Miłosz met Mycielski in Paris in late autumn 1934. The two men spent a lot of time together in Vilnius in the winter of 1936/37. Mycielski was enthusiastic about Miłosz’s collection of poetry Trzy zimy [Three Winters], published at the time. He wanted to write a song to his poem “Obłoki” [Clouds] (the song has been presented in sketches). In 1946 Mycielski began to compose a song cycle, Ocalenie [Rescue], to Miłosz’s poems from the first collection of his poetry published after the war (the songs were completed in 1948). The two artists renew their friendship in the late 1970s, when Mycielski began to travel to the United States. In 1990 Miłosz mentioned the composer in his Rok myśliwego [A Year of the Hunter]:

An extraordinary man, magnificent in his detachment, a trait I have not encountered to this degree in anyone. It was as if he was hovering beside himself, looking indulgently at his vicissitudes, just as he looked indulgently at other people, the history of his century, the war; usually pessimistic, which, however, did not prevent him from being active. [Cz. Miłosz, "Rok myśliwego" [A Year of the Hunter], Paris 1990]