HE never yet consulted friendship’s laws,
Who would not suffer in her glorious cause;
Who would not sacrifice the proffer’d gain,
But let her secret whispers plead in vain.
We share in all the feelings of a friend,
Our joys are mutual and our sorrows blend,
And while we help him on his rugged way,
Our sun illumes us with a brighter ray:
Such secret joys on friendship’s votaries shine,
Which prove to them her origin divine,
And that each gift which she on man bestows,
Is bless’d by Heav’n whence the warm feeling flows.
But let us traverse the wide world around,
And see where perfect friendship may be found;
Grandeur thou hast indeed a barren soil,
Thy steril region mocks our constant toil;
Friendship is seldom known amongst the great,
She shuns the gilded pomp of regal state;
And the rude blast of poverty severe
Blights all the produce of her scanty year.
She seldom thrives where famine, want and pain,
With grief and care, divided sway maintain:
Few regions please her and few climates suit,
She bears her blossoms but denies the fruit.
Behold a pensioner, with smiling face,
Go to a peer soliciting a place;
A sinecure which may support his pride,
Without much toil or doing aught beside,
Adding the unearn’d lucre to his store,
To gratify the wish of having more.
Yet he is rich in wealth and wants it not,
Meanwhile a Friend appears, whose heavy lot
So frowns upon him that this Friend may be,
Almost dependent upon charity.
“That place may now be mine,” he cries with joy,
“If thou wouldst but thy influence employ,
” ‘Twould be to me of more abundant use,
“Than twice the sum to thee, so prithee chuse,
“And tell me if to serve a friend of thine,
“This small preferment thou couldst not resign.
“Alas!” the Friend replied, “it cannot be,
“Yet from my very soul I pity thee,
“And I would serve thee any other way,
“But for this once I’m griev’d to answer nay .
“My time is not my ownmy work is hard,
“This fav’rite notion you must now discard.”
And turning from his friend with mournful face,
He still pursues his plan and gets the place.
This is the world’s false friendshipO I see
So much of this bad coin pass currently,
That almost could I say in heaven alone
Is sacred friendship seated on her throne,
While base usurpers dare profane her name,
And boast her influence merely for her fame.
(Elizabeth Bath)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, World Poems, Time Poems, Faces Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Heaven Poems, Friendship Poems, Place Poems, Name Poems, Hope Poems, Pain PoemsBased on Keywords: lucre, climates, preferment, blights, pensioner, consulted, usurpers, soliciting, sinecure, steril, unearn