The poet not only chronicles the often unnamed and unrecognized heroes of Haiti’s pastbut again emphasizes their ancestral homeland. Many maroon leaders were in fact born in
Africa. Africa’s being “vieille” can of course have multiple meanings. Not only does this refer
to the continent’s ancient history which preceded colonial intervention, but it also suggests the
geographical and temporal distance between the leaders’ origins and Haiti’s nineteenth century.
The lack of knowledge about their personal histories and certainly the paucity of traceable and
written records enhance their ancient mystique. At the same time, an old Africa is not a modern
one in that it is not composed of independent republics. In “Paroles d’un Croyant,” it is the hope
to see Africa “reborn” which inspires the poet and will bring Haiti glory: “Vois sous ton fier
drapeau ma race qui s’enrôle;/ Vois l’Afrique renaître et reçois l’auréole” (53-54) The dream is
for the success of Haiti as a nation and a prosperous Africa, and Haiti is the martyr to this
modern cause.
4.5 POETRY AND BEYOND: FROM HAITI TO PARIS AND BACK AGAIN
The poem “Exultation” is a highly representative piece of the many themes whichtraverse the poems in Poésies Nationales as a whole. The suggestion of failure in the first
stanza, for example, is more fully played out in other poems, some of which we have alluded to
already. Most importantly, Haiti’s viability in “Exultation,” an admitted poetic obsession,
encompassed the larger stakes for the entire African diaspora. This paradox, too, has already
been apparent in many of the poems we have studied thus far: the poet declares the futility of his
national poetry even as he authors the collection. Amidst these mournful and in many ways