January 20, 2011 – “To an Athlete Dying Young” – A. E. Housman

Text:

“To an Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Housman

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields were glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

Initial Impression:

When I first read “To an Athlete Dying Young,” I thought that the poem was depressing. However, as I read it a couple more times, I began to realize that a young athlete was being immortalized. An amazing athlete died at a young age and, instead of being out beaten, he will be remembered by his successes. The award wasn’t given to anyone else before his death. Though he died at such a young age (18-21 years old), he will retain his fame in death and be honored and revered.

Paraphrase:

When you won the race, we carried you on our shoulders though the market. The town cheered you on as we brought you home. (change in scene) Today you are in a casket as they bring you to your final resting place, a cemetery. Good thinking, to die while your victory remains fresh. Your victory will now be remembered instead of being short-lived. Even in death, nobody can beat you. Your fame will last forever and you will be well known for your achievement.    

SWIFTT:

William Butler Yeats uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “To an Athlete Dying Young.”

Syntax/Word choice:

Yeats’ poem has seven stanzas of 4 lines each with a rhyme theme of aabbccdd. There is assonance, a repetition of the vowel sound “o.” Also, Yeats uses alliteration in every stanza, such as “fleet foot” and “road all runners.”

Imagery:

Throughout “To an Athlete Dying Young,” there is the repeating imagery of victory and death. The victory in that the athlete “won your town the race” and he was a “smart lad to slip…” away from life and maintain his fame. There is the imagery of death with descriptions of the athlete’s cemetery: “townsman of a stiller town.” Also, Yeats uses many words that have to do with burial, the image of a young athlete dying but being remembered and revered.

Figurative language:

There is no simile in Yeats’ poem; however there is metaphor throughout the play. That metaphor relates to getting things done before death. While the athlete won the athletic race, he lost the race with life and died young. The whole poem is a paradox. Two examples of paradox in Yeats’ poem are as follows: finding fame in death and “silence sounds.” Also, “To an Athlete Dying Young” is an extended apostrophe. This is because the poem seems to be addressing the dead athlete. There is also allusion in Yeats’ poem. People flock to Teiresias the blind seer, who is dead, to seek information and their prophecies: “Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead.”

Tone:

There are three ways that I interpreted the tone of “To an Athlete Dying Young.” First, the tone could be depressed because the town’s hero, a skilled athlete, died young. Second, respect towards the athlete could be the narrator’s tone because the athlete died but retained his victory and fame. Third, there is irony through the play because the athlete died, and his death allowed him to be more famous than had he lived and his record been beaten.

Theme:

The theme of “To an Athlete Dying Young” is the transience in life: life doesn’t last long, neither does youth nor fame. As time goes on, these things will change. Life is a race to achieve goals and make dreams come true before death. If one dies with achievements, they will be remembered and honored. However, in being remembered, you lost everything because you died – you lost your life.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to comprehend A. E. Housman’s “To an Athlete Dying Young.” My original opinions on the poem are close to what my current impression of the poem is. An athlete won a race and was carried through a marketplace in honor. Then the scene changes and he is dead. He is being buried in a cemetery, where his fame lingers. Although he is dead, his accomplishments in life will be remembered. The young athlete is thought to be “smart” for dying, for he leaves behind an “unchallenged cup-” the award has not been won by anyone after his race. The word “race” in this poem has more than one meaning. Race could mean running, trying to get things done within a given time frame, or trying to get things done before death. Life is a race, there is so much to do in so little time. Things in life are not constant; life itself is not constant. One day a person could be a hero for winning a race, the next he could be in a grave, cold and dead. However, if someone dies early in life, their accomplishments will be remembered before their lives decay.