Cyrano de Bergerac | Act II, Scene V

Scene V

CYRANO, ROXANE, the DUENNA.

CYRANO:
Ah! If I see even the faintest glimmer of hope, I'll give her my letter! [ROXANE, masked, followed by the DUENNA, appears at the glass pane of the door. He opens it quickly.] Come in! [aside to the DUENNA] May I have two words with you?
DUENNA:
You may have as many as you like, Sir!
CYRANO:
Are you fond of sweet things?
DUENNA:
Oh, yes, I could eat myself sick with them!
CYRANO:
[grabbing some of the paper bags from the counter] Good. Take these two sonnets written by Monsieur Benserade—
DUENNA:
[slightly disappointed] Oh …
CYRANO:
Which I will fill for you with cream cakes!
DUENNA:
[changing her expression] Oh!
CYRANO:
I'll wrap up six of them for you in the bosom of a poem by Saint Amant! And here in these verses of Chapelain I'll drop a piece of sponge cake. Oh, and do you like warm pies?
DUENNA:
Oh, yes, to the core of my heart!
CYRANO:
[filling her arms with the bags] Now, please go and enjoy them all out in the street.
DUENNA:
But—

[He shuts the door, comes down toward ROXANE, and stands at a respectful distance from her with his hat in his hand.]

  • a reference to the French poet and playwright Isaac de Benserade (1613 – 1691)
  • a reference to the French poet Marc-Antoine de Gerard de Saint-Amant (1594 – 1661)
  • a reference to another French poet, Jean Chapelain (1595 – 1674); both Chapelain and Saint-Amant were original members of the French Academy.