Family Riddle Night

Okay, so the family is reading The Hobbit aloud, and  a few nights ago we read the famous fifth chapter, “Riddles in the Dark,” in which Bilbo Baggins and Gollum engage in a riddle game.

Tonight, my six year old son started writing riddles and asking us to answer them. They were pretty good, the girls got into it, and before long we were all doing it.

Here is my contribution to the family riddle night…

What has no legs but is always walking
no mouth to speak of but always talking
arms has none but ever reaching
knows no thing but always teaching
with no eyes it still perceives
cannot stay but never leaves
visits banks but owns no coins
has no trunk but branches joins
carries much but bears no weight
transparent early, opaque late
immune to reason, love or hate
fear or pity, day or hour
stop it and it shares it power
appease it and it pays no heed
draws no breath, knows no need
yet earth’s largest body feeds?
On the way to giving all
at its most free when it falls

I am sure you can guess the answer.