[1] Fauré wrote the first song, "Exaucement", during his stay of 21–30 July at Bad Ems,[3] where he hoped to improve his health, particularly his hearing impairment.

[4] Then, with war breaking out, he made his way from Germany back to France via Switzerland, travelling via Saint-Louis, Basel and Geneva.

[2] Fauré continued to compose the cycle at Geneva and Paris,[5] and also at Pau, which he visited in October.

[3] Fauré's settings are as follows:[1] The cycle's overall title was taken from the second section of Van Lerberghe's Entrevisions, which has Latin epigraphs drawn from the Biblical Song of Songs, although only three poems from that appeared in the cycle, the rest being selected from other sections.

[6] Le jardin clos had its premiere at the Concerts Casella on 28 January 1915, sung by Claire Croiza.