nature though is admirable. Pierre states later in the poem that he is in fact happy to commune
with nature and to compose verse, specifying this representative role reminiscent of Durand’s
“Dédicace.” Pierre declares: “j’écris –pas trop mal, pas trop bien, --/ des lettres pour ceux-là qui
n’ont pas eu de classes....” The reality of the situation leaves Pierre no choice but to admit the
obvious discrepancies in their condition, discrepancies which fate has dealt to him. He
nonetheless declares his preference for this lot and voluntarily assumes his role. The poems ends
with this verse, set off from the preceding stanza: “Et je lui répondis: «J’aime mon sort; merci!
»” By ending the dialogue on this note, the seemingly downtrodden black poet from Haiti trumps
what the imperialist superiority has to offer, and the poem proves to be an ironic recognition of
the global politics at work. The poet ultimately asserts his power by choosing and thereby
elevating the lesser condition. This maneuvering is part of the specificity of the Haitian poet and
makes Durand’s project distinctive even from his Haitian counterparts.
In Durand’s poetry, it is through social realities more than through political crises that theHaitian poet articulates his concerns. For the most part, Durand is a poet of the nation and of
national unity and rarely becomes overtly political in his poetry. This is especially true
concerning the policies of various Haitian governments. The dangers of political engagement,
first through writing and subsequently through action, are illustrated in the next chapter on
Massillon Coicou. There are two poems, however, which representing the exception rather than
the rule, were born out of Durand’s political persecution. Durand spent brief time in prison on
two occasions for perceived loyalties to competing regimes. It was during these periods that he
composed two of his best known poems, “Chantez oiseaux” and “Choucoune,” both of which
date from the 1880s. Haitian historians recount the political involvement of other writers in the
nineteenth-century. The relative paucity of information on Durand’s imprisonment suggests to