Rime Royal

[hypervalent_iodine]

Earlier in the year as a means of procrastination, myself and some friends semi-participated in a puzzle competition called CiSRA, which is run each year by a team from Canon (website found here). On about the third day, they released a puzzle listed as 'hard' that I decided to take on and try solve myself. All in all, it took about a week of wanting to throw my computer out the window until I had an epiphany of sorts and managed to get it out. Despite the mind melt it induced, I actually have come to adore this particular puzzle and thought I might share it with the wider community.

 

The puzzle may be downloaded as a PDF from here.

 

Alternatively, this is the puzzle in all its glory (there are three hints, released by CiSRA, which I have included at the end):

 

Rime Royal

His gasses go to a sun by Clarke

The brand a gentleman hath wedded gained

breaTh weary, swindle, feEble weight, gLimpse see

The herders little lads for bovine named

A team cut up ornate notched ivory

Kent Summers Veight Nah Grayson Queen Dibny

badGe bad badgerS lack errant badgeR badE

But thy truncated summer shall not fade

 

I never did steal a gem tip sceptre

Alas no war, o rebel schemes detest

Bane Baltan Master Zim Belloq Bombe Bart

Answers we offer Ven to Shakespeare's best

Give Godfather this esteem from your heart

bridgeD fort, swapped, famiLy grade, outer parT

Mirage leaf, meant to conceal crotch display

Proceed the stormy gusts of winter's day

Ride faster my son to rest an eon

Two metal discs are clashing thund'rous cry

No order, lest I cue scared escapee

Portend, ere duct exchanging you and I

Although thou steal thee all my luxury

With thyself at her solving crossword spree

A chap, arms Silver, painter, pRoxy 'tween

Weikath Gates Kruspe Mars Linsk Freyberg Malmsteen

 

Eric the evil elf is east of Eden

Truth, beauty: whither silent urn ye know'st

Remove a smell, and recall depths fallen

As victors of my chatter cannot boast

A mixture to each image hue stolen

Cormon Dix Nesch Braque Manet Dowd Nolan

commenD, fill glUtton, hailed, oiL lightly fry

Bold model vin gris lengthwise sort apply

 

It drops as my vision relief goes bye

I see descriptions of the foulest wights

Zod Karath Bilefroth Gunray Ming Zedd Kay

aide Role, Or muster, justly, Mouth recites

Enact no clumsy tyrant's plot, I say

Words differ til each letter list okay

Forgives mob bosses golfing with no fail

In orchestras their saw work doth prevail

 

(We) do go in it to go on

Discarding space like flattened rag on seat

Thy younger open up a sinker plumb

Samantha doth to Darren twitch this feat

King Sánchez Borlaug 'Bride Gyatso Balch Tum

pig celLblocks, smothers, fence scaFfolds, Scarves some

Thy young on generation y are keen

Kissing with golden face the mountains green

 

Rake in one more man to alter luck

Confused mice nod at trait like Beelzebub's

brOoch needles, liTtle mesons, valves, poSts deep

Riggs Benson Miller Tyler Hauk Ness Tubbs

And his love-kindling fire did slowly steep

One minstrel Ian takes a cryptic leap

Re. outer matrix: spot key, I entreat

They spelunk and with sabre teeth compete

 

 

Hint 1.

 

An answer to Rime Royal you request

when hints embedded therein I did place?

Not merely inklings to each scheme suggest,

but further in does deeper clue encase.

Beginning step for those without a trace:

how many words within each line abound;

how many letters in each answer found

 

 

Hint 2.

 

Again I hear thy plaintive doleful screams!

Heed this advice, and mayhap you'll progress:

The poem clues hath seven common themes;

some word play, research, letters to caress –

each clue doth seven letter word express.

Once clues divined, what data are unused?

View answers when those fitting are infused.

 

 

Hint 3.

 

Returnest thee with no good answer yet?

These little clues may finally be told.

Into each square of seven answers set

by marking seven eighths of title bold –

they then reveal an image to behold.

Seek seven answers for a final grid;

last title words show final picture hid!

 

[imatfaal]

Ah No! I had things I needed to do this weekend .....

 

Hopefully I can try and forget that this puzzle is here!