What does old longings nomadic leap is chafing at customs chain mean?

Answer 1

Well, honey, that fancy phrase basically means that feeling nostalgic for the past can make you restless and rebellious against societal norms. It's like itching to break free from the boring routine and expectations that hold you back. So, in simpler terms, it's just saying that sometimes you gotta shake things up and follow your heart, even if it means going against the grain.

Answer 2

Oh, dude, that's some deep poetry right there. So, like, basically it's saying that ancient desires to explore and wander are getting annoyed by societal rules and restrictions. It's like your inner nomad is itching to break free from the chains of conformity. Deep stuff, man.

Answer 3

This phrase, "old longings nomadic leap is chafing at customs chain," suggests a conflict between traditional desires and societal restrictions. "Old longings" refers to deep-seated, perhaps primal, desires or yearnings. "Nomadic leap" symbolizes a desire for freedom or change. "Chafing at customs chain" implies a sense of discomfort or irritation with societal norms or constraints. Overall, the phrase conveys a tension between personal aspirations and societal expectations.

Answer 4

Old longings nomadic leap

Chafing at custom's chain;

Again from its brumal sleep

Wakens the ferine strain. The line is the start of a stanza (a verse) in a poem by John Myers O'Hara called Atavism. Atavism means traits and behaviour patterns inherited from distant ancestors. The verse was quoted by American writer Jack London is his 1903 book The Call of the Wild, which was the story of a Californian dog transported to work on a Canadian dog-sled. London's story represented or paralleled the development of the wolf into the modern domesticated dog. But the atavism is there in the modern dogs' tendency to form a pack when running wild, like their wolf ancestors. In the poem brumal means occurring in winter and ferine means wild or feral. The lines refer to the reawakening of wolf-like behaviour in a dog when the circumstances allow, in other words the call of the wild.