ROSTAND ON MAN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 738, 10 February 1910, Page 6

ROSTAND ON MAN.

HUMAN FOLLY PORTRAYED ON '.■■ .'. : : THE STAGE. ; -IN, A FABIITABD' , SETTING. " : . . By ToloEraph—Press Association—CjopjrlEht" ~. ■ . ".. : :Paris, February 8. ' The new play "Chantecler," by M. Edmond Eostand, tho..-millionaire poet and dramatist, has been produced in Paris before a brilliant audience. ' '' .' '"'.; "Chantecler". is a fantastic satire onhuman.follies., in languagb of lyrical fervour and, verve:'. The scene is laid in tho farmyard, and the story is that of a cock, who induced all the other 'denizens of the farmyard, to believe that if he, the cock,, were to, cease to crow in tho 'morning' the sun would not rise; but one fine: day the cock falls, in love,, and ho becomes dumb and cannot crow. Yet the sun: shines as brightly as before. - ■ ■-. ; , '■ . ■■..::■; The production, ■ including 150 marvellous costumes', of cocks, hens, pheasants, blackbirds, owls, etcetera, cost .£28,000. Tho piece created . a deep' "''impression, , , despite its eccentric setting. "Chantecler" was to have, been .staged at an earlier, date at tho Porte ;,St. Martin Theatre, . but, some delay was' caused by tho. death of M.. BenoitConstant Coquelin, 'who was to have taken leading'part. ' '."'.' " k ' .".,;'":' ' :..i,ln;':the present production, 1&.. Guitry, Madame Simbne, M. Jean Coquelin - ("son of the late M. Benoit-Constani; Coquelin), and Mr. Sidney, an Australian actor (who appeared as a gamecock), achieved great successes. , :' '. ."." - ,; .-!'-.-,. :

CONCEPTION OF: "CHANTECLER."

■INSPIRED 'BY- OLD-FEENCH.POEM: ■ The conception of "Chantecler" rose one day in Rostand's miiid after reading an old' French poem, entitled "Lo Roman du Rcnard," or the Romance of 'the Fox, an allegorical poem' attributed.'to' Pierre, de St. Cloud, who lived.in,the thirteenth century. . \; ■ . ■ ■', ■, .-.. : - ■,■■',' ■ 'This poem, is an. ingenions satire on the manners and customs of the iliddlo Ages, in which the principal characters aro Vulpin.-f-tho. fox"; and,Ysengrin,- tho. wolf, while other characters arc .Noble, tho lion; Tib'crt,, tho cat; : Brun,.thebear; and Chante-clair,-.the. pock. ''■'■'■ '■"■'■ Inspired by this, satirical poem, 'Eostand resolved to write'a.similar.satirical poem, but brought up -to date- , and- dealing.with the manners: and customs of our own age. '.•'. ■ . ; All the . personages are,■ - as : in Pierre de St. Cloud's poem, animals • or., birds; and, borrowing the-title of his play from one., of the characters of the old, poem,' ;Eostand calls his play "Chantecler." ' .Started Rich—Early Successes.' , •■ ; . - "Poets-.(says ■ a' , recent \ writer) are;, not always-poor, .they do. not .wear long hair, nor are they always dependent on the whim of some unsympathetic' pub-, "lisheiv. : • Take, for .instance, the " French poet; SI. Edmoud' , Eos&nd, , : whose extra-, ordinary .success has been unequalled bj. any ! writer of 'verse in the'present generation, jtmd / who' has;' made, his." name .universally at -'a time of life; >yhen most, other-successful, literary men are only i just-beginning' to feel their way. ■•;■-. ■■:••■■'■■•' ■"■-- .■.•••:■•■' '• >,"- : ' : ■'• ■. i■ ■' ■ ; : "Eostand comes of a rich family, of a. father , and grandfather learned .in. l ccd-' nomics, deeply, versed .in'figures, and ho. 1 himself, provided with an income .which' sufficed to keep him in ease;, and comfort, seemed- dostined to. follow Eome ! official career. ."~ V . : - : ■:.'■'.' .-.•:■:. ~ -...-_ "His parents had , planned-that their son;;Should;',eriter tho'Diplomatic Service, ,but I early, \n, life Eostand heard the fascinating voice ;of :the-..!Muses, and ,he quickly.became their spoilt child. "They did not allow Eostand to suffer the.long,-uphill, weary path■ that is the. lot of most of ..their ".votaries, for .the very.-.first poems of his that were published, the , 'Samaritaine.'/'the. .Tlomancsques,' • and • especially-' the . "Princessc Ijointaine, , won, for him the approval and admiration 'of .the;;literary ,'worM.. ..v "Even then',;however,^it ( was i'mpossiblo. to. foretell the'astonfshingcareer that'was in store for him.' It was not until the production- of his first "play,''Cyrano de Berffprac,'. that, leapt'into; imiversal fame;; and,- in/'the 1 ' short space ,of a. few.: hours', appeared:in the public eye as a. poetic star of this first magnitude.- .-.•:■. ■--..■

