Three Friends Of Mine 1

[ZaunköniG]

Three Friends Of Mine


I

When I remember them, those friends of mine,
  Who are no longer here, the noble three,
  Who half my life were more than friends to me,
  And whose discourse was like a generous wine,

I most of all remember the divine
  Something, that shone in them, and made us see
  The archetypal man, and what might be
  The amplitude of Nature's first design.

In vain I stretch my hands to clasp their hands;
  I cannot find them.  Nothing now is left
  But a majestic memory.  They meanwhile

Wander together in Elysian lands,
  Perchance remembering me, who am bereft
  Of their dear presence, and, remembering, smile.