My Reward for Being, Was This

My Reward for Being, Was This - meaning Summary

Reward Reframed as Grace

The poem rejects worldly power and riches in favor of a quiet, spiritual recompense. The speaker names a small, inward "reward" — bliss, a modest scepter, and an unimpressive admiralty — and treats earthly thrones and realms as worthless. The final lines assert that divine or eternal judgment will validate this preference, suggesting the speaker values grace and election over temporal dominion.