For other versions of this work, see To a Friend (Stephen).

Dated February 1891, "To a Friend" appears to have been first published in the first edition of Lapsus Calami.

4667976Lapsus Calami — To a FriendJames Kenneth Stephen

To a Friend.

Whene'er I wander through the well-known fields,
Or guide my boat down the familiar stream,
And taste the joys which recollection yields,
When youth's delights are but a fading dream,
Where Windsor's keep his hoary head doth lift,
I'll think upon your gift.

And when you have occasion to refer
To Mr Browning's justly famous verses,
A thing which may from time to time occur,
To save one's giving vent to tears and curses,
(Although you may not catch the poet's drift)
You'll think upon my gift.