Question

In the third stanza, the poet says, 'pity but he were a king'.
If a person is a king, why is he to be pitied?

Answer 1

Answer:

a person who is a king, is to be pitied because people will flatter him with words like prodigal, bountiful which means extra vigilant and having wealth.

Answer 2

In the third stanza, the poet says, 'pity but he were a king' because if a person is a king then he is to be pitied because the person was once a king, had luxurious life and money to spend on his friends but now he has no money to spend on his friends and was left above.