A Fight Never Won — Summary

When I cry tears of diamond He collects and begs for more When I bleed wounds of ruby He ushers me to his door

When I cry out for refuge He laughs at every word When I beg him to aid me My pleas seem not to be heard

When darkness coats my vision I know he's finally done My struggles and pain are over For Death has eternally won

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Death is the "he" in this poem, and the speaker is someone in a struggle they can't win. Each stanza shows Death more clearly. In the first, the speaker's tears become diamonds and their wounds become rubies, so suffering is turned into treasure that Death greedily collects. He wants more, and the "door" he leads the speaker to suggests the way toward dying.

In the second stanza, the speaker begs for refuge and help, but Death laughs and doesn't listen. There's a cruel, mocking edge here, and the speaker's helplessness is plain.

The last stanza is quieter. Darkness closes over the speaker's sight, and the pain ends, though only because Death has "eternally won." The mood is bleak and resigned, with a strange mix of beauty and dread. The jewel imagery makes sorrow look precious, while the steady rhyme and repeated "When" openings give the poem a slow, inevitable feel, as if the ending was always coming. The title, "A Fight Never Won," says it outright.

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