What are the themes of this Emily Dickinson's poem?

Question: What are the themes of this Emily Dickinson's poem!?

What are the themes in this poem!?

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 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!.

any help would be appreciated!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

To fully understand something's worth, you must first understand the pain of going without- like appreciating happiness because you know what sadness is!. We savor the pleasure because we've been through pain!.

Or, more to the point of this poem, if we never experience the pleasure, we understand the worth of what we've lost- what we've never had- all the better!.

So- Not one of those who were on the winning side could tell what that victory means as well as one who lost and lay dying!.

Themes:
yearning, savoring triumph, taking success for granted, bitterness of failure (agony of defeat)Www@QuestionHome@Com

The reason this poem's theme is of considerable interest is that the writer of the poem did not "succeed" herself, in the sense of achieving fame as a poet in her lifetime!. Yet I'm sure she knew her poems were of a very high caliber: So this can be taken as a closely felt, first-hand account from her own experience of how it feels to hear of others getting the acclaim she may have hoped for!. A main theme is the bitter irony of the loser knowing the full meaning of success better than the winner!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Have you ever wanted something so bad!.!.!. and you see other people getting it !? Or!.!.!.realized how much you want something you cant have !?

It hurts not to get what we want!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com