The History of “Choucoune”
The poem Choucoune was written in 1883 by Oswald Durand (1840-1906), who in addition to his literary talents was a time-serving politician. Written originally in Creole, it was set to music by Michel Mauleart Monton.
According to the American-Haitian doctor, Louis J. Auguste in The story of Choucoune…: “Choucoune was a real person. Her real name was Marie Noel Belizaire. She was born in the Village of La-Plaine-du-Nord in the year 1853.” After a failed relationship she moved to Cap-Haitien, the capital of the Northern Province of Haiti where she established a small restaurant “near the Chapel of St-Joseph”.
It was there she appears to have met Durand, who was some thirteen years her senior, and a bit of a womaniser. Having been thrown into gaol – an occupational hazard for political activists down through the ages – Durand was inspired to write the poem by a bird that alit on his window. Alas, while he went on to bigger and greater things, Choucoune went insane and died in 1924 a broken woman.
Although he was born in New Orleans, Michel Mauleart Monton was also of Haitian extraction. Ten years after the poem was written, he set it to music; “Choucoune” was first performed publicly in Port-au-Prince on May 14, 1893. And the rest, as they say, is history. https://www.songfacts.com
In 1957 the song was given English lyrics. It is known as “Yellow Bird” and has been covered by The Mills Brothers,The Kingston Trio and Harry Belafonte. There is a post for “Yellow Bird” on this site.