Deceit — Summary

Raymond Garfield Dandridge’s “Deceit” is a compact reflection on betrayal. The speaker argues that a snake’s bite stings less than flattering lies from someone pretending to be a friend. The phrase “nectared lies” makes dishonesty sound almost sweet, which is exactly why it hurts so deeply: it arrives disguised as kindness. By contrast, an open enemy is easier to bear, because at least that person is honest about their hostility. The mood is bitter and resigned, carried by short, rhyming lines that feel like proverbs or hard-won advice. The poem leaves the impression of someone who has been personally wounded by insincerity and now values plainness—even plain hatred—over affection that cannot be trusted.