Question

If gaining the top in the fourth stanza means "success," what does the poem say about success?

Answer 1

SOS

Answer:

The other answer isn't really correct,

It would mean that success is never fullfilling and what you thought it would be.

Hope this helps!!!

Answer 2

To be clear, the poem in question is George Herbert's "The Pilgrimage".

The fourth stanza talks about investing a huge effort to climb a hill, with much hope. He manages to reach the top, but all he finds there is a lake of stale, "brackish" water. If the top should be a metaphor for success, it would mean that success is never really achievable. We can (and ought to) climb and strive, only to find out that it's the next hill that will fulfill our hopes.