A.E. Housman 1896
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.
Today, 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 where 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.
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.
Today, 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 where 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.
___________
I remember the first time I ever read this poem. By the time I got to the end, I wasn't sure whether to cry or smile. Housman's words strike me, would you rather die a young legend, remembered forever or wrinkly and alone, only to be forgotten forever? There is some nobility to dying young; soldiers at war, record setting athletes, but the majority of young deaths come from much more tragic circumstances. We all would prefer to live long and healthy lives, than have the plug pulled early. The purpose of life is to have meaningful relationships and experiences with people whom you love. Every tiny interaction you make each day with another human being effects other people, human existence- our cohabitation on earth- is entirely dependent on one another, especially in this day and age. Housman's poem doesn't glorify the sudden, heroic death; instead, it reminds us of humanity's impermanence, urging us to stop wasting time and start living life. Life can change instantly, carpe diem.
xx, E
