A posthumous collection of late prose composed during exile alternates extended essays and fragmentary notes to form the author's intellectual testament. It offers literary criticism on art and poetry, reflections on the poet's social role, meditations on the soul, destiny, creation and God, and varied aphorisms on politics, morality, love and civilization. Longer pieces examine the nature and civilizing power of beauty, the balance between imagination and reason, and the poet's relation to history; scattered fragments supply personal maxims and topical observations that complement and diffuse the larger philosophical discussions.