It is obvious to the reader that the speaker and the young athlete have a very close and personal relationship. The speaker describes the athlete as someone he admires. He speaks directly to the athlete to congratulate him for dying at the peak of his form. In the first stanza, the speaker reminds the athlete of the not-so-distant time when the young athlete won a race and was carried and celebrated by the people of his town. Housman uses this to compare it to current times as the town once again carries the athlete on its shoulders, but now he is dead and being taken to the cemetery. Housman here tells the athlete that even though he is now dead, he is still honored by his people and will be remembered for his achievements and for achieving victory. The speaker also says: Now you will not swell the