Act IV, Scene ix
| Christian, Cyrano. At back Roxane talking to Carbon and some cadets. |
| CHRISTIAN (calling toward Cyrano's tent): |
 Cyrano! |
| CYRANO (reappearing, fully armed): |
| What? Why so pale? |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| She does not love me! |
| CYRANO: |
| What? |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| 'Tis you she loves! |
| CYRANO: |
| No! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| —For she loves me only for my soul! |
| CYRANO: |
| Truly? |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Yes! Thus—you see, that soul is you,. . . |
| Therefore, 'tis you she loves!—And you—love her! |
| CYRANO: |
| I? |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Oh, I know it! |
| CYRANO: |
| Ay, 'tis true! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| You love |
| To madness! |
| CYRANO: |
| Ay! and worse! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Then tell her so! |
| CYRANO: |
| No! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| And why not? |
| CYRANO: |
| Look at my face!—be answered! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| She'd love me—were I ugly. |
| CYRANO: |
| Said she so? |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Ay! in those words! |
| CYRANO: |
| I'm glad she told you that! |
| But pooh!—believe it not! I am well pleased |
| She thought to tell you. Take it not for truth. |
| Never grow ugly:—she'd reproach me then! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| That I intend discovering! |
| CYRANO: |
| No! I beg! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Ay! she shall choose between us!—Tell her all! |
| CYRANO: |
| No! no! I will not have it! Spare me this! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Because my face is haply fair, shall I |
| Destroy your happiness? 'Twere too unjust! |
| CYRANO: |
| And I,—because by Nature's freak I have |
| The gift to say—all that perchance you feel. |
| Shall I be fatal to your happiness? |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Tell all! |
| CYRANO: |
| It is ill done to tempt me thus! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Too long I've borne about within myself |
| A rival to myself—I'll make an end! |
| CYRANO: |
| Christian! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Or union, without witness—secret— |
| Clandestine—can be easily dissolved |
| If we survive. |
| CYRANO: |
| My God!—he still persists! |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| I will be loved myself—or not at all! |
| —I'll go see what they do—there, at the end |
| Of the post: speak to her, and then let her choose |
| One of us two! |
| CYRANO: |
| It will be you. |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Pray God! |
| (He calls): |
| Roxane! |
| CYRANO: |
| No! no! |
| ROXANE (coming up quickly): |
| What? |
| CHRISTIAN: |
| Cyrano has things |
| Important for your ear. . . |
| (She hastens to Cyrano. Christian goes out.) |
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