“Concord Hymn”
A Poem About the Battles of Lexington and Concord
By Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
The Background
The following hymn was written in 1836 by the famous American poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, for the dedication of a battle monument commemorating the men who gave their lives at the Battle of Lexington and Concord (see more about this battle on our History Page).
Emerson’s grandfather had fought in the battle, and his home was situated next to the bridge mentioned in the poem. The hymn was sung at the Fourth of July celebration in Concord in 1837. Emerson has since been credited with coining the phrase “the shot heard round the world.”
The Hymn
By 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 to-day 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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