Concord Hymn
Concord Hymn - context Summary
Concord Commemoration 1837
Written for the 1837 commemoration of the battles of Lexington and Concord, Emerson’s "Concord Hymn" marks the dedication of a memorial stone. It situates a past moment of armed resistance in a timeless landscape, honors the fallen, and links their courage to future generations. The poem balances remembrance with a civic appeal: preserve the memory and spirit that made liberty possible as nature and time erase physical traces.
Read Complete AnalysesBy the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set today a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee.
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