Success Is Counted Sweetest

In the final two lines of the first stanza, the speaker makes a comment on the effect of need or desire on an experience: in order to “comprehend” (Line 3) or value almost anything, there must be “sorest need” (Line 4). “Sorest need” implies some sort of desperation that leads to appreciation. Similarly, then, failure is necessary to the ability to value success. In order to be able to tell the good times from the bad, and the positives from the negatives, an individual has to actually experience low periods in life, periods characterized by the challenges of failure and despair. It is the experience of these low periods that makes the individual truly appreciate the good times, the victories, and a sense of ease.

In the metaphor of the battle, the “purple Host” (Line 5) who achieve the “Flag” (Line 6) and gain “victory” (Line 8) are the ones who are unable to “tell the definition” (Line 7) of victory themselves. They cannot even identify the success that lies before them. On the other hand, the individual who is “defeated” and “dying” (Line 9) is the one who hears the “agonized and clear” (Line 12) music of victory, coveting what the victory that belongs to someone else.