Question
Emerson's famous poem named Concord Hymn begins with: "By the rude bridge that arched the flood,"
Why was the bridge considered "rude"?
Answer
The short answer is the word "rude" means "unfinished" (as opposed to being disrespectful), and the condition of the bridge in the 1830s was poor [6] or possibly non-existent [5].
Here is the longer answer:
This was the poem with the well-known quote "the shot heard round the world." It was originally written to dedicate a monument at the North Bridge [5] in Concord. Understand that it is called "Concord Hymn." A hymn is a short poem to honor the Christian God [4]. This poem combines aspects of the American town of Concord with praise of the Christian deity.
Remember that this poem only has 105 words, and there may have been a recency bias to stimulate the author's thoughts. The poor or absent bridge would have given the author the idea to use the word "rude."
The word "bridge" can be a metaphor too. In this New England poem, despite its short length, the word "bridge" appears twice.
The other line with the word "bridge" says "And Time the ruined bridge has swept." The bridge has now been described as "rude" and "ruined." The author is consistent with adjectives that start with "ru." This conjures the lack of a bridge the American colonies would have to Great Britain [in the War for Independence].
There is a motif of water throughout the poem, and in 1776 the country was not very refined. Geographically the bridge arches over a river. In the poem (or "hymn") the bridge arches a flood. The original Biblical flood, which may have been dear to Christian Americans at the time, could be a way for a poem to summon a beginning of a people (in the poem's case, the American people). The monument itself thanked God explicitly [6].
The first definition of "rude" in Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary (who was originally from New England) is "rough; uneven; rugged; unformed by art; as rude workmanship, that is, roughly finished; rude and unpolished stones." [2] The first definition of "rude" in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition is "being in a rough or unfinished state."
The poem says "We set today a votive stone…The shaft we raise to them and thee." This is a reference to the dedication of the mostly granite monument [6] that was and still is in the form of an obelisk.
Poets love metaphors and imagery. If a bridge is rude (rough or unfinished), there is room for refinement. The celebration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord were to honor the country (and the towns). A bridge may be a pathway to the future or a way to unite diverse people in different locations. To remember the battle as the beginning of the American people, it may have been Emerson's goal to describe the passageway over the water as unfinished to illustrate the improvement that would come later. Or he was just primed to discuss the dilapidated bridge (or its complete disappearance [7]).
It may be advisable to critique poemanalysis.com that says '[t]he use of the word “rude” in the context is to refer to the bridge’s structure. It was not of complicated construction—it was simple.' [1]
The condition of the bridge in the 1830s was poor according to [5] or non-existent according to [6]. [7] suggests the original bridge was definitely not there.
To read the full poem, see [3].
[1] https://poemanalysis.com/ralph-waldo-emerson/concord-hymn/
[2] https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Home?word=rude
[3] This was taken from https://pressbooks.pub/poetrypoetics/chapter/concord-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 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.
[4] https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Home?word=hymn
[5] https://www.nps.gov/places/1836-battle-monument.htm
[6] https://freedomsway.org/place/1836-battle-monument/
[7] https://www.facebook.com/lostnewengland/posts/the-old-north-bridge-in-concord-massachusetts-where-the-shot-heard-round-the-wor/830401999092119/