Old friends
Language: English
Oh! who can deny that the face of a friend, We loved in the years that are gone When met with again does not solace the pain Of the heart that has suffer'd alone To lean on a bosom we know to be true, In what grief can it not make amends Ah! the pleasure's so dear that the joy of a year, Is the moment of meeting old friends. Oh! the face of a friend be it wrinkled and marr'd, In the beauty we gaz'd on of yore It still bears the charm of remembrance to warm, And we love it, aye! love it the more For the heart that is weary of sorrow revives, And the brow that is thoughtful unbends, For life has no bliss more precious than this, A meeting with faithful old friends.
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Michael William Balfe (1808 - 1870), "Old friends" [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-11-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 138