Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow:
SMOKE
Light – winged smoke! Icarian bird,
Melting thy pinions in thy upward flight:
Lark without song, and the messenger of dawn,
Circling above the hamlets as thy nest:
Or else, departing dream, and shadowy form
Of midnight, vision gathering up thy skirts:
By night star-veiling, and by day
Darkening the light and blotting out the sun:
Go thou, my incence, upward from this hearth,
And ask the gods to pardon this clear flame,
Henry David Thoreau

In the first line of the poem, ‘Icarian bird’ connotes______

The correct option is Short of ambition.

Step-by-step Explanation:
1. Understanding the Allusion: The term "Icarian" refers to the Greek myth of Icarus, who attempted to escape from Crete using wings made of feathers and wax crafted by his father, Daedalus. Disregarding his father's warnings, Icarus flew too close to the sun, causing the wax in his wings to melt, which led to his fall and death.
2. Analyzing the Context in the Poem: In Henry David Thoreau's poem, the smoke is addressed as a "Light-winged smoke! Icarian bird," which is described as "Melting thy pinions in thy upward flight." Just like Icarus's wings melted as he soared high, the rising smoke ascends toward the heavens but dissipates and disappears before it can reach its peak destination.
3. Connecting to the Connotation: The flight of the smoke represents a lofty aspiration or ambition to reach upward. However, because it quickly dissolves and melts away, it represents a state of falling short of that ambition. Therefore, "Icarian bird" connotes an endeavor or ambition that is cut short or ultimately fails to sustain its upward momentum.