Poetry

"Nèg mawon" ("runaway slave," or "free man"), a famous statue in Port-au-Prince.  I'm not sure if this is the statue referred to in the poem below, but it's what I first thought of.  Photo taken from this blog.   I don't know the blogger but she has some great pictures!

I have been reading Open Gate:  An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry (ed. Paul Laraque and Jack Hirschman).  The poems are all originally in Kreyol with English translations.  The poem below was translated by the author.

Horizon of Gunbutts
by Patrick Sylvain

The history of my country is
in every link of chains
at the foot of Boukman's copper statue
overlooking a dusty town
at the depth of despair
with candlelights of anger
burning in every tired palm.

Low black clouds convert light
into darkness, the Man with a fat cigar
stands in front of the black mirror,
at Palais National where he plunders dreams
silently.  Leaving only rocks
and drifting dust behind.

The icebergs of nightmares are melting
in our imprisoned minds as we journey
along the horizon of gunbutts,
sticks and chains.

One by one, we are starting
to pull our shadows away
from burning cages.
There's a new man in the mirror
he holds a clock which is slowly ticking
like a dying breath.

His eyes and fat hands are
desperately searching for our dreams.
The sun is slowly conquering low black clouds
to establish a permanent noon.

Here is the same statue with the National Palace (spoken of in the poem) visible in the background.  The palace was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.  I found this picture here.

In Kreyol:

ORIZON KÒS FIZI
Patrik Silven

Istwa peyi-m nan
chak may chenn ki nan
pye estati an kwiv boukmann lan
k'ap konstate yon vil pousyè
nan kòtòf kalfou dezespwa
kote bouji kòlè boule
nan plamen ki fatige.

Nwaj chabon fè limyè
pran dèy, Nonm avèk gwo siga-a
kanpe devan yon miwa nwa
nan palè nasyonal pou l'vòlè rèv
trankilman.  Aprè pou li lèse wòch
ak pousyè k'ap viwonnen pou nou.

Blòk glas kochma pral fonn
nan sèvo-n ki prizonnen pandan
n'ap peleren anba orizon kòs fizi,
bout baton ak chenn.

Youn aprè lòt, nou kòmanse
deplase lonbraj nou
anba kaj dife.
Gen yon lòt gason nan glas la
li kenbe yon revèy k'ap mache
tankou yon souf devan lanmò.

Je-l ak pimba plamen-l
ap chache rèv nou ak fòs.
Solèy la kòmanse fonn nan dengonn
nwaj andèy pou l'tabli avi yon klète midi.

Here is the same statue with the partially destroyed National Palace in the background.  As this blogger (from whence came this photo) writes, one of the stirring phrases after the earthquake has been "Nèg mawon pap janm kraze," or, "The free man/runaway man will never be broken."  This is also often said of Haiti itself:  Ayiti pap janm kraze.  Haiti will never be broken.