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Will wrote I'm worn out,
and I'm not worn out, [1]
Like to a thirsty bed,
Worn, worn out of bed,
Worn to repair a bed.

Hint:

The answer is part of this question: Little Annabel Weights

[1] First word of riddle also wrote, in a famous speech, that I wasn't worn out.

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  • $\begingroup$ No riddle tag? Maybe enigmatic-puzzle? $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 31, 2018 at 20:55
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ It's a riddle, but since this doesn't start with Wo I wobbled. $\endgroup$
    – Tom
    Commented Aug 31, 2018 at 20:56

3 Answers 3

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A second attempt at this (as a separate answer in order to retain an accurate reflection of the original bounty award), further revised after comments from OP.
I believe the correct answer is actually:

HOSE

Will wrote I'm worn out,
and I'm not worn out,

Oddly enough, I had originally thought the William ('Will') Shakespeare quote of relevance concerned 'pumps' (the footwear) quoted in Romeo and Juliet, enabling the answer SHOE (original logic preserved below). However, the OP has put me on the right track here to identify the intended anagram!

Hose means clothing like socks, stockings and tights, worn on the lower half of the body. In Shakespeare's time the word was commonly used for various styles of men's clothing worn on the legs. Shakespeare uses the word 21 times in his writings to refer to this clothing that is 'worn out' (as in 'worn when outside'), hence the use of 'Will wrote' in line 1 of the riddle.

The famous "All the world's a stage" speech, from Shakespeare's play As You Like It includes the phrase: "His youthful hose, well sav'd", where 'well sav'd' has equivalent meaning to 'not worn out' in line 2 of the riddle.
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ORIGINAL IDEA (when certain the intended answer was SHOE, rather than its anagram HOSE):
In Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 4, William ('Will') Shakespeare wrote the following scene:

ROMEO: Why, then is my pump well flowered.
MERCUTIO: Sure wit, follow me this jest now till thou hast worn out thy pump, that when the single sole of it is worn, the jest may remain, after the wearing solely singular.

Here, the word 'pump' is an item of footwear, a shoe with a low-cut front (Wikipedia). As can be seen in the quoted section above, Mercutio says that 'thou hast worn out thy pump' - i.e. in the words of the riddle, "I (a shoe) am worn out".

What's more, Romeo's words in the previous line suggest that his pump is actually 'well flowered', both meaning 'not worn out' (line 2 of the riddle) and conjuring up the imagery of 'a thirsty bed' (line 3), i.e. a type of 'bed' which relies on water - a flowerbed, full of blooms.

Like to a thirsty bed,

A hosepipe can be used to water 'a thirsty bed', i.e. a flowerbed in need of water.

Worn, worn out of bed,

This line (as hinted by the OP in comments and the tag) should clue an anagram of the answer (HOSE). Here, we interpret the first 'worn' (as in 'eroded') as an indicator that the letters of something implied by the rest of the sentence need to be rearranged. This is an indirect anagram then of something that is 'worn [when you are] out of bed' - which would be SHOE.

Worn to repair a bed.

Similarly, this line clues another indirect anagram of 'HOSE', this time to mean something (or things) that might 'repair a bed'. Interpreting this 'bed' once more as a flowerbed, tools that one might use to tend it (or repair it) would be HOES.

The hint:

The puzzle linked in the hint contains the word 'tights'. This is a prompt to think about socks, stockings, leggings, etc...

The title:

Hose is indeed something you would wear when you are going 'out and about' (unless you're wearing sandals - then it's a strict no-no!).

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  • $\begingroup$ Definitely got the word but some different postions. rot13( Yvar 1 vf gur fgbpxvat-yvxr tnezrag dhbgrq va Funxrfcrner. Yvar 2 fnzr tnezrag 'jryy fnirq' va gur 'Nyy gur jbeyq’f n fgntr' fcrrpu Yvar 3 gur fnzr flabalz zrnavat gur jngrevat ghor, naq lbh'er evtug nobhg gur sybjre orq Yvar 4 vf lbhe pheerag nafjre naq gur gvgyr nf lbh unir pbeerpg Yvar 5 pbeerpg) Very good and I didn't think of pump (I didn't mean any indirect anagrams) $\endgroup$
    – Tom
    Commented Mar 1, 2020 at 16:48
  • $\begingroup$ @Tom Baha, so close then! Will rewrite... $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Mar 1, 2020 at 17:26
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks Stiv for solving this! It wasn't the most clear question (but I've asked worse :P). $\endgroup$
    – Tom
    Commented Mar 1, 2020 at 18:36
  • $\begingroup$ @Tom Just needed a bit of persistence - got there in the end! :) $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Mar 1, 2020 at 18:41
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I think the answer to this riddle might be:

COAT

Will wrote I'm worn out,

A coat is 'worn out' in the sense that it is usually put on ('worn') when you are outside ('out'). (I tried to search for a Shakespeare quote to reinforce this line - since Will wrote - but I couldn't find one that matched suitably...)

Like to a thirsty bed,

A 'thirsty bed' might be a flower bed in need of watering. Many gardeners might have a coat specifically for use in the garden and while doing other 'dirty' jobs.

Worn, worn out of bed,

Similar reasoning to the first line - you don't wear a coat in bed, it's a garment for outdoors...

Worn to repair a bed.

This line is a cryptic-esque clue. 'A bed' can also be 'A COT'. Anagram this ('repair' it) and you get the word 'COAT'.

As for the title:

A coat is worn while out and about (e.g. going shopping, going for a hike, etc - especially on a rainy day).

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  • $\begingroup$ The technique used for the last line is correct and also applies to the previous line. The 3rd last line also has the right type of bed - which needs the answer. $\endgroup$
    – Tom
    Commented Sep 17, 2019 at 9:03
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for the bounty @Tom :) Hopefully this has kickstarted your question towards a solution - I'll give your tips above some thought and see if I can suss it msyelf! $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Sep 17, 2019 at 10:44
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A Rose

Will said I'm worn out

"Tell him he wears the rose of youth upon him"

But I'm not worn out

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" i.e., it has lost nothing

Like to a thirsty bed,

A Flower bed is a thirsty bed

Worn, worn out of bed,

Because it "arose" in the morning? ;) I'm not sure. If you add worn to bed as an anagram, you get browned. I strongly suspect this is irrelevant.

Worn to repair a bed.

As an apology in a relationship?

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  • $\begingroup$ A sweet answer which has a connection with the sought for word. $\endgroup$
    – Tom
    Commented Sep 17, 2019 at 8:58

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