I read this superb riddle, written by an 18th century poet, Catherine Fanshawe, and I want to use it in something I am writing. How do I go about this? Can I even do this? What are the rules? For the curious, the riddle is this: 'Twas whispered in Heaven, 'twas muttered in hell, And echo caught faintly the sound as it fell; On the confines of earth 'twas permitted to rest, And in the depths of the ocean its presence confes'd; 'Twill be found in the sphere when 'tis riven asunder, Be seen in the lightning and heard in the thunder; 'Twas allotted to man with his earliest breath, Attends him at birth and awaits him at death, Presides o'er his happiness, honor and health, Is the prop of his house, and the end of his wealth. In the heaps of the miser 'tis hoarded with care, But is sure to be lost on his prodigal heir; It begins every hope, every wish it must bound, With the husbandman toils, and with monarchs is crowned; Without it the soldier and seaman may roam, But woe to the wretch who expels it from home! In the whispers of conscience its voice will be found, Nor e'er in the whirlwind of passion be drowned; 'Twill soften the heart; but though deaf be the ear, It will make him acutely and instantly hear. Set in shade, let it rest like a delicate flower; Ah! Breathe on it softly, it dies in an hour! --It's a real brain-smasher. If anyone wants the answer, IM me - no web-searching allowed! ;) Thanks, -Zak

Hmmmmm my feeling is that you could probably use it if you could somehow say that you derived it from another source. Since it's from the 1700s, I doubt there's any sort of copyright on the work, though I suppose it might be a good idea to see if it is owned by anyone. That's actually a very good question. Does anyone know the answer that can help Zak out? I suppose I might have to consult the all-mighty Google! David L. Writer's Coord.