Poetry of Revolution: Romanticism and National Projects

(Sean Pound) #1

and wife and poet Virginie Sampeur, details of which, along with the epigraphs throughout the


collection, suggest the ways in which Durand’s inspiration is indebted to both French and


Haitian literary traditions.


As a whole, I read this poetry in light of Jean Paulhan’s ideas on figures of rhetoric in

poetry. I couple this with Haitian theories of racial equality which included numerous comments


about literature as well. The stylistic and thematic variety of this collection can be summarized


by two of Durand’s longest poems. They allow for transition into the dominant themes of other


poems and through direct questions posed by the interlocutors they provoke debate about the


nature and purpose of poetry in Haiti during this time. The poet’s conception of his role as


divine emissary and national representative are Romantic notions which remain relatively


constant in Durand’s corpus over the years. Nonetheless, I strive to organize the chapter


according to themes, beginning with nature, which means also considering the more Parnassian


moments in which Durand describes women and flowers in the Haitian countryside. I then


examine the many poems about love, paying particular attention to the portraits of women and


their representation of a feminized Haitian hinterland.


“Choucoune” is not only an example of how relations of imperial power are still present

in the realm of Romantic relationships in Haiti of the late nineteenth century, but it is also a


prime example of Durand’s understated subjectivity. As evident in other poems, this very real


but also ironic posturing of humility further elucidates Durand’s predicament as Haiti’s national


poet. Durand’s poetry can be seen as an interrogation into how to reconcile the influence of


French poetry and his own poetic accomplishments with a complexly defined Haitian identity.


The debate of what constitutes poetry in Haiti becomes problematic when trying to render this


poetry a national and racial specificity. In the last thematic section, I move on to how Durand

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