What does the metaphor in the line "It withers quicker than the rose" imply?

Question

4hxlols · Answer

Read this excerpt from "To an Athlete Dying Young" by A.E. Housman:  

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.

What does the metaphor in the line "It withers quicker than the rose" imply?

A. Fame and honor do not last long.
B. Beauty will one day quickly fade away.
C. The young have to eventually grow old.
D. People nowadays do not live long lives.
E. Fame is very easy to achieve for an athlete.

sammixboo · Answer

Wither kind of means to shrivel away, and if it withers quicker than a rose, it would mean..?

4hxlols · Answer

a short life was lived? so either A,B, or D

4hxlols · Answer

@sammixboo