THERE are who teach only the sweet lessons of peace and safety;
But I teach lessons of war and death to those I love,
That they readily meet invasions, when they come.
Walt Whitman is basically trying to say that the world isn't perfect. And that it isn't safe for kids to perceive it that way, let alone grown men and women. I like this poem and appreciate its meaning.
Whitman says that while some people only talk about the happy things in life he understands the dark things, such as war and death and he prepares for these things, because he knows they will happen to everyone
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
In this poem, Whitman kind of talks about how people shelter each other in only letting them see the good things, when the bad side of everything is just as important as the good things, and needs to be taught so that people can learn their 'lesson.'