A Friend in Need, is a Friend Indeed

“Not when the Sun of Fortune o’er us shines, / And flattery’s tongue, with honeyed words, beguiles, / Then friends are plenty, smiles are easy bought, / And gifts, praise, kindly offers, come unsought, / And then our friends we prove, the trial hour / Comes when the Storm comes, with its chilling power. / The false ones, like the birds of summer, fly / ‘At the stern touch of could Adversity.’ / But those who seek us in our hour of need, / With nought to gain, are truly friends indeed; / Not like the priest, still passing in his pride, / With the cold Levite, on the other side, / But he, the good Samaritan, whose care / Shall heal our wounds, our heavy burdens share, / Who sees, with tearful eyes, the orphan’s grief, / And gives the lonely widow sweet relief, / Such is the friend indeed, in our distress, / Would there were more Life’s rugged path to bless!"—Barber, 1857

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