Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume I. Of Home: of Friendship. 1904. | | | | Poems of Friendship | | The Friend | | Nicholas Grimald (1519–1562) |
| | From “On Friendship”
OF all the heavenly gifts that mortal men commend, | |
| What trusty treasure in the world can countervail a friend? | |
| Our health is soon decayed; goods, casual, light and vain; | |
| Broke have we seen the force of power, and honor suffer stain. | |
| In body’s lust man doth resemble but base brute; | 5 |
| True virtue gets and keeps a friend, good guide of our pursuit, | |
| Whose hearty zeal with ours accords in every case; | |
| No term of time, no space of place, no storm can it deface. | |
| When fickle fortune fails, this knot endureth still; | |
| Thy kin out of their kind may swerve, when friends owe thee good-will. | 10 |
| What sweeter solace shall befall, than [such a] one to find | |
| Upon whose breast thou may’st repose the secrets of thy mind? | |
| He waileth at thy woe, his tears with thine be shed; | |
| With thee doth he all joys enjoy, so leef a life is led. | |
| Behold thy friend, and of thyself the pattern see, | 15 |
| One soul, a wonder shall it seem in bodies twain to be; | |
| In absence present, rich in want, in sickness sound, | |
| Yea, after death alive, mayst thou by thy sure friend be found. | |
| Each house, each town, each realm, by thy steadfast love doth stand; | |
| While foul debate breeds bitter bale in each divided land. | 20 |
| O Friendship, flower of flowers! O lively sprite of life! | |
| O sacred bond of blissful peace, the stalworth staunch of strife! | | | | |
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