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 answer is Short of ambition.

Step-by-step Explanation:
1. Analyze the Literary Allusion: The term "Icarian" refers to the Greek myth of Icarus, who attempted to escape from Crete using wings made of feathers and wax constructed by his father, Daedalus. Icarus was warned not to fly too close to the sun, but driven by hubris and ambition, he flew too high. The heat of the sun melted the wax on his wings, causing him to fall into the sea and drown.
2. Connect the Allusion to the Poem's Context: Henry David Thoreau addresses the smoke rising from his hearth as a "Light-winged smoke! Icarian bird, / Melting thy pinions in thy upward flight." Like Icarus, the smoke rises ambitiously toward the sky, but as it ascends, it dissolves and disappears ("melting thy pinions").
3. Determine the Connotation: The connotation of the "Icarian bird" in the very first line points to the inevitability of falling short despite great upward ambition. The smoke's journey upward is transient and bound to fail or vanish, symbolizing an endeavor that ultimately falls short of its lofty, ambitious destination. Therefore, the phrase connotes being short of ambition (or falling short of its ultimate peak).