Fame and friendship - H.A. Dobson

Fame and Friendship

'Fame and Friendship' is a beautiful poem written by Henry Austin Dobson. He is an English poet and essayist. The poem theorizes friendship to be far better than fame.  Fame is a thing people sought but fame dies with the death of a person is the short term while friendship lives in sweet memories.

“Fame is a food that dead men eat,—

I have no stomach for such meat.

In little light and narrow room,

They eat it in the silent tomb,

With no kind voice of comrade near

To bid the feaster be of cheer.”

    The first stanza of the poem talks about fame.  People want to be famous all over the world.  Fame rewards people. Fame is the food of a dead man. Many times people are rewarded after their death which gives no happiness to them. It comes to you after all the long hard work.  Fame gives people rewards and status. Famous people are mostly valued after their death.  Fame embraces only a few of our exceptional. For many people, their whole life passes in hard work for just fame. Fame is a shadow lengthening at best days and disappearing at worst. It is not trustworthy. Greed to be famous makes you alone there's no one around to cheer you and offer you a meal,  food of fame is eaten sitting alone in a silent,  narrow tomb.

‘But Friendship is a nobler thing,—

Of Friendship it is good to sing.

For truly, when a man shall end,

He lives in memory of his friend,

Who doth his better part recall

And of his fault make funeral.”

    The Second stanza of the poem talks about friendship.  Friendship is honored with the adjective of being noble.  Friendship is immortal,  even if the friend dies the memories will always make him alive. Famous people can be famous for bad and good deeds while in friendship ' fault make funeral'.  Friendship sheds tears with you and comforts you in your bad time. Friends won't be beside you in your happiness but will always be there in your dark times. It accompanies you in your loneliness and won't allow you to be in a dark narrow tomb. Friendship is life protection and care.

So would you like to choose fame over friendship or friendship over fame?