Dear friend, I pray thee, if thou wouldst be proving <br />Thy strong regard for me, <br />Make me no vows. Lip-service is not loving; <br />Let thy faith speak for thee. <br /> <br />Swear not to me that nothing can divide us- <br />So little such oaths mean. <br />But when distrust and envy creep beside us <br />Let them not come between. <br /> <br />Say not to me the depths of thy devotion <br />Are deeper than the sea; <br />But watch, lest doubt or some unkind emotion <br />Embitter them for me. <br /> <br />Vow not to love me ever and for ever, <br />Words are such idle things; <br />But when we differ in opinions, never <br />Hurt me by little stings. <br /> <br />I'm sick of words: they are so lightly spoken, <br />And spoken, are but air. <br />I'd rather feel thy trust in me unbroken <br />Than list thy words so fair. <br /> <br />If all the little proofs of trust are heeded, <br />It thou are always kind, <br />No sacrifice, no promise will be needed <br />To satisfy my mind.<br /><br />Ella Wheeler Wilcox<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/friendship-295/
