[1] It was first published in the anthology Australian Poetry 1968 edited by Dorothy Auchterlonie, and later in several of the author's collections and in other Australian poetry anthologies.
[1] The poet looks back at his childhood, and at his parents, and notes that they lived a life of restraint, duty and self-discipline that was very prevalent in Australia between the World Wars.
Noel Rowe wrote about McAuley's poetry in an essay for Southerly titled "James McAuley: The Possibility of Despair" and commented that the poem "wants a final reason for human sorrow", and that "it seems to be coming to terms with limited parents and limited love".
[2] In his commentary on the poem in 60 Classic Australian Poems Geoff Page noted that "McAuley seems almost to be musing to himself – or, perhaps more accurately, confiding to a trusted friend about the limitations of his childhood and their permanent impact.
"[3] After its initial publication in the Australian Poetry 1968 anthology in 1968, the poem was reprinted as follows: