The speaker of this poem is a king who has just won a war. However, instead of showing characteristics of someone proud and happy with his victory, the king shows himself to be a dejected, sad, melancholy and depressive character. The speaker is a shameful, regretful and desperate character who is completely overcome by sadness and lost in relation to his actions. The king feels that way, because winning has not prevented his people from suffering and experiencing very serious needs, making them miserable and leaving the king in deep sadness.