These verses articulate what Haitian poetry is not addressing. The muses’ indictmentwithin this poem conveys that poets knew about specific political problems and yet still chose
not to focus on this topic in their poetry. The reasons for this remain speculative, but they may
include general fear of reprisal or a preference for subjects less divisive in terms of national
unity. In any case, Haitian poets remained aware of the scope and deficiencies of their own
projects.
In “La Voix de la Patrie,” the voice of the muse continues to signal the economicdisparities among Haitian citizens, the exploitation of the poor, and the mockery of a justice
system which condemns many Haitians to death and forces others into exile. Perhaps it would
be better, she suggests, for the poets to throw away their lyres completely; if they are going to
write at all, then only satire would be appropriate. The voice ends her long series of suggestions
but without a definitive answer. She doubts whether or not she should attempt to change the
course of their poetry. Reluctant to spoil their visions of a poetic ideal, she leaves the decision to
the poets. The poets contemplate what they have just heard, and together they return to the blue
horizons, budding flowers, and green prairies from the poem’s beginning: “Salut! ô plaines!/ O
verts gazons!”
Whether these last verses indicate a “hail” or a “farewell” to nature poetry is part of thepoem’s ambiguity. Given, however, that this refrain is always followed by “causons, causons,” I
will based my interpretation on the first possibility but will explore a second interpretation in
light of an intertextual reference in one of Coicou’s poems in the final chapter of this study. In
addition to being ambiguous, this poem’s ending is also abrupt. It therefore offers multiple
interpretations of how to conclude the debate between the two interlocutors and between the
poets and the “voice.” On the one hand, it is Durand’s poetry which has the last word, as the