We are willing to accept that a friend may turn into an enemy, but we will never be able to turn an enemy into a friend.

This couplet speaks of fierce self-respect and an uncompromising honesty in relationships. The poet is willing to endure the heartbreak of a dear friend turning hostile, because honest separations are at least real. What he flatly refuses is hypocrisy—he cannot compromise his principles or wear a false mask just to pretend an enemy has become a friend.