On July 4th, 1837, the Minute Man statue in Concord, Massachusetts was dedicated in honor of the heroes in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. At this event, the following poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson was sung to a well-known hymn.
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| The Old North Bridge, photo by Daderot |
Concord Hymn
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.
This poem has been called a "too little-known Masterpiece." Do you agree that this poem is a masterpiece? Do you think it deserves to be better-known?
Yeah, it is probably true. I didn't know that he first wrote the phrase about the shot heard round the world. I thought that just started after the actual fight.
ReplyDeleteit is a good poem but people do not read poetry like they used to
ReplyDeleteI thought this was hard to read at first but after rereading it, I like that it's not too flowery or sing-songy. The words are good.
ReplyDelete