Success is counted sweetest by Emily Dickinson

Editor's note

Dickinson dives straight into her main point without any preamble. Those who value success the most are often those who have never experienced it. The word *counted* carries significant weight here — it suggests both "considered" and "measured," implying that those who feel like losers often focus on what they lack. The old-fashioned *ne'er* maintains the line's brevity and adds a touch of bitter sharpness.

Editor's note

*Nectar* is known as the drink of the gods in Greek mythology — the ultimate sweet reward. Dickinson suggests that you can only truly *comprehend* (not just taste, but fully understand) that sweetness when you're desperate for it. *Sorest need* refers to the sharpest, most painful kind of longing. The reasoning is straightforward: thirst shows you the true value of water.

Editor's note

The poem transitions to a battlefield scene. The *purple Host* represents the victorious army — purple symbolizes royalty and triumph. They have emerged victorious and carry the flag. However, Dickinson suggests that none of these winners can articulate what victory *truly means* as well as the man who faced defeat. The term *Host* has a subtle religious connotation, reminiscent of a heavenly army, which gives the winners an almost overwhelming power that distances them from human emotions.

Editor's note

Here is the loser: defeated and dying on the field. His ear is *forbidden* — he is excluded from the celebration, locked out from the victory he fought for. The dashes Dickinson scatters throughout these lines create pauses that echo labored breathing, slowing the reader down to match the soldier's dwindling state. The contrast with the victorious army in the previous stanza is harsh and intentional.

Editor's note

The dying soldier hears the winners celebrating in the distance. *Strains* refer to musical sounds — the fanfares and songs of triumph. They *burst* upon him, a harsh word for sound, and are both *agonized* and *clear* at once. Clear because he perceives every note with painful accuracy; agonized because each note reminds him of what he will never experience. This is the poem's emotional peak: the deepest understanding of victory belongs to the man it has devastated.