 The first part, published in 1792, has 33 "lyres" (or poems), and they tell mostly about Gonzaga's (using the pen name Dirceu on the book) love by a woman named Marília (who was, in real life, a girlfriend of his, Maria Doroteia Joaquina de Seixas Brandão).The second part, published in 1799, was written when Gonzaga was serving time in Ilha das Cobras because of his involvement with the unsuccessful Minas Conspiracy.Its 38 lyres focus now on Gonzaga's longing for freedom.