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Rostand, Edmond, 1868-1918 - Chantecler [English, 54 pages]
- Excerpts -Page 1 : Produced by Curtis Weyant, Ginny Brewer and PG Distributed Proofreaders CHANTECLER Play in Four Acts By EDMOND ROSTAND Translated By GERTRUDE HALL 1910 DRAMATIS PERSONAE CHANTECLER PATOU THE BLACKBIRD THE PEACOCK THE NIGHTINGALE THE GRAND-DUKE THE SCREECH-OWL LITTLE SCOPS THE GAME-COCK THE HUNTING DOG A CARRIER-PIGEON THE WOOD-PECKER THE TURKEY THE DUCK THE YOUNG GUINEA-COCK THE PHEASANT-HEN THE GUINEA-HEN THE OLD HEN THE WHITE HEN THE GREY HEN THE BLACK HEN THE SPECKLED HEN THE TUFTED HEN A Gander. A Capon. Chickens. Chicks. A Cockerel. A Swan. A Cuckoo. Night-birds. Fancy Cocks. Toads. A Turkey-hen. A Goose. A Garden Warbler. A Woodland Warbler. A Spider. A Heron. A Pigeon. A Guinea-pig. Barnyard animals. Woodland Creatures. Rabbits. Birds. Bees. Cicadas. Voices. PROLOGUE The customary three knocks are heard. Page 7 : THE OLD HEN Sooner or later, tadpole becomes toad! CHANTECLER True! [To the HENS, resuming his tone of command.] Ladies, stand in line! Your orders are to peck in the fields. Off at a quick-step, go! THE WHITE HEN [To the GREY HEN.] Are you coming? THE GREY HEN Not a word! I intend to stay behind, to see the Cuckoo. [She hides behind the basket.] CHANTECLER You, little tufted hen, was it just my fancy that you looked sulky falling into line? THE TUFTED HEN [Going up to him.] Cock-- CHANTECLER What is it? THE TUFTED HEN I, who am nearest to your heart-- CHANTECLER [Quickly.] Hush! THE TUFTED HEN It annoys me not to be told-- THE WHITE HEN [Who has drawn near on the other side.] Cock-- CHANTECLER Well? THE WHITE HEN [Coaxingly.] I who am your favourite-- CHANTECLER [Quickly.] Hush! THE WHITE HEN [Caressingly.] I want to know-- THE BLACK HEN [Who has softly drawn near. Page 13 : CHANTECLER [Aside.] I don't like that way his nose has of twitching. BRIFFAUT [Starting upon another story.] Fancy such an instance as the following-- THE BLACKBIRD Holy Smoke! Here comes another!--Oh, I say, hire a hall! [A distant whistle is heard.] CHANTECLER [Quickly.] You are whistled for! BRIFFAUT The deuce! Good evening! [Disappears.] PATOU Good evening. CHANTECLER Gone, at last! BLACKBIRD [Calling.] Briffaut! CHANTECLER Great Glory, what are you doing? THE BLACKBIRD [Calling.] I have something to tell you! BRIFFAUT [His head reappears above the wall.] Well--? THE BLACKBIRD Look out, Briffaut! CHANTECLER [Low to the BLACKBIRD.] Do you make sport of our fears? THE BLACKBIRD You are losing something! BRIFFAUT What? THE BLACKBIRD Time! BRIFFAUT [Disappearing with a snort of fury. Page 19 : THE GRAND-DUKE I can hear him licking his paws. THE SCREECH-OWL [Resuming.] Brethren of the Night! Inasmuch as everybody here--and we plume ourselves upon it!--is possessed of the evil eye-- ALL THE BIRDS [Chuckling and rocking in their peculiarly disgusting and characteristic fashion.] Ha, ha! THE GRAND-DUKE [Spreading his wings to demand silence.] Hush! [All return to their appalling stillness.] THE BLACKBIRD My eye is merely roguish. I am here to look on, you know, without taking sides,--in the artist spirit, that's all. AN OWL If you are not taking sides, then you are siding with us! THE BLACKBIRD Oh, I say, what a primitive notion! THE SCREECH-OWL [Completing his sentence. Page 25 : THE PHEASANT-HEN But when you sing by day? CHANTECLER I am practising, or else promising the ploughshare, the hoe, the harrow, the scythe, not to neglect my duty of waking them. THE PHEASANT-HEN But what wakens you? CHANTECLER The fear of forgetting. THE PHEASANT-HEN And you believe that at the sound of your voice the whole world is suffused--? CHANTECLER I have no clear idea of the whole world. But I sing for my own valley, and desire that every Cock may do the same for his. THE PHEASANT-HEN Still-- CHANTECLER But here I stand, explaining, perorating, and forgetting altogether to make my dawn. Page 31 : _At the rise of the curtain, multitudinous clatter and confused swarming of HENS and CHICKENS. THE GUINEA-HEN [Going impetuously from one to the other.] How do you do? How do you do?