Siervo, Christine Mae H.
BNS-3
Song of Five Friends
You ask how many friends I have? Water
and stone, bamboo and pine.
The moon rising over the eastern hill is a
joyful comrade.
Besides these five companions, what
other pleasure should I ask?
I’m told clouds are nice, that is, their
color; but often they grow dark.
I’m told winds are pleasing, that is, their
sound, but they fade to silence;
So I say only water is faithful and
neverending.
Why do flowers fade and die so soon
after that glorious bloom?
Why does green grass curl to yellow
after sending its spears so high?
Could it be that only stone stands strong
against the elements?
Look at this, it isn’t a tree, and it isn‘t a
grass either;
How can it stand so erect when its
insides are empty?
Bamboo, I praise you in all seasons,
standing green no matter what
In summer fragile flowers bloom; in
autumn they lose their leaves.
But Mr. Pine, see how he disdains
winter’s frost and snow—
See him thrust himself to heaven and
down to earth’s eternal spring.
Though you’re small, you glide so high,
blessing everyone with light;
What other flame can beam so brightly in
the blackness of our night?
Moon, you watch but keep silent; isn’t
that what a good friend does?
Analysis:
The poem revolves around the
theme of friendship. The poet describes
his friendship in the context of nature.
The poet used a number of
symbols of nature such as the water,
stone, bamboo, pine and moon in the
poem. These symbols were used to
describe what is supposed to be the traits
of a good friend.
The message that is being
conveyed in the poem is that a person’s
friend is where a person can find comfort
and solace during the rough times in a
person’s life. Thus it is important that a
person chooses friends who have good
traits and quality.
The title “Song of Five Friends”
for me signifies how a friend with good
traits is able to have a positive effect in a
person’s life.