Regret and Sacrifice: Central theme of "Those Winter Sundays"

"What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?"

In the poem "Those Winter Sundays" the author describes his father's ritual actions on Sundays in winter of cutting wood to keep the house warm. Though he has worked hard all week, he still goes out early in the morning and chops the wood in order to keep the house warm. He even shines the good shoes of the author. Still through all this the author talks to his father with indifference. The line " And slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house" indicates that there is obviously some strain on their relationship; however, throughout most of the poem the author does nothing but describe the good works of his father. This indicates that now looking back he feels shameful of how he treated his father. He realizes he did not appreciate all his father did for him at the time. This theme could also indicate that he now understands parenthood and its sacrifices, and feels regretful of treating his own father in this way.