--There is scarcely room to move! My guests reach all the way to the cucumber patch! CHORUS [Up in the air.] Busily buzzing-- THE GUINEA-HEN A regular crush! A HEN [Gazing at a row of huge pumpkins.] What attractive objects! THE GUINEA-HEN Art pottery! Rather good of its kind, if I do say so! A CHICK [Listening with his bill in the air.] Singers? THE GUINEA-HEN Yes,-- CHORUS Busily buzzing-- THE GUINEA-HEN [In her sprightliest manner.] The Wasps! [To a CHICKEN.] How do you do? [She flits from one guest to the other.] THE WASPS Busily buzzing Estival glees. Fill we with murmurs The mulberry trees! THE PHEASANT-HEN [Passing with the BLACKBIRD and laughing.] So you were caught? THE BLACKBIRD [Finishing his story. Page 37 : THE PHEASANT-HEN [To CHANTECLER.] Come, dearest, come away! CHANTECLER [Resisting.] No, I must sing where Destiny placed me. I am useful here, I am beloved-- THE PHEASANT-HEN [Remembering what she overheard the night before in the farmyard.] Are you so sure?--Come away to the woods, where we shall hear real pigeons cooing tenderly to each other! THE TURKEY [At the back.] Ladies, the great Peacock-- THE PEACOCK [Modestly.] The Super-peacock--who supervenes, and supersedes-- THE GUINEA-HEN Will spread his tail for us! He has expressed his amiable willingness so far to favour us. [The company falls into groups of spectators, the outlandish COCKS forming a wreath around their patron.] THE PEACOCK [Preparing to spread his tail.] I am, by precious natural gift, in addition to my multifarious accomplishments something of a--shall I say artist in firework? THE GUINEA-HEN [Effervescently.] Yes! THE PEACOCK No. Pyrotechnist. Page 43 : Toadstools. Stretched between two ferns, a great cobweb, spangled with water-drops. At the rise of the curtain, RABBITS are discovered on every side among the underbrush, peacefully inhaling the evening air. A time of serene silence and coolness. SCENE FIRST A RABBIT in front of his burrow, CHOIR OF UNSEEN BIRDS. A RABBIT It is the hour when with sweet and solemn voices the two warblers, Black-cap of the Gardens, and Red-wing of the Woods, intone the evening prayer. A VOICE [Among the branches.] O God of Birds! ANOTHER VOICE O God of Birds! or, rather, for the Hawk Has surely not the same God as the Wren, O God of Little Birds! A THOUSAND VOICES [Among the leaves. Page 49 : SECOND TOAD Since we are assembled around a table, why should we not offer to the Chief-- CHANTECLER [Modestly, hanging back from the suggested honour.]Gentlemen-- SECOND TOAD --to the Chief of whom we stood in notable need, a banquet? ALL [Beating enthusiastically upon the toadstool.] A banquet! THE PHEASANT-HEN [Looking out from the tree.] What is the matter? CHANTECLER [In spite of all, rather flattered.] A banquet! THE PHEASANT-HEN [Slightly ironical.] Shall you accept? CHANTECLER You see, my dear--the new tendencies--Art,--the thinking contingency of the Forest--[Indicating the TOADS.] Yes, I have lent wings to--[In a light and careless tone.] It's all up with the Nightingale, you see. Musty old method! Antiquated trill! This is the way he goes on--[To the TOADS.] How was it you said he went on? ALL THE TOADS [Comically.] Tio! Tio! CHANTECLER [To the PHEASANT-HEN, with pitying indulgence. |
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