A Friend by Katherine Philips

A Friend

Love, nature's plot, this great
creation's soul,
   The being and the harmony of
things.
Doth still preserve and propagate the                  

whole,
   From whence man's happiness and
safety springs:
The earliest, whitest, blessed'st times
did draw
From her alone their universal law.

Friendship's an abstract of this noble
flame,
   'Tis love refined and purged from
all its dross,
The next to angels' love, if not the
same,
   As strong in passion is, though not
so gross:
It antedates a glad eternity,
And is an heaven in epitome.


Essential honour must be in a friend,
   Not such as every breath fans to
and fro;
But born within, is its own judge and
end,
   And dares not sin though sure that
none should know.
Where friendship's spoke, honesty's
understood;
For none can be a friend that is not
good.


Thick waters show no images of
things;
   Friends are each other's mirrors,
and should be
Clearer than crystal or the mountain
springs,
   And free from clouds, design, or
flattery.
For vulgar souls no part of friendship
share;
Poets and friends are born to what
they are.




Commentary:

The title of the poem captivated my attention and I decided to read the poem. "Friends" is the title of the poem and I wanted to know what the author, Katherine Philips had to express about friends. The things she said in her poem are so true. Everyone thinks this, but Katherine put it perfectly together in a poem.
She used a variety of figurative language to transmit her point about friends.
First of all, Katherine Philips used hyperbole. The use of hyperboles give exaggeration to her poem. She says, "clearer than crystal." This phrase, which is in stanza four, is saying that friends should be completely honest to each other. She does not mean that friends shoulld literally be clearer than crystal. When someone is " crystal-clear," they are direct and truthful about what they have to say. The poem would be boring if she said," friends must be truthful and honest to each other." So, with the use of a hyperbole, she also adds spice to her poem.
After reading the poem, I realized the true meaning of friendship. Katherine Philips does an excellent job at explaining this to the audience. The poem is not sad or anything, but it provokes feelings in you after reading it. Katherine Philips wants us to be good friends. She says that no one is a bad friend. Each person hangs out with people that are their mirrors. This means that people that are alike and have the same interests tend to become friends.
I am willing to be a better friend and listen to my friends.