Showing posts with label Oedipus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oedipus. Show all posts

Thursday, 18 August 2011

The Riddle of my son, The Riddle of Sphinx


人呀人,兩隻腳嘅係人、三隻腳又係人、四隻腳都係人

My son tested me on this riddle :

“What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?”


As smart as Oedipus in Greek mythology, of course I know the answer is a man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two legs as an adult, and walks with a cane in old age.  

Though I did not want Michael to destroy himself as Sphinx did, I think I should have enslaved him as a condition of solving the riddle.  By the way, the adorable use of morning, noon, and night as metaphors for the times in human life cycle is indeed gorgeous.