Light-winged Smoke, Icarian Bird by Thoreau

Light-winged Smoke, Icarian Bird

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 incense upward from this hearth,
And ask the gods to pardon this clear flame.

Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817– May 6, 1862) was an American author, poet, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, philosopher, and leading transcendentalist. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state. Thoreau was a writer during the Romantic period. Romantic writers looked at literature as an outpouring of the inner spirit, and saw imagination as the means of summoning this spirit. They reacted against classical formalism and symmetry, against rationalism, and against other restrictions on individual expression and imagination. Romantic writers celebrated the freedom of the individual, whom they placed at the center of life and art, and the expression of personal emotion. Perceiving physical objects as representative of spiritual, moral, and intellectual reality, Romantic writers relied heavily on symbolism and allegory. Romantic literature displayed a number of recurrent motifs: the theme of the individual in rebellion; the symbolic interpretation of the historic past; subjects from myth and folklore; the glorification of nature; faraway settings; sentimentalism; the nobility of the uncivilized man (the Native American, for example); admiration for the simple life; the elevation of the common man; a fascination with Gothic themes, with the supernatural and mysterious, with introspection, melancholy, and horror; and a humanitarian political and social outlook. The American experience provided much raw material suited to Romantic interpretation.
Thoreau connects to Romanticism with this poem by use of figurative language. I found that "Icarian" is in reference to Icarus, the man who tried to fly with wax wings that melted by the sun. He also uses metaphors although I'm not really sure what they are refering to, but my only guess is that as an extended metaphor the Icarian bird symbolizes change of day. At dawn it rises up to the sky only to melt due to the sun and create a white smoke that brings out the night and stars.
I found it very difficult trying to analyze this poem partially because to the language and also because of its length. It first stood out to me because from a first glance it seemed interesting. I wanted to read closer and find out more about it. Although I didnt learn much, it doesnt mean this isnt a powerful piece, because i think the more difficult the understanding, the better message there is to be found.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-moon/

The second Poem I decided to read is called 'The Moon'. In this poem Thoreau personifies the moon with the title 'she'. One possible meaning of this is that he can be referencing a woman to be as the moon. He states that even though the moon isnt around for long, and that its light isnt as bright as the sun, nonetheless, it always shines and it shines on, illuminating the earth. In the last stanza, Thoreau is referencing dawn. The moon begind to lose its glow as the sun begins to come out but even so, the moon has a place in night, it is as he says "mistress of the night" and that is the moons domain; and also that even if the moon's light isnt visible, it still continues to shine even during the day and even in other places around the world, it is night somewhere.
Being a reader of Thoreaus work is a bit challenging for me. Im not sure whether it is the themes or the old writing which he uses, but even as interesting and seemingly understandable his poetry may be, I still find it difficult to understand his work to the fullest extent. Although I am interested in it because it provides a challenge, and it doesnt just hand you the meaning or theme or analysis... His poems make you really think of the possiblities of what they really mean.

Lastly, I dont really see anything that particularly sets his writing as American. There is nothing that is distinctly directed towards being American. Just as he referenced icarus in "Smoke", it is clear that even if it was American, it is not all American.