Ont eu cette larme bénie,
Et Musset dit que l’harmonie
Est la fille de la douleur. (163-167)In the next section of the poem, the poet compares the exploration of memory to thedanger of landing on these islands’ shores. In doing so, he conveys that for the Haitian poet, the
risks associated with comparing the present to past memories are too great to overcome.
Dwelling on the painful discrepancies between the various temporalities and the differences
between poetic ideals and current suffering can ultimately lead to a shipwreck of sorts and
ultimately a cessation of poetry. The muse herself is shocked at these dramatic changes in the
verse of the poet and interjects: “Quoi! –dit-elle,-- où sont donc ces joyeuses ivresses, /Ces
instants où mes vers étaient mélodieux....” The ending echoes the refrain at the beginning of the
poem, but it is pronounced this time by the muse. Her final declaration specifies that poetry
cannot in fact be sustained by such sadness. Subsequently she decides to abandon the poet and
leave him once and for all in silence. In the end, the poem is less about personal and national
recollections than it is about the loss of poetic ideals. Poetry at the end of this piece is reduced to
memory and shows no signs of beginning anew.
These two poems, as revealed in the selected quotes, illustrate the thematic and stylisticvariety of Durand’s collection. It is not accidental that “A la ville de Saint-Marc” and “La voix
de la patrie” are among the many poems left undated. The sentiments they express and the
complexities they unveil about Haitian poetry remained characteristic of Durand’s verse
throughout his career. At least in the case of “A la ville de Saint Marc,” the recollections of
youth and of poetry previously written would seem to indicate that a more mature poet, looking
back over his life and career, composed the verses either over time or in a period later than most
poems in the collection. The dates included after some poems, along with other details about