The play was written as a gift for the 50th birthday of composer Brian Ferneyhough Saariaho`s teacher.
The text is based on Caliban`s monologue from William Shakespeare`s play The Tempest `Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises...`.
The song later became part of a larger vocal cycle by Saariaho called `Tempest Songbook`.
The ensemble in the original version consists of baritone clarinet mandolin guitar harp and double bass.
In 1995 a revised version appeared bass alto flute harpsichord and cello.