This song reflects the widespread taste for exotic eroticism that Bizet so thoroughly indulged in his Djamileh and Les Pêcheurs de Perles. The intermittent pulsation of the accompaniment suggests the sensual Middle Eastern dancing the text describes, as does the vocal cadenza at the conclusion. The textures of both accompaniment and vocal line are almost incessantly changing, as if suggesting the hostess' attempting to cajole the traveler with every possible pleasure, as do the key changes from major to minor.

Bizet dedicated this piece to Marie Caroline Felix Carvalho, the noted soprano who created many of his heroines. (Her husband, the impresario, Leon Carvalho, encouraged and promoted Bizet throughout his career.)

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