Poetry of Revolution: Romanticism and National Projects

The transfer in poetic purpose and inspiration, from government leader to the life and

thoughts of the poet himself, was a hallmark of these first Haitian Romantics. The following

quote, while cited by Michael Dash, for example to illustrate Nau’s prescriptions for a national

literature, also stresses the importance in cultivating poetry as personal expression:

Vous ne serez goûtés et n’aurez de succès qu’à la condition qu’il se trouve dans

vos poésies vos croyances et vos sentiments personnels, qui, ne peuvent se

rattacher qu’aux croyances et aux sentiments de votre époque et particulièrement

de votre pays....^91

According to this new notion of what it means to be a poet, Haiti at the present time, Nau

deduces, has few real poets at all. An additional quote near the end of this essay stresses similar

points: “Nous dirons enfin à nos poètes ou à ceux qui aspirant à l’être:/la source de l’inspiration

est en vous et chez vous.”^92 Since the date of Emile Nau’s essay and the writings of Ardouin and

Ignace Nau are relatively contemporary to one another, it is difficult to know if, as most critics

have believed, these served as prescriptions which Ardouin and Nau as poets attempted to

follow, or if the poems they were already writing inspired Emile Nau to counsel others to do the

same. Especially given the close personal connections between and among the Nau’s and the

Ardouin’s, and between the editors of L’Union and these poets, it is necessary to view these

theories in conjunction to the poetry written. Emile Nau, for the sake of making his point, likely

exaggerates when he claims there are no real poets yet in Haiti. In reality, the poetry in Haiti in

the 1830s was quite diverse; Nau and Ardouin, in their exploration of personal and national

themes, constituted more the exception than the rule. Their poetry, however, not only

corresponded to what Emile Nau and others were calling for, but their poetry, Romantic in style

(^91) Dash quoting from Nau in L’Union le 16 novembre 1837. Italics my emphasis.
(^92) L’Union le 16 novembre 1837.