Nature

Smoke

by Henry David Thoreau 1817–1862

From An American Anthology (1900)

Nature

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.

MLA

Thoreau, Henry David. “Smoke.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/thoreau/7/.

Chicago

Thoreau, Henry David. “Smoke.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/thoreau/7/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Henry David Thoreau