A. E. Housman's 'To an Athlete Dying Young'

A. E. Housman's 'To an Athlete Dying Young,' also known as Lyric XIX in A Shropshire Lad, holds as its main theme the premature death of a young athlete as told from the point of view of a friend serving as pall bearer. The poem reveals the concept that those dying at the peak of their glory or youth are really quite lucky. The first few readings of 'To an Athlete Dying Young' provides …

…so on. Well, this athlete was lucky. He did not have to see his record broken, nobody took the fame that he had earned, and he will always be remembered as one of the best in his event. Another thing about his glory is that his fans will always have the questions about how good he could have been, thus will always be preserved as one of the best that ever participated in the sport.