Wrecked among heathen dreams - Idiom?

[Judge Brybe]

Well, that is the question

 

[emsr2d2]

I've never heard of it. Where did you find it?

 

[Judge Brybe]

I found it in a book, sir. It goes: 'Do you protest that there aren't any genes for behaviour? You are still wrecked among heathen dreams'. It's from a book by Richard Dawkins, sir A couple of similar contexts can be found on Google.
The meaning is absolutely clear, but I'm worried about the phrase's 'status' (idiom?) and possible connotations.

 

[Raymott]

I found it in a book, sir. It goes: 'Do you protest that there aren't any genes for behaviour? You are still wrecked among heathen dreams'. It's from a book by Richard Dawkins, sir A couple of similar contexts can be found on Google.
The meaning is absolutely clear, but I'm worried about the phrase's 'status' (idiom?) and possible connotations.

It's a line from a poem by W. B. Yeats. It's not an idiom.
William Butler Yeats | "The Wanderings of Oisin: Book I" | poetry archive | plagiarist.com

But you're doing well if the meaning is absolutely clear to you.

 

[Barb_D]

Hello Judge Brybe,
Please note that a great number of us here are not male, including the person who first responded to you, so using "sir" as a form of address is not appropriate.

In fact, you don't need to use any for of address at all.

I have never heard or seen that particular phrase before either, so I think you can say it's not a well-known idiom, if it's an idiom at all.

 

[Judge Brybe]

Thank you very much indeed! Well, now that I know it is a Yeats quote, I would not say the meaning of the line is absolutely clear, Yeats tends to be an obscure author at times. Still, at least, I do seem to get Dawkins' meaning alright.

 

[Judge Brybe]

you don't need to use any for of address at all

I see, ma'am. I'll try to avoid using them in the future. Although I do enjoy acting like I'm a schoolboy when talking to real English teachers

that particular phrase

We have figured it out. It is a Yeats quote.

 

[Tdol]

And an interesting choice of quote considering his views.