[10] At this time Słowacki was a target of a number of Polish literary critics, hostile to his works and ideology, and this poem was one of his replies to them.
[8][14] In this type of work, somewhat similar to a brief autobiography in verse, and inspired by "Non omnis moriar" (Latin for "Not all of me will die") of Horace, the poet usually conveys his or her ideologies and beliefs, as well as wishes and hopes.
[3][8][14] Testament... describes Słowacki's faith that despite the grim reality of the present his works will endure and gain renown after his death.
[15] This poem served as an inspiration for the title of the 1943 book Kamienie na szaniec (lit.
Stones for the Rampart) by Aleksander Kamiński, where it is used as a reference to the sacrificial and insurrectionist traditions of Polish romanticism.