could be encapsulated in the memory of the then well-known Ducas Hippolyte. As Pompilus
points out, this very public poem indeed contributed significantly to Durand’s own notoriety.
Although a few other poems in Rires et Pleurs also appear to have been written forspecific events or people, their presence in no way diminishes the importance accorded
throughout Durand’s collection to the sacred role of poets and the incomparable qualities which
set them apart from the rest of humanity. “A l’Auteur de Nella,” a series of three sonnets
dedicated in 1867 to a minor Haitian poet known as B. Basquiat, begins with a refusal to write
poetry on demand. Poetic material cannot be dictated by others but sensed by the poet alone.
The poet’s role is so sacred that others may not determine what is fitting for poetic expression.
C’est en vain qu’on me dit: “Chante ceci, poète:
C’est beau, noble, élevé; c’est bien fait pour le vers;
Mais que devant cela, ta muse soit muette:
La rose a sa chenille et le fruit d’or, ses vers!”Tout me plait [....] (1-5)It is evident from the debates in “La voix de la patrie” and “La ville de St. Marc” thatpoets in Haiti are not immune to societal pressures. The poet’ supreme quality, however, rests
with his ability to transform any matter into a subject worthy of poetic expression. Whether in
Ancient Greece, Renaissance Europe, or nineteenth-century Haiti, poets are described as those
who are profoundly and involuntarily inspired by the variety of themes they read in humanity
and in nature. They are, as Homer and Shakespeare,“les colosses de génie en qui le beau
respire " (37).
The reality of the poet’s plight, in spite of lofty ideals, is expressed in poems like “ADelorme,” which begins with this question: “Ne saviez-vous donc pas qu’ici bas le génie/Est
crée pour servir de proie aux ignorants?” (1-2). Awareness of his own talent amidst an ungrateful
and hostile society means the poet is wrought with pessimism reminiscent of a Romantic spleen.