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It can't be held
but things appear
to have this thing
that some can hear.

A butterfly is more inclined
discerning what you cannot find.
Wonder, war have often sprung,
songs and flags in tribute rung.

What am I?

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  • $\begingroup$ I assume the question is "what is the object being described?" so I added the [riddle] tag. $\endgroup$ Sep 10, 2016 at 22:02
  • $\begingroup$ @randal'thor what else should the question be? How many words does this riddle have? I think it doesn't always have to be stated so obviously. $\endgroup$
    – Avigrail
    Sep 11, 2016 at 6:55
  • $\begingroup$ Could be a butterfly's fart $\endgroup$
    – Avigrail
    Sep 11, 2016 at 6:57
  • $\begingroup$ @Avigrail Well, exactly - I assumed that's what the question was, so I added the riddle tag. (Someone else, not me, later edited in the explicit "What am I?" line.) $\endgroup$ Sep 11, 2016 at 11:24
  • $\begingroup$ @randal'thor That seems to be what we have been doing lately for riddles. So... $\endgroup$
    – Mithical
    Sep 11, 2016 at 12:40

4 Answers 4

1
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My answer:

Color/Colour

It can't be held

I tried it...It can't be held

but things appear
to have this thing

Almost Everything has a color

that some can hear.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia#Chromesthesia

A butterfly is more inclined
discerning what you cannot find.

Butterflies can see in a larger spectrum than people: http://www.butterflyzone.org/butterfly-articles/butterfly-uv-vision.shtml

Wonder, war have often sprung,

I got nothing here

songs and flags in tribute rung.

Flags have different colors.
And there are songs about colors
One color song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQASh8bbkUY :D
More famous ones: http://rateyourmusic.com/list/gibboanx/the_50_greatest_songs_with_colours_in_their_titles/
and my favorite one from the list above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY8_vZXo8oY Johnny Cash rules.

Side note:

I'm color blind...stop it with these riddles.

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  • $\begingroup$ Yes! As far as "Wonder, war have often sprung," the wonder part is a reference to things like rainbows and other wonderful colorful things. And the war is a reference to skin color, e.g. the US Civil War. So happy you answered this! $\endgroup$ Sep 12, 2016 at 16:31
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I admit this is a try:

Solution: A consequence?

but this words give me something to think

It can be held could mean that is a property o something abstractand, after all, all choices have consequences. In fact the next line remembered me the butterfly effect from Ray Bradbury's novel A sound of thunder in wich a simple kill of a butterfly in the past have a lot of consequences.War and wonder are consequences in this novel (the second in the reader!). It is true that a thunder can be heard too, but it seem an even worst solution...

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  • $\begingroup$ good try! but how is a butterfly more discerning of consequences? $\endgroup$ Sep 11, 2016 at 17:21
0
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I believe it might be

Freedom

It can't be held but things appear to have this thing that some can hear.

Freedom is not tangible, but there are things that appear to have freedom (sometimes it's not real freedom). The last line could refer to 'hearing freedom ring' as was used during the abolitionist movement and later.

A butterfly is more inclined discerning what you cannot find. Wonder, war have often sprung, songs and flags in tribute rung.

Butterflies are often typified as 'free' and almost 'carefree'. The whole connection with wars and flags and tributes should be self-evident

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  • $\begingroup$ good try, but can you really hear freedom? $\endgroup$ Sep 11, 2016 at 17:20
  • $\begingroup$ No, but I thought the common phrase might be the link. $\endgroup$
    – Avik Mohan
    Sep 11, 2016 at 22:19
  • $\begingroup$ Ah yes, good guess. $\endgroup$ Sep 12, 2016 at 4:18
0
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is it?

wind

it can't be held

you cannot held or touch wind

but things appear

wind (and especially tornados) can bring things to you

to have this thing

??

that some can hear

the sound of wind can be very heard to hear. also deaf people cannot hear the wind.

a butterfly is more inclined discerning what you cannot find.

a butterfly can feel and use the wind, even when you cannot see that there is wind. (too small a breeze to feel)

wonder, war have often sprung.

wind also can be created by hot and cold air colliding / warring with each other.

songs and flags in tribute rung.

songs are carried by the wind and flags are waving.

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  • $\begingroup$ There is also the 'butterfly effect'. $\endgroup$
    – EKons
    Sep 12, 2016 at 12:30
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry, that's not it. Bit of a stretch to say that war and wonder have sprung from wind. $\endgroup$ Sep 12, 2016 at 13:17

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