READ STUDY GUIDE: Act IV, scenes i–v |
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Act IV, Scene i
| Christian, Carbon de Castel-Jaloux, Le Bret, the cadets, then Cyrano. |
| LE BRET: |
 'Tis terrible. |
| CARBON: |
| Not a morsel left. |
| LE BRET: |
| Mordioux! |
| CARBON (making a sign that he should speak lower): |
| Curse under your breath. You will awake them. |
| (To the cadets): |
| Hush! Sleep on. |
| (To Le Bret): |
| He who sleeps, dines! |
| LE BRET: |
| But that is sorry comfort for the sleepless!. . . |
| What starvation! |
| (Firing is heard in the distance.) |
| CARBON: |
| Oh, plague take their firing! 'Twill wake my sons. |
| (To the cadets, who lift up their heads): |
| Sleep on! |
| (Firing is again heard, nearer this time.) |
| A CADET (moving): |
| The devil!. . .Again. |
| CARBON: |
| 'Tis nothing! 'Tis Cyrano coming back! |
| (Those who have lifted up their heads prepare to sleep again.) |
| A SENTINEL (from without): |
| Ventrebieu! Who goes there? |
| THE VOICE Of CYRANO: |
| Bergerac. |
| The SENTINEL (who is on the redoubt): |
| Ventrebieu! Who goes there? |
| CYRANO (appearing at the top): |
| Bergerac, idiot! |
| (He comes down; Le Bret advances anxiously to meet him.) |
| LE BRET: |
| Heavens! |
| CYRANO (making signs that he should not awake the others): |
| Hush! |
| LE BRET: |
| Wounded? |
| CYRANO: |
| Oh! you know it has become their custom to shoot at me every morning and to |
| miss me. |
| LE BRET: |
| This passes all! To take letters at each day's dawn. To risk. . . |
| CYRANO (stopping before Christian): |
| I promised he should write often. |
| (He looks at him): |
| He sleeps. How pale he is! But how handsome still, despite his sufferings. |
| If his poor little lady-love knew that he is dying of hunger. . . |
| LE BRET: |
| Get you quick to bed. |
| CYRANO: |
| Nay, never scold, Le Bret. I ran but little risk. I have found me a spot |
| to pass the Spanish lines, where each night they lie drunk. |
| LE BRET: |
| You should try to bring us back provision. |
| CYRANO: |
| A man must carry no weight who would get by there! But there will be |
| surprise for us this night. The French will eat or die. . .if I mistake not! |
| LE BRET: |
| Oh!. . .tell me!. . . |
| CYRANO: |
| Nay, not yet. I am not certain. . .You will see! |
| CARBON: |
| It is disgraceful that we should starve while we're besieging! |
| LE BRET: |
| Alas, how full of complication is this siege of Arras! To think that while |
| we are besieging, we should ourselves be caught in a trap and besieged by the |
| Cardinal Infante of Spain. |
| CYRANO: |
| It were well done if he should be besieged in his turn. |
| LE BRET: |
| I am in earnest. |
| CYRANO: |
| Oh! indeed! |
| LE BRET: |
| To think you risk a life so precious. . .for the sake of a letter. . |
| .Thankless one. |
| (Seeing him turning to enter the tent): |
| Where are you going? |
| CYRANO: |
| I am going to write another. |
| (He enters the tent and disappears.) |
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