In Whiteman’ poem, he pointed out that even though we born in the world with the identical way, our life paths will never be identical. Literary art such as poem allow us to access other’s life experience, and they are like “perfume”, which inspired our spirit. While, the author oppose to “take things at second or third hand nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the specters in books”. He suggests us to explore the world by ourselves instead of through the eyes of others. Those literature works are only the hints which highlight various possibilities waiting for us to explore. The meaning of life is discovering and developing self through various experience.
In different stages of life, we will have different interpretations of “myself” upon our experience. It makes our identity even more untranslatable. “You will hardly know who I am or what I mean”, as the author states, nobody was able to fully translate another. While, in the end of the poem, the author still hope to inspire and guide his offspring by his unique experience.