Section 117. The Blessedness⁠ of Friendship. I

A⁠ blessed thing it is for any⁠ man or (S. 10, N. 9) woman to have a friend; one human soul whom we can trust utterly; a friend who knows the best and the worst⁠ of us, and who loves us, in spite of all our faults; who will⁠ speak the honest⁠ truth to us, while the world flatters us to⁠ our face, and laughs at us behind our backs; who will give⁠ us counsel and reproof in the days of (S. 3, N. 2) prosperity and self-conceit; but⁠ who, again, will comfort and encourage us in the days of difficulty⁠, and sorrow, when the world leaves⁠ us alone to⁠ fight our own battle as we can.

If we have had the good fortune to win such a friend, let us do anything⁠ rather⁠ than lose him. We must give and forgive; live and let live. If our friend have⁠ faults, we must bear⁠ with them (S. 4, N. 5, B). We must hope all things, believe all things, endure all things, rather⁠ than lose that most precious of all earthly possessions—a trusty⁠ friend.

Segen, m.

It is a blessing.

every.

Superlative of schlimm.

will speak = always speaks. Use the Present likewise with the following verbs in this passage.

aufrichtig.

ins Gesicht.

to give counsel and reproof to a person, einem mit Rat und Tadel zur Seite stehen; self-conceit, Selbsttäuschung, f.—The adverbial clause ‘in the days — conceit’ stands after the rel. pron. and the Dat. ‘us’ (App. § 9).

but — again, der uns aber auch.

Prüfung.

‘to leave a person alone’, here einen imstich lassen.

und wir unsern Kampf, so gut wir können, allein auszufechten haben.

all.

um ihn nur nicht zu verlieren.

has.

to bear a thing, Geduld mit etwas haben.

lieber, which place before the last ‘all’.

zuverlässig.