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in history, it was assumed
i possessed only five
a change in tense, a compound word
you'll see me come alive
a skyward gun, but don't be scared
your judgement's preconceived
the best in life appears to those
when through these it's perceived

The answer is a single word.
Please be nice, this is my first post on here. If you solve it, please explain each line :)

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  • $\begingroup$ HINT1: the 5th and 6th line can be solved by carefully considering wordplay. $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 15, 2019 at 20:40

5 Answers 5

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Shamelessly swiped from Gareth.
Hazarding a guess in an attempt to complete this answer:

ROSE. (Appropriately for Valentine's Day.)

in history, it was assumed
i possessed only five

Wild roses only have five petals, and indeed the flowers of most rose species have just five.

a change in tense, a compound word
you'll see me come alive

rose → rise (change in tense) → sunrise (compound word):
the sun coming alive

a skyward gun, ...

... may reference the pistil, the female portion of flowers including the rose. Different species of roses have different numbers of pistils, with most having several. While its name sounds like a gun, a pistil is nothing to be afraid of.

... but don't be scared

No need to run off! Stay, you guys! Stamen! (Yesh, it's a stretch. Humor me.)

your judgement's preconceived

Judgement may hint at stigma, and preconceived may reference the unfertilized egg in the ovary - all parts of the pistil which, together with the stamen, are the reproductive systems of the rose.

the best in life appears to those
when through these it's perceived

Rose-colored glasses, of course.

If this is correct, @Gareth McCaughan should also get an upvote for shoving us quite far in the right direction.

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  • $\begingroup$ You are correct on the first part of the larger paragraph, but split it into two! $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 15, 2019 at 6:31
  • $\begingroup$ You have figured out the fifth line -- the sixth line is also of significance! I would suggest to keep thinking along the same train of thought that you did to figure out the former. $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 15, 2019 at 21:59
  • $\begingroup$ @visualnotsobasic Nothing at all comes to mind, I'm afraid - there's not enough there for me to grasp. (That happens sometimes. hehe) $\endgroup$
    – Rubio ♦
    Feb 16, 2019 at 0:08
  • $\begingroup$ You are genuinely so close. I'm certain you can get it. I'll try to think of another hint $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 16, 2019 at 0:10
  • $\begingroup$ You've nailed it. I've given Gareth an upvote as well and will be marking this as the answer! Edit: Except for the stamen part, nothing was intended there haha, but stigma is spot on! The ovaries is also quite clever - I had not thought of that $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 19, 2019 at 17:58
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Perhaps (though there are some gaps in my explanations below, so perhaps not) the single word is

ROSE. (Appropriately for Valentine's Day.)

in history, it was assumed
i possessed only five

A reference, perhaps, to the five-petalled symbols of the House of Lancaster and the House of York, who fought the "Wars of the Roses"

a change in tense, a compound word
you'll see me come alive

If you have the misfortune to become a zombie, or the good fortune to be resurrected, you rise from the dead. (I'm not sure, though, where the "compound word" comes in.)

a skyward gun, but don't be scared
your judgement's preconceived

I don't have a good explanation for these lines.

the best in life appears to those
when through these it's perceived

A reference to rose-coloured spectacles.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ "skyward gun" may be a reference to rot13(Thaf A' Ebfrf) $\endgroup$
    – Bewilderer
    Feb 15, 2019 at 0:58
  • $\begingroup$ This is close, perhaps think a little more on the second and third parts! $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 15, 2019 at 6:29
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Are you

Power

in history, it was assumed

People assumed power in history.

i possessed only five

Power has 5 letters.

a change in tense, a compound word

I am not sure about this clue, but powering has "ring" and "power" in it?

you'll see me come alive a skyward gun, but don't be scared

Military power

your judgement's preconceived the best in life appears to those when through these it's perceived

Power can lead to a rich life.

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    $\begingroup$ Not the answer, but very clever and could fit! $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 15, 2019 at 6:32
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Is it

senses?

in history, it was assumed
i possessed only five

(sight, touch, smell, sound, taste)

a change in tense, a compound word
you'll see me come alive

(come to one's senses?)

a skyward gun, but don't be scared

(not sure about this one)

your judgement's preconceived

(our senses are intuitive / can't be controlled)

the best in life appears to those
when through these it's perceived

(heart before head > feelings before logic etc) ??

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  • $\begingroup$ This is actually a really cool answer! It's not the correct one, but it's well thought out. $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 15, 2019 at 15:47
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Like the others have speculated, I believe the answer is

Rose

in history, it was assumed
i possessed only five

This bit confuses me

I would say this has to do with roses having five petals, except for the rosa sericea, but "I possessed only five" seems to imply that they have more, not less.

a change in tense, a compound word
you'll see me come alive

As Rubio said, this is probably "sunrise". Plants photosynthesise, so they come alive in a sense. Although, roses don't close up at night.

Edit:
a skyward gun, but don't be scared

Going off your comment, this relates to the pistil of the rose. Pretty on the nose

your judgement's preconceived

Possible reference to the idiom "every rose has its thorns", meaning everyone has their good and bad elements. Is this meant to imply that we see the "pistil" as a threat because of a preconceived fear from the idiom? Or just simply that "pistil" sounds like "pistol" and we take that as the threat?

the best in life appears to those
when through these it's perceived

As Gareth McCaughan said, this is a reference to rose-tinted glasses. I believe this ties in with telescopes as well.

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  • $\begingroup$ You're spot on with three parts, however the third part with the gun is still off! It relates directly to the flower $\endgroup$
    – visualnotsobasic
    Feb 15, 2019 at 15:12
  • $\begingroup$ Updated the skyward gun part there $\endgroup$
    – Liam
    Feb 16, 2019 at 16:16

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