My first, tho' water, cures no thirst,
My next alone has soul,
And when he lives upon my first,
He is then called my whole.

Since no explanation is provided in the proposer's official solution, the raison d'etre culminating in the said solution are appended hereunder as follows:

It would be observerd, that in conformity with the first line, we would have to look for water (or a source of water). The first thing that comes to one's mind is Seawater which is found in the Seas.  

The second through fourth lines imply a person (or man) with a specific vocation ( which is symbolised by his soul)

Consequently, the required answer to the puzzle must be Sea-man.

Interested readers may also refer to the following locations:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddle

http://en.allexperts.com/e/r/ri/riddle.htm

 

 

Posted by K Sengupta on 2007-03-18 03:14:07