This is a poem by Vernon Scannell simply explores the hardships of life through a father and son relationship. This poem explores a fathers protection for his beloved son in order to keep him safe from these evil nettles. A lot of his anger and frustration towards the nettles is somewhat personified as the nettles being soldiers ,this referring them as 'recruits' and ' that regiment of spite'.
It could also symbolise his life as a young man as Scannell was a member of the army however he did not particularly enjoy being a part of it. His hardship and pain expressed in the war and what he witnessed could be the reason for him to display this bitterness throughout the poem and his sons pain form the nettle beds. This personification present in the poem could suggest that he faced a lot of sad times in his life. This poem is a very sad and violent shadow of Vernon Scannell's life.
I am currently studying this in English and as soon as I read it I found it very interesting and easy to interpret and understand.