Dying young is considered by most to be one of the most tragic of fates. The specter of things undone and a life unlived haunts the funeral and colors the grief to an even darker shade. Most people desire to live to a ripe old age (or, at least, they claim to desire it) and would be aghast to have a premature death viewed in a positive light. Yet, this is exactly the driving force behind A.E. Housman's "To an Athlete Dying Young." In the poem, it is implied, if not outright stated, that it is better to die in the glory of youth than to rest too long on one's laurels, only to see those laurels wither.…