•Half a Million in Royalties. "'Cyrano,' an: heroic icome'dy.in' verse, in five acts,'-'was",translated , .into every tongue; and the. books of the' Authors' Society'sliow that close' xipon,'Vß3pD,ooo. has been'paid-in royalties'.to. the author. ~'" "But.'Cyrano de Bergerao"-by no'means represents the whole of the poefs 'efforts iiv the , directipn'of. , play-writing, nor the total-..of'-profit he has'derived from the .stage..- , \.\■■-, '■' ;;..■ ; v;.' ■'. ■ - ,i ! . ■

"Another, production.-of .his, 'L'Aiglon, , although.containing .many-lengthy passages- and: long tirades >which try; the,patience of-.an: audience; , was considered to possess -great , literary merit; and : poetic beauty.;.: '"''}. '}'' ;,■'■' ~:;,;'* : ■■'''■...-'/ ■..,.■•'.

;"It ' enjoyedVa. tremendous run,-and, like- Cyrano,'/was produced all 'over the world; ;■ It .is,';.estimated■ ■ that- , Rostand's share ; of tho :profits of these'-.two plays i has exceeded half a million' sterling, and toihis sum. must be added , the profits he has made out.of the enormous.sale of:his .poems. ■■■■■_.■■ ;"' ' . ; ;'' . v , .'■'_ "Honours' began '','to' fall v thickly upon him; he had already been appointed a Knight of. the Legion of Honour, and the government without waiting for , tho usual period , of four years 'to eiapse promoted llim-to the degree of'an officership in the same. Order. . ■ ; : ~-, ~. -, .. -. ... . ■■ "Many foreign .decorations, too, were showered upon''him, and- when, in , 1900 the 'ls.ar and Tsaiina visited France for the.second time Kostand was selected to compose the. ode of welcome to the Empress. The ode was recited, before their imperial Majesties at-thevPalace of Conipiegno. ■'.'■ ■■.'.: . ■

Retirement from Pan's. i "Soon. afterwards the French Academy honoured liostand by .electing-him to bo' one of-its forty members, but his health gave,way,;and, in.the midst of his glory Kostaud left. Paris for good to settle in the Pyrenees; at Cambq-les-Bains, halfway'between Bayonue aud St. Jean Red <I ", PPot.r t. wncre he rented "a house iii tiie Milage. .' -.: ' . ; '.::; ■~ ~ r "Hα was perhaps wise in leaving Paris, for .quite apart, from, the stato-of , his health, there were, many who could not forgive, him his sudden leap iiito fame and olhcial. consecration- of his talent bv the French Academy had left the , door open -to. every critic.' The-,poet's" disappearance ■ from the' scene took all the poison out of tho shafts that wero levelled at: him. • . ".■'.'■■■ . : ■ . ■■

-lor , .four-years .Rostand' let: himself live, as.they:say in.Franco. He simply led a,lazy life and rested on bis laurels but-he did npt remain , entirely idle for enthralled with tho beauty , of,' Canibo and tho; surrounding. Basque country, he built for'himself a beautiful"and costly homo-not far from Cambo, on a rockv height ;overlooking the valley.■■■:< -.. , • ■=: "It was at Camho that • lie ' recovered his health, and began five years n"o to write. ' his . latest masterpiece, '6han-' teclcr. ■". ■,'... ■ . ■ ■-■~/ . , '•■ "\■:> ■ : . "It was reported a.few^weeks, ngo- that he had received JE2G,OOO for- tho rights to ■publish "his work in serial, form heforo its production on. tho stage.; ■" -.- -