20 pages • 40-minute read
To an Athlete Dying Young
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“With Rue My Heart is Laden” by A. E. Housman (1896)
In this poem, Housman uses many of the same literary devices in “To an Athlete Dying Young.” There are alliteration and repetition, and there are also two quatrains and an ABAB rhyme scheme. The theme of loss is present too. A star athlete prevents the loss of his glory by dying early, but in “With Rue My Heart is Laden,” the speaker reflects on the loss of his “golden friends” (Line 2). He used to go around with “many a rose-lipt maiden” (Line 3) and “many a lightfoot lad” (Line 4). Now, like the athlete, they’re gone. In both poems, the tone is quite melancholy.
“When I Was One-and-Twenty” by A. E. Housman (1896)
Another melancholy poem that deals with the superficialities of Western culture, this poem takes on the form of a dialogue. In Stanza 1, a “wise man” (Line 2) tells the speaker to go ahead and give away money and material objects but to the heart. In Stanza 2, the wise man adds that a person pays differently for retaining their heart. The cost involves “sighs a plenty” (Line 13) and “endless rue” (Line 14). Put in conversation with “To an Athlete Dying Young,” this poem shows how stardom and materialism can be a way to avoid complex, deeper emotions like sadness and regret.
“Brad Pitt” by Aaron Smith (2005)
Aaron Smith is a contemporary American poet who writes about celebrities and what it means to be gay in the 21st century. With “Brad Pitt,” Smith addresses the superstar actor. Like the speaker in “To an Athlete Dying Young,” Smith’s speaker uses “you,” which makes the poem feel like a letter and suggests a close relationship between the speaker and the actor. Yet Smith’s poem doesn’t present Pitt in a glorious light. Instead, the poem takes Pitt down a notch by linking him to impulsive, unhealthy behaviors.
In the context of Smith’s poem, it’s possible to think about “To an Athlete Dying Young” in terms of a parasocial relationship. Smith’s speaker feels connected to Pitt due to his celebrity, and Housman’s speaker feels close to the runner due to his renown. In this reading, neither knows the person they’re writing to.
Further Literary Resources
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891)
Oscar Wilde was a wit and writer and a contemporary of Housman. The two were aware of one another and liked each other’s work. Wilde’s life demonstrates the perils of being gay in England around the 1900s. In 1895, a judge sentenced Wilde to two years in prison for allegedly engaging in sex acts with another man. The Picture of Dorian Gray is Wilde’s canonized novel. Like “To an Athlete Dying Young,” Wilde’s story alludes to gay relationships and directly addresses themes like beauty, youth, and glory. The titular character, Dorian Gray, goes to demonic lengths to preserve his good looks and the attention that they generate.
“’The lad that loves you true’” by Tom Stoppard (2006)
Stoppard is a British playwright who wrote a play, The Invention of Love (1997), about Housman’s personal life and what might have happened between him and Moses Jackson. In his review of Housman’s letters, Stoppard provides greater insight into Housman’s feelings and how Moses impacted his life. Stoppard also articulates the difficulty of voicing gay feelings. Stoppard speculates that rain in Housman’s poem symbolizes gay love. He writes, “[h]ere was the ‘love that dare not speak its name.’ (Indeed, it had no name, or barely—‘homosexual’ entered the language at about this time.)”
“What to Know About C.T.E. in Football” by Ben Shpigel (2022)
C.T.E. stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy—a degenerative brain disease that’s connected to being hit in the head regularly. C.T.E can impact boxers, soccer players, and hockey players, and it’s significantly common in NFL athletes, as American football is a violent sport. Shpigel’s article shows the specific consequences that select athletes endure for fame. The article suggests the sport puts an athlete’s short-term glory over their long-term health.
Listen to Poem
Meryl Streep reads “To An Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Housman
Check out the star actress Meryl Streep reciting Housman’s lyric poem in a scene from the movie adaptation of Isak Dinesen’s memoir Out of Africa. Streep plays Dinesen, the pen name used by the Danish writer Karen Blixen.
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