The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-11
"VRnH0 De BERGERAA."
....TnE...
FAMOUS NOVEL KDPLkY.

THE great sale OF the printed copies OF
| Cyrano de Bergarac'' since Richard
| Mansfield made the character so phe-
nomenaliy conspicuous IN this country has
| the play is an adaptation from
| novel As matter OF fact "adap-
l tation" in reference To- the isgits-
/! mate and Legitimate versions of 'Cy-
| rano" is wrongly chosen word The YER
| sions differ only in the variety of fransla-
| tons. The work was first and always
| play But the plot lends Itself readily 10
| narrative treatment. The story is one OF
1 rare beauty and interest, though half a
1 dozen ill-advised efforts at stage interpre-
tation have demonstrated that TO give
| Cyrano as a character and as a drama
| impressive significance there is need OF
such an authoritative artist as Richard
| Mansfield.
| Cyrano was a real person OF the first
| half of the seventeenth century. Though
| born in Gascony, he lived IN Paris, where
| he was distinguished urVanq0ish-
| able swordsraan, wit a poet, and the
| possessor of a nose Says Ragueneau. the
rhyning pastry cook:
| An. what a rose 1t is. my lords!
| To see one pass with such a nose as that,
You could but cry. 'oh, no. lis mag
But THIS Monsieur de Bergerac never
l does.
/ Nor dared one remark II. 1t was his
| sensitive point. and at the Hotel de Bour-
| gogne tact u, after Cyrano. humoring one
| OF his madcap fantasies. had driven a fat
mouther of poets lines from the stage.
| he defended an insult offered this nose
| first with his wit and then with his sword
| improvising a ballade while ne fenced. A
| marquis had said his nose was large.
After pausng for him to continue, Cyrano
| replied:
That is all too brief. You might say
Many and many a thing. changing your
tone,
AS for example these.--Aggressively:
| Sir. had such a nose I'd cut 1t orr!
| Friendly: But it must dip into your cup,
You should have made a goblet tail to
| drink from
| Descriptive: Ills crag.-a peak--a cape.
| l said a cape?-'tis a peninsula
| InQuisitive: ITO what use do you put this
oblong sheath:
| Is II writing case or scissors bOx?" Or,
in gracious tone:
Are you SO fond of birds. that like a
father
You spend your time and thought to offer
This roasting place to rest their little
| feet?"
ouarrelsome: We'll. sir. when you smoke
Can the smoke issue from your nose,
without
Some neighbor crying. The chimney is
Warning: BE careful lest this weight
| drag down
Your rs head and stretch you PROSTATE on
Tenderly: "Have sma-. umbrella made.
For fear its color fade out in the sun"
| Pedartic: 'Sir. only the animal
| Called by the poet Aristophanes
| mpelephantacamelos'
Should carry SO much flesh and bone upon
| him.'
Cavalier: Friend, is this peg in the
fashion?
| To hang ones hat on, 1t must be conve-
nient"
| Emphatic: ''Magisteriai nose, no wind
Could give. thee all cold, except the
| mistral.'
| Dramatic: Its the Red Sea when il
| bleeds!'
Admiring: What a sign for perfumer''
| Poetic: list a conch. are you a Triton?'
Naive: when does one visit this great
Respectful: Let me. sir. pay my re-
This might be called fronting upon t..e
| street"
Countrified: "Thato a nose that is
nose.
| giant turnip or baby melon!'
| Or military: Guard against CAVALRY
| Practical: "Will you put it in a rattle?
| 1t surely. sir. would be the winning num-
| Or parodying Pyramus. with a sob:
There is the nose that ruins the sym
| metry
| OF its masters features; the traitor
bushes for it.
| Cyrano loved his cousin, Roxane, but he
| hesitated to speak his love lest soft, amor
| Gus words might sound ridiculous from
| him. Meanwhile Christian de Neuvillette
| a handsome young nobleman with gift
| of lovers tongue, came to Paris. and
| Roxane fell in love with him at sight
! After Cyrano's brilliant achievements with
| sword and wit which she witnessed at the
| Hotel de Bourgogne she sent her duenna
| to appoint 81 rendezvous They agreed
| that Cyrano and Roxane should meet next
| morning after mass at Ragueneau's cook
| shop Cyrano believed that Roxane was
! fascinated with his achievements and that
| he could speak his love. SO moved was he
| that that night he encountered one hun
| ired rnfians attacking d friend of HIS
| Ligniere. on his way hons, and he put
| them all to rout, running eight of them
| through
| Next morning TACT q he met Roxane
| a. Ragueneau's. but she told of her deep
| burning love for Christian not for him.
| Moved by his bravery and his Wit she
| asked him to protect this fair but fraii
| youth from the braggarts of Carbon de
| Castel-Jaloux's Gascony cadets, OF which
| Cyrano was one and which Christian had
| just Joined. The surprise. the irony. the
| hopelessness OF the unexpected revelation
| stunned the great-hearted ugly poet, but
| he recovered himself ana submitted with
| a promise 10 protect Roxanes lover She
| departed. ana he had a chance TO keep his
| word before he left the cookshop.
All Paris had heard OF Cyrano's duel OF
| the baiiade and his rout OF Ligniere's one
| hundred besetters at the Port de Nese
| and cadets mobiles and eanaille crowded in
| to congratulate him. With them vas the
| Comte dc Guiche, s. pompous noble. who
| was n suitor for Roxane's hand. There
| was handy OF words and Cyrano insulted
| him before the crowd. It was when lie
| Bret his friend and companion. reproach-
| ell him for mis- unlicensed habit OF making
| enemies that he made this superb reply.
And what must I do2
| Seek come protector strong, get me
| patron.
| And, ike some humble vine that twines
| a trunk,
| Upheld by H. the while II strips It's bark
| Climb by mere artifice. not rise by
| strength
| No thank You. Dedicate as Others DO
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