Today is the birthday of Ralph Waldo Emerson. With that in mind here is
Concord Hymn
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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 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.
Orator - Warator
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wrote of a flag that the
Breezes uncurled;
Concord Hymn gave us the
Apothegmatical
Line that long after was
Heard round the world.
Happy birthday, Ralph!
Wow. You have all at once, made me a fan of Emerson's poetry-
and I always valued him for his prose. Thanks lots dlc
You most certainly can't go wrong with Emerson! Loved it! He was so inspiring. A truly great man.
"Loving people is like farting in the wind; You don't actually accomplish anything, but you feel better."
~The Great and Powerful Angelia~
This reminds me of a story one of my Am. lit. professors told us as we studied Emerson and Thoreau. It seems H. D.who was influenced by Emerson's anti-establishment rhetoric was thrown in jail for his stand on some civil issue. When Emerson went to see him, he asked "Henry, what are you doing in there?" To which Thoreau replied, "What are YOU doing out there?"
Les
Hey, I got that story too. Maybe it's part of 'American Literature Teaching Tips' (along with 'get out the Whitman, and let them find the sexy parts!').
pam
I've heard it too. I don't know whether it's "legend" (as some websites say) or if it's recorded anywhere. Good story, either way.
Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817.
My life has been the poem I would have writ,
But I could not both live and utter it.
Jody