Passage II (Henry David Thoreau, 'Smoke', 1843)
Light-winged Smoke, Icarian bird,
Melting thy pinions in thy upward flight,
Lark without song, and 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.
Why does the poet seek pardon from the gods?
Pick an option to check yourself, or open the answer below.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. The speaker admits the sin of lighting the fire.
Explanation
He sends the smoke up as incense to 'ask the gods to pardon this clear flame' — Prometheus' stolen fire, now his own.