{"id":819,"date":"2025-05-28T19:55:26","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T19:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/msbrazelton.wpenginepowered.com\/?page_id=819"},"modified":"2026-06-02T19:28:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:28:53","slug":"the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/","title":{"rendered":"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chosen by Campbell Paul<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do not know when I first came across the saga \u201cThe Sentimental Bloke\u201d written by the Australian \u201cbush poet\u201d CJ Dennis. The poem was published in 1916, in the middle of the First World War when many were dying around the world, just a couple of years before the frightening influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. He wrote for a world which was in turmoil, distressed and devastated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dennis gives us a vivid portrayal of the evolution of the relationship between The Bloke and Doreen, his first love, who later becomes his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In writing and introducing us to the new baby of this couple, the poet drew on the personal experience of his friend at the time who had just become a father. He described with amazing compassion and intensity the birth and arrival of his friend\u2019s new baby. In reading the poem we are astounded by the capacities of this newborn baby, The Kid. Using the Australian vernacular of the time, the Bloke, the father, draws an amazing word picture of the emotional, perceptual, and importantly the intentional world of the baby. It is as if CJ Dennis had met Berry Brazelton in his dreams and poured out in verse what he knows of this baby arriving gloriously trumpeted into the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As words do, \u201csentimental<\/a>\u201d in its formal meaning has evolved over time and may be seen as \u201caffected by or showing emotion rather than reason\u201d (OED). But we do know the absolutely essential importance of our emotions in understanding ourselves and others around us.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The poem does have loads of sentimentality, but this is unapologetic sentimentality, deep and thoughtful. It talks to a quality of sentimentality that seems to be vibrantly incorporated into the soul of the person. It is to be compared to the sentimentality about babies derided by Donald Winnicott, whereby parents feel pressured to deny the child\u2019s ordinary \u201cpersonal awfulness\u201d. This can lead to avoidance of any complexity in the quality of love which should include \u2018drat that kid\u2019 feelings and moments of resentment. Without this ambivalence, we may be left with a cloyingly empty view of the infant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is as if the sentimental Bloke shares the observational and interpretive skills of Berry Brazelton and Kevin Nugent: perhaps The Bloke was one of the first NBO practitioners. His genuine and very sharp observations of his baby, his son, shows us that The Bloke knew his baby as a person right from the very beginning. You could see the fusion of the phantasied and the real baby emerging in his mind through the pregnancy and the birth, as Nadia Bruschweiler-Stern would say. He experienced deep thoughts and strong emotions of his newborn son, and of his wife: his sentiments enabled him to truly understand himself and to grow his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I read this poem I am powerfully moved as the words of CJ Dennis paint a vibrant and lively \u00a0image of an excited new person, The Kid, the baby who is drawing us into his exploding new world of emerging self and relationships. A brand-new life filled with sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By C. J. Dennis (1876-1938)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

XIII: The Kid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Goog, goo,” ‘e sez, an’ curls ‘is cunnin’ toes.
Yeh’d be su’prised the ‘eaps o’ things ‘e knows.\u2060\u2060I’ll swear ‘e tumbles I’m ‘is father, too;\u2060\u2060The way ‘e squints at me, an’ sez, “Goog, goo.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Why! ‘smornin’, ‘ere ‘is lordship gits a grip
Fair on me finger\u2014give it quite a nip!\u2060\u2060An’ when I tugs, ‘e won’t let go ‘is hold!\u2060\u2060’Angs on like that! An’ ‘im not three weeks old!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


“Goog, goo,” ‘e sez. I’ll swear yeh never did
In all yer natcheril, see sich a kid.\u2060\u2060The cunnin’ ways ‘e’s got; the knowin’ stare\u2014\u2060\u2060Ther’ ain’t a youngster like ‘im anywhere!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know ‘e’s good an’ honest; fer ‘is eyes
Is jist like ‘ers; so big an’ lovin’-wise;\u2060\u2060They carries peace an’ trust where e’er they goes.\u2060\u2060An’, say, the nurse she sez ‘e’s got my nose!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Dead ring fer me ole conk, she sez it is.
More like a blob of putty on ‘is phiz,\u2060\u2060I think. But ‘e’s a fair ‘ard case, all right.\u2060\u2060I’ll swear I thort ‘e wunk at me larst night!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


