You know, some say that poets avoid telling the meaning of something because they don't want to destroy someone else's opinion of the poem by their own. However, I think they avoid telling because they don't know themselves.
Anyway, the basic meaning that I wanted to get originally is this: poetry, obviously, is quite different from any snake's home. However, such a simple difference has to be learned both by humans and any other animal (maybe they wouldn't comprehend the words, but they'd know that they are some sound coming from an animal). Even foxes have to learn the little things.
Also, poetry to me is something very positive, whereas an asp's lair has a strong negative connotation. Learning the difference between the two, then, would be to understand the difference between the good and the bad, the thing that lifts from the thing that destroys.
There's probably more, but I'm not thinking of it right now.
That was the original intent. But it still doesn't feel like it fits quite right. I dunno.
