Emily Dickinson

Success

Summary

This poem explores the nuanced concept of success and the paradox that those who fail to achieve their goals often have a deeper understanding and appreciation of success than those who easily attain it. It contrasts the experiences of victorious individuals, depicted as a triumphant army, with those who are defeated and dying, suggesting that true comprehension of victory and its sweetness can only be fully realized by those who have been denied it. The poem conveys that the value of success is often only truly recognized through the lens of failure and longing, emphasizing that the most profound appreciation for an achievement comes from firsthand experiences of struggle and need. The imagery of 'forbidden ears' hearing distant triumph poignantly illustrates the bittersweet nature of success when viewed from a perspective of unattainable hope.

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Succes 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 to-day
Can tell the definition,
So clear, of victory,

As he, defeated, dying,
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Break, agonized and clear.

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