This work was compiled by Kosaku Yamada in 1914, shortly after his return from studying in Germany. In "Recollections of the Philharmonic" (1926, an essay published in Symphony), Yamada stated that "I" breathed within this work, recalling that he naturally came to recognize its originality.

He and She: Seven Poems is a work categorized as a "dance poem." It is an attempt to unify music and dance into a single art form by permeating them with rhythm. Kosaku Yamada began using the term "dance poem" after his self-composition recital in January 1916.

Although this piano piece was originally composed as a poem, for Yamada, a "poem" was insufficient with sound alone and demanded movement (dance). This work unfolds as the "motion" of dance assimilates into the "stillness" of music. Each of the seven pieces was composed according to a narrative. For example, in the third piece, "He" and "She" realize the songs resonating within their innermost selves and suffer, but gain strength from the sound of monastery bells heard from somewhere, and using that sound as a staff, they embark on the path of faith. The sixth piece depicts a scene where "He" and "She" dance and play amidst splendid musical sounds in the country they longed for, and the music reveals traces of ancient minuets and mazurkas.