Tirelessly I hammer away
yet over time my work frays
Making things both new and old
but what I make one cannot hold
Who or What am I?
Edit:
Changed last line to rhyme better, credit to Pugmonkey
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
5
-
3$\begingroup$ The "be hold" instead of "be held" is just for the rhyme it's not a hint $\endgroup$– Jon.GCommented May 14, 2018 at 9:40
-
2$\begingroup$ How about "cannot be hold" -> "I cannot hold"? $\endgroup$– Joonas IlmavirtaCommented May 14, 2018 at 11:55
-
1$\begingroup$ It would be confusing that only you cannot hold that or nobody can.@JoonasIlmavirta $\endgroup$– prit.patelCommented May 14, 2018 at 11:57
-
2$\begingroup$ Or "but what I make one cannot hold". It keeps the rhyme and doesn't create unintended ambiguity. $\endgroup$– PugmonkeyCommented May 14, 2018 at 14:20
-
2$\begingroup$ "my work frays" -> "my work doth fray" $\endgroup$– EwanCommented May 14, 2018 at 16:03
Add a comment
|
6 Answers
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
1
I think you are a
Piano
Tirelessly I hammer away
A piano is an instrument in which the strings are struck by hammers.
yet over time my work frays
Piano wire is strong but the strings do wear (and fray) over time from repeated hammering.
Making things both new and old
A piano can be used to create new music or reproduce songs written by others.
but what I make cannot be hold
Music cannot be held.
answered May 14, 2018 at 11:05
-
2
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
4
More of a joke:
That's:
me
Tirelessly I hammer away
I'm a software developer and I've been hammering away on the keyboard for ages.
yet over time my work frays
But the software I write tends to get old and obsolete
Making things both new and old
I write new code and I fix old code
but what I make cannot be hold
You can't really hold a piece of software.
answered May 14, 2018 at 11:25
-
3$\begingroup$ LOL, I feel your pain. Monday blues? Or everyday blues? ☺ $\endgroup$– PhylypCommented May 14, 2018 at 11:36
-
3$\begingroup$ @Phylyp After 30 years in the trade it tends to be a constant blues. $\endgroup$ Commented May 14, 2018 at 11:44
-
2$\begingroup$ Haha great answer, sadly not the one I was looking for $\endgroup$– Jon.GCommented May 14, 2018 at 12:05
-
2$\begingroup$ 'hammering away on the keyboard for ages' :) :) +1 $\endgroup$– user49256Commented May 15, 2018 at 8:02
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
I think you may be
Water.
Tirelessly I hammer away
Rivers/Rain/Glaciers/etc. have shaping the landscape for decades, maybe longer.
yet over time my work frays
The work of water creating canyons, glaciers digging out lakes, soil erosion, and even waves
Making things both new and old
From A single drop of rain causing a divot to the Colorado River's 5 million-year carving out of the Grand Canyon.
but what I make cannot be hold
These things, like a hole, are the absence of something, which cannot be physically be held.
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
0
I think it might be a
woodpecker
Tirelessly I hammer away
a woodpecker is known for this fast pecking
yet over time my work frays
since a tree will grow and change or simply die, the work done by the woodpacker will disappear over time.
Making things both new and old
i am unsure about how this third line would fit, so maybe i am on the wrong track.
but what I make cannot be hold
what he makes are holes, wich you can not hold.
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
You could be a
computer keyboard.
Tirelessly I hammer away
As keys are struck, they hammer on the mechanical switches or rubber domes beneath them.
yet over time my work frays
The most well-constructed keyboards will wear out eventually with regular use. Even classics like the IBM Model M!
Making things both new and old
Keyboards can be used to make all manner of things -- stories, poetry, software, a series of game inputs. They can transcribe or copy old things, or they can be used to write new things.
but what I make one cannot hold
Computer documents are digital, and can't be held in the conventional sense. Well, unless you print the documents out.
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
I think it's
a pocket/wrist-watch (mechanical analog)
Tirelessly I hammer away
The hammer is a part of a watch mechanism.
yet over time my work frays
Watches wind down over time and need to be rewound.
Making things both new and old
Kind of a pun on the fact that watches "make time" by marking the seconds and minutes of a day.
but what I make one cannot hold
Time is intangible.
