Success is Counted Sweetest By Emily Dickinson

Success is Counted Sweetest

         By Emily Dickinson
                                       


Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.

Not one of all the purple Host
Who took the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of victory

As he defeated – dying –
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear!



Dickinson's poem deal with basic human concerns such as love, pain, fame, death and immortality, and reflect an intense and painful inner struggle. Simple diction, colloquial rhythms and unconventional imagery are the special features of her poetry. In this poem she says that to achieve great in life, one has to undergo a lot of pain. Winning a war is not without those who have sacrificed their lives.

Key Words :-

Comprehend  : To understand or to appreciate 
Nectar            : A sweet/ nourishing drink of the gods, which would gives                                   immortality
Sorest need    : A deep desire
Purple Host    : An army wearing a purple color uniform; purple color                                         traditionally stands for for royalty
took the flag   : the winners
forbidden ear  : an ear on which the music is not meant to be heard, because the                          hearer is a loser
strains             : musical notes 
burst               : sudden loud sound



Summary :-

The speaker says that “those who ne’er succeed” place the highest value on success. (They “count” it “sweetest”.) To understand the value of a nectar, the speaker says, one must feel “sorest need.” Speaker says that the members of the victorious army (“the purple Host / Who took the flag today”) are not able to define victory as well as the defeated, dying man who hears from a distance the music of the victors


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