At its appearance in 1968 the "Cantilena" had been declared to be not readily understandable by today’s generation. The publishers themselves found it “terribly difficult and absolutely daunting”. The interpreter, it had been said, had to be a philologist, a Maltese, one in possession of Arabic, familiar with the history of Malta, and well informed on the author of the composition. It must be admitted that a foreigner, even if expert in this field of study, but unfamiliar to a Maltese way of thinking, will find the text difficult and obscure.