XLII
FRIENDS … old friends …One sees how it ends.A woman looksOr a man tells lies,And the pleasant brooksAnd the quiet skies,Ruined with brawlingAnd caterwauling,Enchant no moreAs they did before.And so it endsWith friends.
Friends … old friends …And what if it ends?Shall we dare to shirkWhat we live to learn?It has done its work,It has served its turn;And, forgive and forgetOr hanker and fret,We can be no moreAs we were before.When it ends, it endsWith friends.
Friends … old friends …So it breaks, so it ends.There let it rest!It has fought and won,And is still the bestThat either has done.Each as he standsThe work of its hands,Which shall be moreAs he was before? …What is it endsWith friends?