Friends… old friends… <br />One sees how it ends. <br />A woman looks <br />Or a man lies, <br />And the pleasant brooks <br />And the quiet skies, <br />Ruined with brawling <br />And caterwauling, <br />Enchant no more <br />As they did before, <br />And so it ends <br />With friends. <br /> <br />Friends… old friends… <br />And what if it ends? <br />Shall we dare to shirk <br />What we live to learn? <br />It has done its work, <br />It has served its turn; <br />And, forgive and forget <br />Or hanker and fret, <br />We can be no more <br />As we were before. <br />When it ends, it ends <br />With friends. <br /> <br />Friends… old friends… <br />So it breaks, so it ends. <br />There let it rest! <br />It has fought and won, <br />And is still the best <br />That either has done. <br />Each as he stands <br />The work of its hands <br />Which shall be more <br />As he was before?… <br />What is it ends <br />With friends?<br /><br />William Ernest Henley<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/friends-old-friends/
