Two short questions carry this poem, and neither gets an answer. In the first, the speaker asks where their "great pains" have gone, the efforts and sufferings that should have protected them. The odd twist is what they are meant to defend against: "my will." The speaker seems to be their own threat, as if their desires or stubborn choices keep undoing them, and all the hard work in the world hasn't helped.
The second question shifts to an image. If a new ship is named Luck, is the speaker "her on-shore rat"? Rats are usually the ones who flee a sinking ship, but this one is left behind on land, watching good fortune sail off without them. The title, "Painstaking," plays on the idea of taking pains. The mood is wry, uneasy, and a little self-mocking. The speaker sounds unsure whether effort counts for anything, and whether luck will ever include them.