Choucounne
By Katherine Dunham and Jean-Léon Destiné

De`ye` yon gwo touf pengwen
Lo`t jou mwen kontre Choukoun
Li souri le` li we` mwen
Mwen di: "Sye`l, ala be`l moun
Mwen di: "Sye`l, ala be`l moun
Li di: "Ou trouve sa che`?"

Ti zwezo nan bwa ki t' ape koute
Ti zwezo nan bwa ki t' ape koute
Kon mwen sonje sa
Mwen genyen lapenn
Ka depi jou-sa
De pye mwen nan chenn
Kon mwen sonje sa
Mwen genyen lapenn
De pye mwen nan chenn

Choukoun se yon marabou
Je` li klere kou chande`l
Li genyen tete debou
A si Choukoun te fide`l
A si Choukoun te fide`l
Nou rete koze lontan

Ti zwezo nan bwa ki t' ape koute
Ti zwezo nan bwa ki t' ape koute
Kon mwen sonje sa
Mwen genyen lapenn
Ka depi jou-sa
De pye mwen nan chenn
Kon mwen sonje sa
Mwen genyen lapenn
De pye mwen nan chenn

?Choucounne?
Each year at carnival time in Haiti, a composition is selected as the ?theme song? of that particular holiday season and is honored throughout the duration of the carnival. Usually a merengue is chosen, as this is the most popular social dance in Haiti. The merengue Choucounne is typical of these gay, romantic, carnival honored songs. It is the story of a flirtation between a boy and a girl named Choucounne, and is sung in French patois by Katherine Dunham, Jean-Léon Destiné, and the entire ensemble.

[Dunham, Katherine & Ensemble, Afro-Caribbean Songs and Rhythms, Decca, A-511, 4x78rpm, 1947*]

*Recorded 1945

YouTube: Choucounne - Katherine Dunham & Her Ensemble (1946)

Notes: The lyrics printed here are from my transcription, it's a bit off (see below.) This is the ?original? Kreyol publication of the song, not the poem. Contrary to the posts above and Averil's statements on Webster.edu, the artist sings only the first two verses of the original Oswald poem.

American anthropologist-choreographer (and Herskovits student) Katherine Dunham passed through the Caribbean about the same time as her mentor, making additional stops in Jamaica & Martinique.

The Dunham Company also performed a live version of Choucounne as part of their roadshows. The full orchestration, with lyrics, is on file in the Dunham Collection; Southern Illinois U.; Special Collections Research Center. It may be a while before I get back there. Maybe somebody closer can contribute:

http://archives.lib.siu.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=6

See also:

[Dunham, K., Cook, T., Journey to Accompong, (New York: Henry Holt & Co, 1946)]