I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth I am dissolved into air. What am I?

I wasn’t born a horse and I never fly. Yet sometimes I still soar, right into the sky. I often contain breath, and yet I never die. Sometimes I am torn, but I never sigh. Often, with ambition, I aspire, and go till I can go no higher. Then, like many men, so great, I sink into a low state. What am I?

It’s a 7 letter word. If we remove 1 letter from it, it remains the same. If we remove 2 letters from it, it remains the same. If we remove 3 letters from it, it remains the same. If we remove 4 letters from it, it remains the same. If we remove 5 letters from it, it remains the same. If we remove 6 letters from it, it remains the same. If we remove all letters from it, it remains the same. What is it?