How Fortunate the Grave

How Fortunate the Grave - meaning Summary

Death as Final Prize

This short poem treats the grave as the ultimate beneficiary of life’s efforts. It presents death as a “fortunate” outcome that gathers all prizes, suggesting worldly striving is vindicated only when ended. The final line implies a suitor—perhaps desire, effort, or fate—must succeed for that completeness to occur. The tone is wry and sardonic, framing mortality as a guarantee of final success rather than loss.