Britten and W. H. Auden met in the summer of 1935 and worked closely together until 1942. Auden dedicated to Britten, two poems from his collection Look Stranger! (1936). On This Island sets five poems from this series, and was published in 1937, Britten’s first collection of songs with piano. 

The first piece, ‘Let the Florid Music Praise!’ encompasses two different states of mind. One proclaims love, whilst the other is anxious and foreboding: the euphoria of the first stanza cannot last as 'time' will inevitably strip us all of our beauty. ‘Now the leaves are Falling Fast’ is set to the poem called ‘Autumn Song’. It explores the certainty of death and the uneasiness associated with the passing of time. The song presents a dark tone, describing a season which leads into a bleak, hopeless future, rather than one of abundance. In the third song, the undulating lines and dynamic rhythms capture the beauty of the 'Seascape', illustrating the sea and its cliffs. The perpetual motion of the waves demonstrates the unrefined energy of nature. As the song ends, the music dies down so gradually into nothingness that it seems the scene is moving far into the distance, whilst never truly ceasing. ‘Nocturne’ is the simplest of the set musically, yet it is rich in profundity, as Auden explores his interest in human nature. The search for meaning in the mundane and the perspective on humanity in nocturnal settings are supported by intense and atmospheric harmony. The poem 'As it is, plenty’ is based on a story about a man having an affair with a music hall acrobat. Britten's cabaret-esque setting playfully mocks the middle-class businessman through dark humour and a jaunty, minimalist, accompaniment.