"There will come soft rains" is from one of Teasdale's last collections of poems, "Flame and Shadow." In this collection, especially in section VIII (which contains five other anti-war poems) Teasdale lamented her country's entry into World War I, and her lyric poetry became tinged with foreboding and resignation. The music setting attempts to bring the contemplative nature of this poem to the foreground. It has frequent instances of eight-part harmony and is basically tonal.