For me this poem speaks about my concerns (OK, fear) of trying things that are new and that will be hard to recover from if they don't work out. I can't know what it will do if I take the new path. It could be a beautiful thing that opens my world like seeing the beauty of the cat in it's habitat, catching it's eye, and understanding a new and strange entity but I won't know because all I can seriously consider is the hunting tiger. While I love the life I have there are times when I come to the point where I am looking at the sleeping tiger and really wish I could try the more dangerous path.