,
One for which excess is hollow,
One for which cannot be thine,
Two for cravings not suppressed,
But for what is not the same,
If the last you don't possess,
Then you should know all their names.

What are they?
Returning from a long hiatus, this is the first riddle I've posted in a long time. I'm looking for a full explanation. Hopefully it is neither too easy nor too difficult. ~JD

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2 Answers 2

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The seven deadly sins

One of many can be swallowed,

Pride (you can swallow your pride)

One is rot upon the vine,

Sloth (not harvesting fruit while it is still ripe is sloth)

One for which excess is hollow,

Greed (no excess is enough to satisfy greed)

One for which cannot be thine,

Lust (lusting after they who cannot be yours)

Two for cravings not suppressed,

Gluttony (unlimited enjoyment of food and other material pleasures)

but also Wrath (always giving into one's temper, which can be seen as a kind of craving to lash out at others)

But for what is not the same, If the last you don't possess, Then you should know all their names.

Despondency (either you would be too despondent to answer the riddle, or, answering the riddle would delight you and cure you of your despondency.)

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  • $\begingroup$ +1 for correct answer, however the explanation is somewhat out of order. I'll give you some time to come up with the meanings of the lines before I mark best answer. Nice work. :) $\endgroup$
    – Bulldogg6404
    May 6, 2016 at 12:08
  • $\begingroup$ On mobile as my defense. I will move things around a bit later. $\endgroup$
    – Benjamin Braun
    May 6, 2016 at 12:09
  • $\begingroup$ @Buldogg6404 Done $\endgroup$
    – Benjamin Braun
    May 6, 2016 at 16:54
  • $\begingroup$ Marking for best answer now that we have meanings defined. See Gannolloy's answer and my comment after it for what was missed, and feel free to edit your answer accordingly. Nicely done to both of you! $\endgroup$
    – Bulldogg6404
    May 6, 2016 at 20:37
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To help @BenjaminBraun:

One of many can be swallowed,

Pride

One is rot upon the vine,

Sloth

One for which excess is hollow,

Gluttony

One for which cannot be thine,

Envy

Two for cravings not suppressed, But for what is not the same,

Greed (for things), Lust (for things)

If the last you don't possess, Then you should know all their names.

Wrath (Not exactly sure how this fits the clue, but its the only one left)

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  • $\begingroup$ Yours is closest to what I had meant. The only difference is switching wrath and sloth. "Rot upon the vine" was meant to refer to "one bad apple spoils the bunch" as well as a hidden reference to the grapes of wrath (rot/wrought, vine). Sloth is not just laziness physically, but also spiritually, so if you are not sloth, you would be well informed of the seven deadly sins and their names. One could also argue to swap greed and gluttony, but that is a negligible difference. Nicely done, both of you! $\endgroup$
    – Bulldogg6404
    May 6, 2016 at 20:35

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