| "Because" | |
|---|---|
| by James McAuley | |
| First published in | Australian Poetry 1968 |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Publication date | 1968 |
| Lines | 40 |
"Because" is a poem by Australian poet James McAuley. [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. They were good people, with limitations.
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:
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