These are two slow and thoughtful songs based on poetry by John Milton. Finzi was in his mid-20s when he wrote them, and identified with the feelings of the 23-year-old poet who, in the second of these poems, expresses disappointment that he has not yet made a contribution to the world. The first poem laments the time lost before the poet began using his "one talent" to good account. Its consolation is in the famous line, "They also serve who only stand and wait."

Both songs are slow, with an expectant mood. The style of the music is similar to that of Ralph Vaughan Williams, whom Finzi admired. (He and the older composer became close friends, with Finzi preceding his long-lived elder in death by two years.) The problem in setting these poems was that they contain no strong emotion, and nothing actually happens in them. When the songs were published a critic chided Finzi for selecting poems that defied musical setting. Finzi's retort: "The first and last thing is that a composer is (presumably) moved by a poem and wishes to identify himself with it and share it.... I don't think everyone realises the difference between choosing a text and being chosen by one."

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