Tirukural.Chapter 79: Friendship.

Kural 781

What is as difficult to secure as friendship?
And what greater security is there against foes?
Kural 782

With wise men, friendship waxes like the crescent moon;
with fools, it wanes as surely as the full moon must.
Kural 783

The bonds that good men share are like good bound books,
revealing new enchantments at each new encounter.
Kural 784

What matters in making friends is not merrymaking,
but a stern rebuking when friends go astray.
Kural 785

It is not constant meeting and companionship,
but shared sensibilities that confer the alliance of friendship.
Kural 786

A smiling face is no sure sign of friendship.
Friendship is found deep within a smiling heart.
Kural 787

To divert a man from wrong, direct him toward right
and share his sorrow in misfortune is comradeship.
Kural 788

As swiftly as the hand moves to seize a slipping garment,
friendship acts to assuage a friend’s distress.
Kural 789

Where does Friendship hold her court? It is where friends
find constant support in every possible circumstance.
Kural 790

To boast, ”He means so much to me, and I to him,”
merely belittles a friendship.

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