To an Athlete Dying Young
by A. E. Housman (1896) — a poem card from Justes Mots
A consolation for a life cut short: better to leave while the cheering is still in the air.
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,…