I come across a poem of Whitman named "WE TWO BOYS TOGETHER CLINGING
", finding it hard to understand the expression "No law less than ourselves owning". The whole thing is as follows:
We two boys together clinging,
One the other never leaving,
Up and down the roads going, North and South.
excursions making,
Power enjoying, elbows stretching, fingers clutching,
Arm'd and fearless, eating, drinking, sleeping, loving,
No law less than ourselves owning, sailing, soldiering,
thieving, threatening,
Misers, menials, priests alarming, air breathing, water
drinking, on the turf or the sea-beach dancing,
Cities wrenching, ease scorning, statutes mocking,
feebleness chasing,
Fulfilling our foray.
Both the syntax and the word "own" perplex me. Any hint? (Comments and interpretations about the poem itself are welcome, too!)
Thanks in advance!
Best Answer
Own is being used in the archaic sense here, see:
Own
The fact that they will not own any law other than themselves means that they will submit to no law less than themselves.
Taking your original phrase:
You could rephrase less poetically to mean: