Lyric Poem · Power & Hubris
Concord Hymn
by Ralph Waldo Emerson · 1837
1By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
2Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
3Here once the embattled farmers stood
4And fired the shot heard round the world.
5The foe long since in silence slept;
6Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
7And Time the ruined bridge has swept
8Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson — quilloak.com/poems/concord-hymn
Quick facts
- Poem
- Concord Hymn
- Poet
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Published
- 1837
- Length
- 16 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem, Rhyming Poems
- Themes
- Power & Hubris, Inspirational
Craft notes
How this poem works
Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.
- Shape
- 16 lines · 4 quatrains
- Line length
- Mostly 8-syllable lines (tetrameter length).
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Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Full-text display is based on the cited edition and a United States term-expiry review.
- Author record
- Ralph Waldo Emerson1803–1882
- Source record
- WikisourceConcord Hymn by ralph-waldo-emerson, Wikisource transcription
- Display decision
- Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
- Publication record
- 1837
- Text fingerprint
- SHA-256 9db8529b0dd44bae…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.