who served under Henri Christophe, and Antoine Dupré and J.S. Milscent who wrote for Pétion.
Poetry in both locales is largely known for celebration of Haitian independence, for
commemoration of special occasions, or for praising the leaders of the two competing
governments. Belief in viable sovereignty rested with the leader deemed most capable of
resisting and maneuvering against a possible French invasion. Poetry often falls in line with
classical prescriptions to respect rules of versification and retains the purpose of entertaining and
instructing; under both regimes poetry’s chief purpose was to defend and serve the government.
This poetry is also permeated by classical allusions, and occasionally displays cosmic scenes in
which Haiti is rightly placed in the universe among all equal peoples.
J.S. Milscent, a poet in Pétion’s republic, founded Haiti’s first literary journal in 1817which included writing samples from the period as well as a record of political events in Haiti
and throughout the world. The opening pages of this journal, L’Abeille haïtienne, express the
desire for a Haitian political and literary presence on the world stage: “C’est en fixant parmi
nous les éléments de la civilisation que nous figurerons honorablement sur la scène du monde.”^25
In subsequent editions over the next three years, the following heading consistently appears:
“L’epée et les talents doivent n’avoir qu’un but/Que chacun à l’Etat apporte son tribut.” It is
undoubtedly these types of declarations which lead Haitian professors and researchers Pompilus
and Berrou to conclude that there is little separation between literature and government politics
during this period.^26 Compared to the concern for history and the development of poetic
subjectivity seen in nineteenth-century Haitian poetry from the 1830s onward, the function of
poetry was clearly different during these precarious early years. Additionally, the overarching
problem with treating this period remains the fact that these poems are even more difficult to
(^25) L’Abeille haytienne, journal politique et littéraire [Port-au-Prince] le 7 juillet 1817.
(^26) Berrou and Pompilus 15-52.