The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-26
THE FAR.oFF PRINCESS.
Translated from the French for the CALL by

OF the troupadorS OF PROVENCE
The singular thing about the new work Is
that its mysticism does, not prevent II from
being intensely restless and modern in spirit
| When it was first produced on the 9th inst
! Wagnerians almost imagined that they were
witnessing a muscless representation OF TITS
tan and Isolde' only Sarah Bernhardt gave
more ideal rendering OF 1.-THE Far-Of Princess"
than the most modern of prima donnas could
do. This is the strange part she Is nightly III
terpreting:
''The Far-off Princess" is sort Of Queen of
Sheba, who reigns in Tripoi toward the END OF
the dominion of the Byzantine emperors. Her
beauty, her wit and her wisdom have made
her celebrated even in the west OF Europe. A
French troubador, Bertrand d'Alamarlon, mas
taken her for the lady of his dreams and extols
her merits as Dante extolled those of Beatrice.
Bertrand has been pushed by his spirit OF ad-
venture as far as the court of Godfrey, Prince
OF Sicily, and to the Prince himself he mas
talked so much of the beauty and graces OF the
unknown Princess that Godfrey himself falls
in love with her
1t is q Platonic affection, however, for the
poor Prince is dying. But he cannot bear 10
leave the earth without having seen the Prfn-
cess. SO he embarks with Bertrand and sets
sail toward Tripoi.
The first scene shows the vessel bearing
Godfrey All is going badly, fever decimates
against the barbarous pirates, the tempest,
hunger and thirst. Nevertheless the dreamed
OF Princess has such hold on the imagina-
tons of the sailors that Bertrand has only 10
evoke her name to give them fresh courage
and hope. Their faith is recompensed as the
sun rises, for the mist covering the sea rises
showing in the distance the white walls OF Irl-
poll and the palace where the mysterious Pr1n-
cess re sides.
The second scene shows the interior of the
strange palace, and which is full OF maryels,
flowers and perfumes. Pilgrims just returned
from the Holy Land salute the Princess, who
distributes to them white lilies, her emblem.
But If pilgrims receive easy entrance 1t is not
the same thing for troubadors and knights.
The Princess is betrothed for reasons OF state
to the Byzantine Emperor, who is jealous of
her, and under the pretext OF supplying guard
of honor has placed over her an officious guard
ian, the Knight of the Green Shield, sort of
fairy tale giant, who keeps the Princess in
captivity. She, however, charmed with youth,
poetry and beauty, would like to meet some
knight to deliver her from the fate of having
to marry the old Emperor.
To the melancholy of legendary heroines the
Princess joins the restless nervousness Of the
end-of-the-century woman, and 1t is with al
most extravagant JOY that she learns from the
merchant Squarciafco, who has come TO sell
her stuffs from Genoa, that q handsome knight
is roaming round the palace as if he would
force it's gates. 1t is Bertrand. Godfrey, at the
point of death, has charged him to seek out
the Princess - Melissinde is her name-and
lead her on board the ship. Bertrand accepts
the mission and executes it valiantly. He
scatters the guards under the eye of Melissinde,
who has thrown him her white veil and car
ries it back to her stained with the blood of the
knight of the Green Shield, whom he has slain
in mortal combat. Bertrand has been wounded
and he faints The Princess binds up his
wounds and learns with sorrow that the hand
some knight is only the Princes messenger.
On his side Bertrand is struck with love for
her, but, remembering his promise to his
friend, tries to persuade Melissinde to go on
board Geotfrey's ship.
In the next scene the Princess has yielded TO
the troubadour's suppIication, and Is about 10
visit his friend Godfrey. The more she sees
Bertrand, however, the more she loves him,
and at last decides to confess her feelings.
Bertrand is so overcome with the avowal that
for time he forgets his loyalty. He is over
come with remorse when he sees ship sailing
out TO sea under black flag, for it was the sig
nal agreed upon TO tell him that Godfrey
dead.
However, this was but delusion. The ship
with the black flag was the Que bearing the re-
stantinople, and the lovers, seized with disgust
at their selfshness, prepare TO visit the dying
man.
The scene changes to Geoffrey's ship where
the Prince is anxiously expecting the return of
his messenger. Soon, on galley, decked with
flowers, like Cleopatra's, the Far-off Princess
appears Come back to the ideal, she consoles
the dying man, cuts off her flowing locks beside
his couch and makes his last moments happy
~, fnxy e and trim han lDv-a
After his death, Melissinde, hoping for no more
happiness on earth, retires into convent.
Although this action is simple it is adroitly
dramatized; indeed the legend, while retaining
all its philosophical and symbolic ideas, be-
comes full of the intensity of dramatic action.
In the love scene between Melissinde and Ber-
trand the fashion in which the lovers close the
window which commands view of Geoffrey's
ship and the terror which seizes them when
the wind reopens it can either be considered
as a fine dramatic effect or as powerful psy-
Geological study of passion.
The base of the play is the eternal struggle
between the real and the ideal, and from this
point OF view one of the finest passages is the
discourse of the ships chaplain, who affirms
that love, when it is part ideal, is sacred as
religion, since it can put consoling hope into
the heart of dying man and can render the
eoarsest beings capable OF devotion and self
sacrifice.
! 1t is the ideal that illumines the end of the
! play from the moment that Bertrand and
Melissinde are seized with horror at the selfish
ness and perfidy of their love.
| All through the performance Sarah Bern
hardt realizes the plastic ideal of the Princess.
There is not detail OF the performance which
/ she has not attended to herself, not an access
| sorry which she has not ordered in person. She
has invented process for giving the costumes
an air Of not being brand new and for soften
! ing the colors. There is not even shoe, be it
| worn by the Princess herself or by one of the
/ pirates, which has not been exposed to the
atmosphere to make it lose the effect of being
worn for the first time.
There are only two scenes, but they are very
beautiful. The ship of the first act, with pink
sails painted with pictures OF patron saints, adj
yances on dark sea, that is gradually lighted
with the rosy tint of dawn, and through the
haze one sees the white walls of the palace
| inhabited by the mysterious Princess. Then
| there is the hall of the palace, an odd
mixture OF Gothic, Byzantine, Roman and
oriental architecture, with throne of Rayenna
mosaic. Then the audience sees the Princess,
| hierarchal and royal. in her hands the white
! lilies, on her head crown with gold wings,
and clad as if in dream. Her robe of Indian
damask was especially woven for her, her man.
1 l. t. rI-,gAl .~11