New-York tribune., 1900-05-28

that fete was organized at the Renaissance in
honor of Sarah Bernhardt the high honor was
done me that chosen among the fve poets
who recited verses in her praise on the stage.
FANCIED HIMSELF HATED.
The great success Of that sonnet gave me
fresh heart. For before that l had plunged
in the most sombre melancholy. L fancied myseii
hated by all men, the butt of every tongue and
for five long months I had never left my room,
a victim to sheer folie de la persecution
wanted nothing only to be left alone TO my
Imagined disgrace to hear no sounds to see no
faces. Such fits come upon me now and again
So strong this madness of mne-ln thinking
that everybody despised me-that 1t was with
fear and trembling that stepped upon the
stage to recite my sonnet in praise OF Sarah'
was so astonished to see that NOBODY Missed me-
that / was not pointed at! ! was more aston
ished and delighted than / can well express at
the enthusiastic reception which was awarded 10
my verse This cured me of my melancholy anu
to give me still more heart came my success
with my verses behalf of Greece, which were
pubfished in the Echo de Paris After they APP
peared / became the hero of the Greek colony
here. and was feted and fattered In way sur
ficent restore all the sef-confdence whlcn
which was signed by every one OF them, ana IN
the letter was a violet picked in Athens You
Then came the success of La Samar1talne.
I only allowed it to be played during HOLY
Week. and though the prices Of the seats We're
raised it earned, relatively speaking, more
money than even 'Cyrano' does. But what al
forded me the most delight in its success was
that had shown the public and the critics. and
had convinced myself. that 1 was not forced
always to write comedies.
THE ORIGIN OF CYRANO.
"All this time had been carrying Cyrano de
Bergerac in my head. Ever since was at school
both as a pupil at Stanisas College. here in
Paris, and during my three years IN my native
town of Marseilles, where l finished my career
a schoolboy. had felt that there was play
to be written on the life of Cyrano de Bergerac
duelist warrior and author. Even before Les
Romanesques' was written had the intention of
writing a play about him. But L had no action
for he Die I L
read all that has been written about him
Bbiophile Jacobs book upon him. Nod1ers
eulogy. and of course, every line of his own
works ] filled my head with historical notes
concerning him. Now and then l would write
a few verses TRADE two. and put them in
my drawers So that when had found the plot
of the action in which he was to move L had
much of the play ready. wrote Cyrano slmui-
taneously with La Samaritaine.' When I was
in the midst of the piece 1t occurred to me that
the only man in France who could play the part
was Coquelin. 'Cyrano could not be played at the
Francais for there was there who could
act such part. or. rather who could look the part
like Coquelin I felt so convinced of this that
would not listen to my friend Feraudy when he
urged me to give 1t to the Coincide Francaise.
had believed that it would take with the public.
but had never dreamed that 1t would succeed
it has done. 1t is an unheard of thing on the
stage for a play written in rhyme to run for
more than three hundred nights"
Rostand lives for the treasures which fll MS
beautiful house for the treasures which MI
his shelves, and for the treasures which fill his
mind Il rarely ever go out" he said Il never
take any exercise. | never go out for the mere
sake of walking, only when have definite OBJ
ject in view. | told that ought to take ex-
ercise and I think that | shall begin fencing
once more. l hardly ever see anybody-my wife
and children suffice me for company-and nave
only two friends. / wish to be alone
am quite without the pale of the Paris world of
letters. | belong to school or literary coterle
and | have never written in any of the maga-
zines in which these coteries defend their spe-
cial views on art l do not know what is said Of
me among my brother authors. He
waved his cigarette weary. Il was oVerJoyed
I sonnet the Renaissance
! was not hissed. for had fancied that my hav-
ing kept alOof from all literary society might
have been interpreted into disdan whereas it is
merely that I am so nervous that I cannot mix
with people that must be alone"