Riddles of Dunash ben Labrat
The riddles of Dunash ben Labrat are noted as some of the first recorded Hebrew riddles, and part of Dunash's seminal development of Arabic-inspired Andalusian Hebrew poetry. Unlike some later Andalusian Hebrew riddle-writers, Dunash focused his riddles on everyday objects in the material world. His writing draws inspiration from the large corpus of roughly contemporary, poetic Arabic riddles.
Manuscripts
Riddles plausibly attributed to Dunash are known to survive in three manuscripts:- One in Saint Petersburg
- New York, Jewish Theological Seminary, Adler, 3702, which includes at least two riddles attributed to Dunash in the Philadelphia fragment.
- A Geniza fragment from between the tenth and twelfth century CE in Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Center for Advanced Judaic Studies Library, Cairo Genizah Collection, Halper 317, f. 2v.
Example
The ten riddles that appear in the Philadelphia fragment are characterised by Allony as a single 'poem of twenty lines in the wâfir metre, containing ten riddles', explicitly attributed to Dunash. Carlos del Valle Rodríguez later identified the metre as the similar hajaz.This poem runs as follows:
| Riddle no. | Hebrew text | Spanish translation | English translation of the Spanish | Solutions |
| 1 | אֱמוׂר מַה גּוּף כְּמוׂ כֶסֶף מְזֻקָּק וְעוׂד א כמררה ש א כְּרֵיחוׂ יַשׁ לְכָל רוּהוׂת רְווָחָה וּמֵי מִתְקׂ אֶת צְמְא | Dimé que cosa es como plata refinada y como refrescante ambrosia. Con su aroma un solaz en todas las direcciones se expande. Las aguas de su dulzura irrigan a los sedientos. | Tell me what thing is like refined silver and like refreshing ambrosia. With its aroma a solace expands in all directions. The waters of its sweetness irrigate the thirsty. | apple |
| 2 | וּמַה קּוּפָה אֲשֶׁר לׂא הִיא מְלַיאָה וְלׂא רֵכָל קוּפוׂת עֲשוּפוׂת עֲשוּיוׂת יְלָהּ בָּנוׂת שְׁהוׂרוׂת וְנַם אֲדֻוּמּוׂת בְּמִטְפָקְרַקּוׂת כְּסוּיוׂת | ¿Cuál es la cápsula que no está llena ni tampoco va y todas una misma hechura? Hijas negras tiene y rojas, y recubierta está de caparazón verdeante. | What is the capsule that is neither full nor empty, and all of the same workmanship? It has black and red daughters, and is covered with a green shell. | watermelon |
| 3 | וּמַה בּוׂכָה בְּלׂא עַיִן דְּמָעוׂת וּמַרְאָה רוׂאָה לבוּשָׁהּ וְנִשְׁמָתָהּ בְּעֵת תִּקְרַב לְמוׂתָהּ יְחַייֶהָ אֲשֶׁר גּוׂזֵר לְרׂאשָׁהּ | ¿Quién llora sin que tenga lágrimas en los ojos? Todo lo muestra, pero no ve su vestido. Su ser, cuando se acerca la hora de la muerte, revive, tan pronto se le corta la cabeza. | Who cries without tears in their eyes? She shows everything, but does not see her own clothing. Her existence, when the hour of death approaches, revives as soon as her head is cut off. | wick |
| 4 | וּמַה דּוׂבַר בְּלׂא לָשׁׂן וְלׂא פֶה וּמֵאֵין קוׂל כוׂנֵן אֶת דְּבָרָיו בְּלׂא אַסוׂר יְפַסֵּחַ בְּעָָיו וְיַדְלִינֵם בּעֵת בּוּ אֲסוּ | ¿Quién habla sin tener lengua ni boca ni voz que module sus palabras? Sin ataduras hace cojear a sus dueños y los hace brincar cuando aumenta sus lazos | Who speaks without having a tongue, nor a mouth, nor a voice to modulate its words? Without bonds, it makes its owners limp, and makes them leap when its loops are increased. | pen |
