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Love In The Guise Of Friendship

Talk not of love, it gives me pain,
For love has been my foe;
He bound me in an iron chain,
And plung'd me deep in woe.

But friendship's pure and lasting joys,
My heart was form'd to prove;
There, welcome win and wear the prize,
But never talk of love.

Your friendship much can make me blest,
O why that bliss destroy?
Why urge the only, one request
You know I will deny?

Your thought, if Love must harbour there,
Conceal it in that thought;
Nor cause me from my bosom tear
The very friend I sought.

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Comments

1 - 12 of 12

  • October 1
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    the best

    From guest romme (contact)
    i really love the poem i can relate amazing


  • August 14
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    Talk not of love

    From guest Mike (contact)
    I have noticed that Talk not of love is on youtube: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rJU-Ww0BD_g


  • August 11
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    amazing!!!

    wow i love tis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  • Hekate
    July 31

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    The problem with friendship is that it can also give the same kind of pain as love can.
    I guess you can never fully escape from it.

  • Bob 42
    June 19

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    Not just the same name

    I too, lost my Father
    When I`d matured to twenty-five
    Awed by thought I`d bother
    My family was still alive

  • checkmate
    March 8

    Edit | Reply
    simply beautiful.

    Your thought, if Love must harbour there,
    Conceal it in that thought;
    Nor cause me from my bosom tear
    The very friend I sought.


  • May 28, 2007
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    ...

    From guest matt (contact)
    wow great poem if anyone has more poems like this send me to my email tv4life@hotmail.com

  • Bob 42
    November 8, 2006
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    I believe that three-hundred-eighteen years ago; I would have written that very same verse, as my life stands today........Robert F. Burns aka Bob 42


  • March 12, 2005
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    very interesting


  • February 28, 2005
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    i think i understand bit by bit about the poem. the love has been disguise to a friendship and i realise the poet hates love as it says that love is my foe.....so it must be an interesting friendship story....that's all!

  • JM Kenyon
    February 13, 2004
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    This is my first visit to Old Poetry, and I somewhat expect to read the best poetry possible from these great poets. I doubt that I will find any flaws with them, though I am sure I willl find many more favorite poems to love. This one near makes me cry right now, since I came here already in a meloncholy mood. Thus, I will go and read some more of the olden goldies, and hope to find something new to spark me and inspire me in my own writing.

  • Lovespoon
    February 12, 2004
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    Hmmmm. I do enjoy the first three stanzas of this poem by Burns.

    I'm having trouble with the last stanza for two reasons.

    1. It doesn't fit the meter of the other three.
    2. I recall the ending being something different, shorter, which would make the meter match.

    Something like this:

    Your thought, if Love must harbour there,
    Conceal it in that thought;
    Nor cause me from my bosom tear
    The very friend I sought.

    Now some of these poets did constantly reedit their works. So may be published in both forms. I just remember the shorter version. The five line version would have too many "thoughts" in it for me.

    Well. Still an excellent poem about Friendship. Keep up the good work of posting old poems and building a resource of the poetry tradition on Old Poetry.

    Edited on Feb 12, 6:17 p.m. because ''.


  • Ahkam Moderators member
    February 8, 2004
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    O O!

    "Talk not of love, it gives me pain,
    For love has been my foe;
    He bound me in an iron chain,
    And plung'd me deep in woe."
    What about this??????

    • Bob 42
      November 8, 2006
      Edit | Reply

      My current browser seems to be working very well, Thank you

    • Bob 42
      November 8, 2006
      Edit | Reply

      Dear?????????? Try reading all 4 stanzas of this masterpiece before you make up your mind. Robert F. Burns

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