6500: Haitian poem needed

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: John Gallas <john.gallas@bluecom.net>

                            I'm a poet who has been commissioned by CARCANET
PRESS LTD (UK) to produce a book of poems (translated by us, or any happy
volunteer!) one from each country in the world as at the turn of 2000.

It's going well, 55 countries-poems have been completed, thanks to
enthusiams and help from folks from Mongolia to Maori NZ. I'm wondering if
you might help us find a 'good' Haitian poem for the collection. All we can
offer is an acknowledgement in the book when it's published, but hopefully
the fun in the project will get us through. 

What we need is a poem, 10-100 lines long - longer if it's a must ! -
identifiably Haitian, though not overtly (too overtly !) political or
religious, from any period of history (avoid living poets for copyright
reasons unless it's okayed. it often has been), and of any kind - folksong,
proverbs, literary creation, protest song etc. If there's an author, his/her
name and dates.

We just need the original, with author/dates. We have a bunch of translators
straining at the leash. However, any offer of a plain, line by line english
translation for me to work on, along with the original, most happily
accepted. In the case of Mongolia, for instance, necessary and happily
accepted ! 

Thanks in advance for your help. I have a Mac so other Attachments are a
problem. Otherwise I'm here e-mail, or at John Gallas, 40 London Road,
Coalville, LE67 3JA, England.

Yours,
John Gallas.