My wife an’ fam’ly! Don’t it sound all right!
That’s wot I whispers to meself at night.\u2060\u2060Some day, I s’pose, I’ll learn to say it loud\u2060\u2060An’ careless; kiddin’ that I don’t feel proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A complete version of \u201cThe Songs of a Sentimental Bloke\u201d by CJ Dennis (1876-1938) is available through booksellers online or at http:\/\/adc.library.usyd.edu.au\/data-2\/densong.pdf<\/a>, a digital text sponsored by Australian Literature Electronic Gateway, University of Sydney Library, Sydney, Australia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg\"\/<\/figure>
\n

Assoc. Prof. Campbell Paul is a Consultant Infant and Child Psychiatrist at the Royal Children\u2019s Hospital in Melbourne and Honorary Principal Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne. He is President of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. With colleagues at the University of Melbourne he has established and delivered postgraduate courses in Infant and Parent Mental Health since 1992. He has a special interest in the understanding of the inner world of the baby, particularly as it informs therapeutic work with infants and their parents. With colleagues he has developed psychotherapeutic models of working with troubled parents and infants. He is a master trainer and Director of NBO Australia, the national NBO training program for professionals based at the Royal Women\u2019s Hospital in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chosen by Campbell Paul I do not know when I first came across the saga \u201cThe Sentimental Bloke\u201d written by …Read More<\/b><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":87,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-full-width.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-819","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Songs of a Sentimental Bloke - Brazelton Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke - Brazelton Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chosen by Campbell Paul I do not know when I first came across the saga \u201cThe Sentimental Bloke\u201d written by ...Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brazelton Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-02T19:28:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5e43928a61ed3520e5b79ab0\/1592256180683-LEWDGKVXOE9I3FZLEB7O\/bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke - Brazelton Institute\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\\\/content\\\/v1\\\/5e43928a61ed3520e5b79ab0\\\/1592256180683-LEWDGKVXOE9I3FZLEB7O\\\/bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-28T19:55:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-02T19:28:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\\\/content\\\/v1\\\/5e43928a61ed3520e5b79ab0\\\/1592256180683-LEWDGKVXOE9I3FZLEB7O\\\/bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\\\/content\\\/v1\\\/5e43928a61ed3520e5b79ab0\\\/1592256180683-LEWDGKVXOE9I3FZLEB7O\\\/bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NBI Community\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Poetry and Practice\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/nbi-community\\\/poetry-and-practice\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Brazelton Institute\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Brazelton Institute\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/Brazelton_Institute_BCH_logo_Horz@2x.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/Brazelton_Institute_BCH_logo_Horz@2x.png\",\"width\":865,\"height\":177,\"caption\":\"Brazelton Institute\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke - Brazelton Institute","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke - Brazelton Institute","og_description":"Chosen by Campbell Paul I do not know when I first came across the saga \u201cThe Sentimental Bloke\u201d written by ...Read More","og_url":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/","og_site_name":"Brazelton Institute","article_modified_time":"2026-06-02T19:28:53+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5e43928a61ed3520e5b79ab0\/1592256180683-LEWDGKVXOE9I3FZLEB7O\/bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/","url":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/","name":"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke - Brazelton Institute","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5e43928a61ed3520e5b79ab0\/1592256180683-LEWDGKVXOE9I3FZLEB7O\/bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-28T19:55:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-02T19:28:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5e43928a61ed3520e5b79ab0\/1592256180683-LEWDGKVXOE9I3FZLEB7O\/bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5e43928a61ed3520e5b79ab0\/1592256180683-LEWDGKVXOE9I3FZLEB7O\/bb2357b078b811e6b9a2519ff3f85e1f_content_medium.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NBI Community","item":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Poetry and Practice","item":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/nbi-community\/poetry-and-practice\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/","name":"Brazelton Institute","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/#organization","name":"Brazelton Institute","url":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brazelton_Institute_BCH_logo_Horz@2x.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brazelton_Institute_BCH_logo_Horz@2x.png","width":865,"height":177,"caption":"Brazelton Institute"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/819\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/87"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brazeltoninstitute.childrenshospital.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}