The Concord Hymn
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sung at the Completion of the Concord Monument, 4 July 1837

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; 5
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; 10
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, or leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare 15
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

Which BEST describes the poem as a whole?
A) a reverent expression honoring heroism and sacrifice
B) an amusing and mysterious celebration of the human spirit
C) a lyrical satire on the spiritual demands made by ancestors
D) a philosophical meditation on the demands of future generations