Three Friends

by Rudyard Kipling

There were three friends that buried the fourth,
The mould in his mouth and the dust in his eyes,
And they went south and east and north,
The strong man fights but the sick man dies.

There were three friends that spoke of the dead,
The strong man fights but the sick man dies,
"And would he were here with us now," they said,
"The sun in our face and the wind in our eyes."