Tolstoy: Anna Karenina: Riddles

How exquisite this steely water is!" said Sergey Ivanovitch. "These riverside banks always remind me of the riddle — do you know it? 'The grass says to the water: we quiver and we quiver.'" "I don't know the riddle," answered Levin wearily.

&&&

Some background info on the Russian traditional riddle (via Google AI):

No, they do not all speak in the excerpt from Anna Karenina, but yes, they all speak in the full traditional riddle that Tolstoy was referencing. [1]
When Sergey Ivanovich quotes the riddle to Levin in the novel, he only recites the very last line: "The grass says to the water: we sway and we sway" (or "we quiver and we quiver" depending on your translation). [1, 2, 3]
However, Tolstoy included the complete, unabridged folk riddle in his 1872 ABC Book (Азбука), where each of the three elements gets a speaking part: [1, 2, 3]
  • The River says: "We will run and run."
  • The Banks say: "We will stand and stand."
  • The Grass says: "We will sway and sway." [1, 2]

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