| 5 | וּמַה דּוׂבַר בְּכָל לָשׁוׂן בְּרָכְבּוׂ וּפִיו יָרוּק בְּס מָוֶת וְחַיִים וּמַה דּוׂבַר בְּכָל לשׁוׂן בְּרָכְבּוׂ כְּנַעַר א כְּאַחַד הָעֲנִיִים | ¿Quién habla en toda lengua cuando cabalga y su boca escupe el veneno de la muerte o de la vida? Mudo es cuando descanda y sordo, como un ignorante o como un desvalido. | Who speaks in every language when out riding, and his mouth spits the poison of death or life? He is deaf and mute when at rest, like an ignoramus or invalid. | pen |
| 6 | אֱמׂר מֶה הִיא אֲרוּסָה לׂא אֲסוּרָה לְבוׂעֵל בֶּהּ לְעֵינֵי הַמְּאָרַס וּמֻתָרֶת לְהָאוׂרֵס תְּחִלָּה בְּחַיֵי בוׂעֲלָהּ אוׂתָהּ לְאָרֵס | Dime cuál es la desposada que no está prohibida a otro varón a los ojos mismos del que la desposó. Está permitida al que la desposó primero y, en vida del marido, puede desposarse de nuevo. | Tell me what is the bride that is not forbidden to another man in the very eyes of the one who married her. She is allowed to the one who married her first and, in the husband's lifetime, can be married again. | earth, needle |
| 7 | וּמִי הַבַּן אֲשָׁר יִבְעַל בְּאִמּוׂ וְהוּא אַרַס וְלׂא יֵבוׂשׁ כְּזוׂנָה וְיִרְצֶשַׂהוּ צוּר וְלָוׂ וְלּא יִכָּרְתוּ לוׂ עַר וְעוׂנָה | ¿Quién es el hijo que se casa con su madre, la desposa y no se avergüenza como libertino? Su Hacedor, la Roca, que lo formá, lo tolera, y no lo exterminará ni el maestro ni el discípulo. | Who is the son who marries his mother, the bride, and not ashamed as a libertine? Its Maker, the Rock, who forms it, tolerates it, and neither the teacher nor the disciple will exterminate it. | cockerel, wisdom |
| 8 | וּמָה הוּא עֵץ עֲנָפָיו בֶּאֲדָמָה וְשֶׁרָשָׁיו בְּרָאָם אֵל בְּרוּמוׂ אֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן פְּרִי נָעִים בְּעִתּוׂ וְאִם יֻתַּשׁ בְּכָל יוׂם מִמְּקוׂמוׂ | ¿Cuál es el árbol que tiene las ramas en tierra mientras que sus raices las creó Dios en las alturas? Que da agradables frutos en su tiempo, aunque cada día se desplante de su sitio. | What is the tree that has branches on the ground while his roots were created by God in the highest? Which bears pleasant fruit in its time, although every day he moves from his place. | the sun ; Aluny records extensive debate |
| 9 | וּמַה שָׁחוׂר וְגַם אָדוׂם יְרוּצוּן שׁנֵי מַתִים אֲלַיהֶם כֵּעֲבָדִים בְּהֶאֶחֶד רְפוּאָה גַם חְּעָלֶה וְהַשֵׁנִי עֲדִי בַּת הַנְּגִידִים | ¿Qué cosa negra y qué cosa roja corren y tiene dos muertos como servidores? En el uno está la medicina y el remedio; en el otro, el ornato de las princessas. | What black thing and what red thing run and have two dead things as servants? In the one is medicine and remedy; in the other, the ornamentation of princesses. | day and night |
| 10 | וּבֶאֵרּ לִי בְּנִי מָה הֵן בְּתוּלוׂת לְעוׂלֶם לאׁ תְּהֵא לֶהֶן בְּעִיל והֵן טוׂבוׂת יְפַיפִיוׂת כְּלוּלוׂת מְסוּתָרוׂת כְּמוׂ גַנּוׂת נְעולוׂת | Explícame, hijo mío, cuáles son las vírgenes que jamás reciben varón. Hermosas tornan, íntegras, cerradas con jardines cercados. | Explain to me, my son, what are the virgins that never receive a man. They return beautiful, undamaged, enclosed with fenced gardens. | uncertain |