The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-13
BOOKS OF TEE -FOUR
"cYRANo DE BERGERAc,. THE
GREATEST PLAY OF THE
HALF-CENTIRY
BARD OF Av0N's GALLO RIVAL

"a Great Love-" by Clara Louise
Burnham-The New Edition of
Jane Austen's NoveIs-.Tn the
Brave Days OF oId"-@Rose a
Chariitte"-Ldternr Notes-On
the Book Table. :.
"Cyrano de Bergerac," which has
been the sensation OF the haH-century
In France and promises to become
equally famous here, is, above all. a
play to be read. 1t may be a dramatic
loss to fail to see the representations
OF Cyrano's character as rendered by
Coquehn or Richard Mansfield. hut II
can only be a literary gain, for. i'm
menseiy striking and engaging as it
must be when presented upon the
stage, II has a thousand fine charms
ana delicate touches which can only
De appreciated in the quiet of the
study
In very truth. all the praise it has
Won has been more than deserved
There has been no such play given to
the world since William Shakespeare
laaa down his pen. It is picturesque,
vivid, stirring TO the last degree; its
dramatic qualities are of the highest
order; each act sweeps the reader
OH his feet with q fresh and strong
sensation: 1t has the breadth, the
scope. the passion of the world
great dramas, but it also has the
oelicacy, the freshness, the spiritual
cnarm OF the worlds great poems.
Ii is intense. dashng, violent; it is
also human, endearing, sweet There
nave been no such duels of wit as
those or Cyrano and Roxane since the
long dead days of Beatrice and Bene-
dict. and-last and most successful
auoaclty OF all-not even in the DAYS
OF Romeo and juliet was there such
a balcony scene as where Cyrano,
speaking for another. pours, out his
own soul and wins with his eloquence
the kiss he may not take
The notion Of comparing any man
TO Shakespeare has been for so long
absurd and incredible that. now the
man who justifies such a comparison
IS really here, the critic hesitates.
Yet. 1t is only in comparing the great
man. of one age with the great man
of another that the progress of the
race becomes really evident The con-
spicuous difference then between the
great Elizabethan dramatist and NJ.
Rostand is to be found in the greater
spiritual subtlety Of the latters theme.
Shakespeare was uniVersal-yes. To
a touch Of that universally M. Ros-
tand adds a strong note of modernity.
Cyfano and RoXane would be a mag
nificent hero and heroine for the drama
of any age, but it is only in our own
day and generation that IL would be
POSSIBLE for the heroine OF a popular
play TO discover, as does Roxane, that
she loves, not the noble presence the
brave soldier, the tender lover that is
Christian, but the poetic soul revealed
to her that, though She knows il not,
is Cyrano. In other words, the great
discovery OF the poets about human
nature in the last go years is that
passion is more a matter of the spirit
than of the flesh.
The character OF Cyrano is presented
with a breadth and vigor. yet with a
finish and attention to detail that is
nothing less than marvellous. True
Gescon and true gentleman, his mod
ernity is inextricably confused with his
mediaevalism. and it is impossible to
say which is the more loveabie of the
two.
In truth, the play is a thing of which
il is impossible TO speak without seem
ing 10 strike a note of exaggeration To
DO plain justice TO its merits is TO saw
so much that the incredulous reader re-
coils unbelieying. 1t is not play "a
be criticised, but rather one to thank
Heaven for on ones knees. For II
ilCOHlSSLdDly InaI the
great days Of the drama are not over
and that the twilight of the poets" is
about to pass. 1t quickens the read
| er's breath and stirs his pulses as he
realizes that 1t means more even than
IL seems to mean. For, If NJ Rostand
can repeat this feat, then out Of Gaul
has come a conqueror. and, If France
or Anglo-Saxony can produce men 10
keep pace with him, it may be that we
are upon the edge of such a literary
period as the world has not known since
"the spacious days OF great Elizabeth. .
OF the translation of the play by Miss
Gertrude Hall, 1t is enough TO say that
ii is so transparent that the spirit OF
the original shines through unhindered
Miss Hall is a poet, too. She has f1ex-
Utility. perception, grace and. above all
she has enthusiasm for her task and
a thorough comprehension of It, Her
phrasing Is beyond praise No com
monplace, inadequate word mars the
| beauty of a translation that is so fine
as TO be in Itself kind of creation
"cyrano de Bergersc." by Edmond Rostand
Translated by Gertrude Hall. New York
Doubleday Mcclure company, 20 cents
For sale by the St. Paul Book and Station,
cry company.