(1) The meter is not consistent for every stanza. In the first stanza it is 7676, the second is 8676, and the third is 6776.
(2) The first stanza uses a quantifier: “Success is counted sweetest/By those who ne’er succeed.”
(3) “Success” is repeated in the first stanza; first as a noun and then as a verb
(4) The first stanza consists of two clauses while the second and third stanzas are one clause.
(5) I believe “the purple Host” is a kenning for royalty, which would make sense because royals traditionally did not participate in battle.
(6) “who took the flag today” is a kenning for victory
(7) The last stanza is about conquering death “as he defeated—dying—
(8) “The distant strains of triumph” is a kenning for trumpets, which traditionally sound the music of victory.
Good work, Laura. I would say that the phrase in item six is not a kenning, rather, “who took the flag today” = “won” by periphrasis or circumlocution. Kennings are formulas with two parts that point to another entity: A of B = C, or A-B = C.
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