Poetry Slam!: "To an Athlete Dying Young" by A. E. Housman

This poem commemorates the early death of a young athlete. The speaker notes that, because the athlete died in the prime of his life, he will always be remembered as youthful and victorious.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. threshold
    the starting point for a new state or experience
    Today, the road all runners come,
    Shoulder-high we bring you home,
    And set you at your threshold down,
    Townsman of a stiller town.
    In this line, the word threshold has more than one meaning. The word threshold literally means "the entrance to a building or room," but it can also refer to the beginning of any new experience or state of being.
  2. betimes
    in good time
    Smart lad, to slip betimes away
    From fields where glory does not stay
    This archaic word means "early" or "before the expected time."
  3. laurel
    a small aromatic tree with shiny dark green leaves
    And early though the laurel grows
    It withers quicker than the rose.
    Traditionally, wreaths made of laurel leaves were used to crown the victors of contests or competitions.
  4. wither
    shrink, as with a loss of moisture
    And early though the laurel grows
    It withers quicker than the rose.
  5. shady
    sheltered from the sun's rays
    Eyes the shady night has shut
    Cannot see the record cut,
    And silence sounds no worse than cheers
    After earth has stopped the ears.
    Something that is shady is dark or shadowy.
  6. swell
    increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
    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.
  7. rout
    a disorderly crowd of people
    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.
  8. renown
    the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
    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.
  9. fade
    disappear gradually
    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.
  10. fleet
    moving very fast
    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.
  11. lintel
    a horizontal beam over a door or window
    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.
  12. flock
    come together as in a cluster
    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.
  13. garland
    a circular band of flowers or other foliage
    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.
  14. brief
    of short duration or distance
    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.
Created on Thu Sep 28 09:23:23 EDT 2017 (updated Thu Apr 19 08:11:07 EDT 2018)

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