by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Friendship
Language: English
All love that has not friendship for its base Is like a mansion built upon the sand. Though brave its walls as any in the land, And its tall turrets lift their heads in grace, Though skillful and accomplished artists trace Most beautiful designs on ev'ry hand, Gleaming statues in dim corners stand, Fountains play in some flow'r-hidden place; All love that has not friendship for its base Is like a mansion built upon the sand. When from the frowning east a sudden gust Of adverse fate is blown, or sad rains fall, Day in, day out, against its yielding wall - Lo! The fair structure crumbles to the dust. All love that has not friendship for its base Is like a mansion built upon the sand. Love, to endure life's sorrow and earth's woe, Must have friendship's solid masonwork below.
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, sonnet in the Italian pattern.  [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Charles Edward Ives (1874 - 1954), "Friendship", 1892. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 141