poets affirm the primacy of nature in poetic inspiration. Regardless of the country’s turmoil, the
commitment to pursue traditional conceptions of poetry prevails, even when other types of
literary works like satire may more accurately reflect national realities. By ending the poem with
these verses, Durand also expresses the desire to shield poetry from political debasement. On the
other hand, a return to nature at the poem’s end rings empty in light of the numerous concerns
raised in other verses. These simple evocations of trees and plains are disconnected in form and
content from the rest of the poem. Nature as a topos may seem evasive as the poem brings to
light the stubborn refusal of poets like Durand and Coicou to focus their efforts on the current
problems which threaten national survival. Finally, because these last verses are a repetition of
those found earlier in the text, they do not really mark any type of definitive conclusion. While
the sense is that while the poem stops here, the conversation could very well continue with any
of the three voices. Several questions remain unresolved and therefore perpetuate the
ambivalence inevitable in Haitian poetry: Should poetry reflect national concerns? Is nature’s
commonplace quality to be embraced or avoided? Within the realm of “national poetry” itself,
should the work of poets insist on the distinctive features of local color or celebrate the glories of
national independence? And who or what will constitute “la voix de la patrie?” The poem does
not resolve these dilemmas. The only definitive conclusion is that poetry will be written out of
such inquiries. In Haiti of the nineteenth century there may always be a conflict between a
poet’s desire for poetry and his sense of political commitment. The intense feelings of patriotism
repeatedly conflict with the reality of corruption and suffering. National pride will be
simultaneously met with despair.
The poet’s nostalgia for his past and the misery of the present are contrasted in anotherlengthy piece, “A la ville de Saint-Marc.” This text centers similarly on a dialogue, this time