A Friend in Need

Jul 29, 2010 23:34

"A friend in need is a friend indeed". It only recently occurred to me that this must mean "A [person who is a] friend [to you while you are] in need is a friend indeed ( Read more... )

ramblings, language, humor

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archivecats July 30 2010, 03:55:28 UTC
I guess this situation is vaguely analogous to the one you get with Shakespeare's plays, where people translate them into modern English to avoid confusion and misinterpretation, or new "up-to-date" adaptations of the Bible:

Read and Understand Old Proverbs! With Modern English on Facing Pages!
[Left-hand page]: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
[Right-hand page]: Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.

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alpine_tunnel July 30 2010, 15:06:12 UTC
Rats, you beat me to it, Archivecats! I instantly thought of Lucky. :-)

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undimmed by human tears ext_3576 October 11 2010, 05:25:00 UTC
My personal favorite experience with this, is that line in "America the Beautiful."
O beautiful for patriot's dream which sees beyond the years, an alabaster city's gleam undimmed by human tears!

I always thought that no matter the suffering, despair and general malcontentedness, American cities would retain their luster. It's only a few years ago that I realized Bates was suggesting the possibility of a world without weeping. I'm still not sure how she thought we'd manage that, but I'm increasingly confident that that's what she meant.

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