The work is based on a German translation (by Schumann and his friend Emil Flechsig) of a tale from Lalla-Rookh by Irish poet and lyricist Thomas Moore.

The peri, a creature from Persian mythology, is the focus of the story, having been expelled from Paradise and trying to regain entrance by giving the gift that is most dear to heaven.

Eventually the peri is admitted after bringing a tear from the cheek of a repentant old sinner who has seen a child praying.

The cantata is generally held to be a significant achievement by Schumann, and it perhaps appeals less than it might otherwise to modern audiences due to the flowery, Eastern-inspired verbiage of the libretto, which represents a vogue for orientalism that was in full swing in the 19th century but has receded considerably today.

The first English performance took place under difficult conditions at the Hanover Square Rooms in London at the invitation of the Philharmonic Society conducted by William Sterndale Bennett with Jenny Lind taking the leading soprano part.