george sand-第41章

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　great　sights　of　Nature　in　the　soul　of　those　who；　thanks　to　their　daily　work；　are　the　constant　witnesses　of　them。　　The　peasant　certainly　has　no　exact　notion　of　the　poetry　of　Nature；　nor　is　he　always　conscious　of　it。　　He　feels　it；　though；　within　his　soul　in　a　vague　way。　　At　certain　moments　he　has　glimpses　of　it；　perhaps；　when　love　causes　him　emotion；　or　perhaps　when　he　is　absent　from　the　part　of　the　world；　where　he　has　always　lived。　　His　homesickness　then　gives　him　a　keener　perception。　　This　poetry　is　perhaps　never　clearly　revealed　to　any　individual；　not　to　the　labourer　who　traces　out　his　furrows　tranquilly　in　the　early　morning；　nor　to　the　shepherd　who　spends　whole　weeks　alone　in　the　mountains；　face　to　face　with　the　stars。　　It　dwells；　though；　in　the　inner　conscience　of　the　race。　　The　generations　which　come　and　go　have　it　within　them；　and　they　do　not　fall　to　express　it。　　It　is　this　poetry　which　we　find　in　certain　customs　and　beliefs；　in　the　various　legends　and　songs。　　When　Le　Champi　returns　to　his　native　place；　he　finds　the　whole　country　murmuring　with　the　twitter　of　birds　which　he　knew　so　well。

〃And　all　this　reminded　him　of　a　very　old　song　with　which　his　mother　Zabelli　used　to　sing　him　to　sleep。　　It　was　a　song　with　words　such　as　people　used　to　employ　in　olden　times。〃

In　George　Sand's　pastoral　novels　we　have　some　of　these　old　words。　　They　come　to　us　from　afar；　and　are　like　a　supreme　blossoming　of　old　traditions。

It　is　all　this　which　characterizes　these　books；　and　assigns　to　them　their　place　in　our　literature。　　We　must　not　compare　them　with　the　rugged　studies　of　Balzac；　nor　with　the　insipid　compositions　of　the　bucolic　writer；　nor　even　with　Bernadin　de　Saint…Pierre's　masterpiece；　as　there　are　too　many　cocoanut　trees　in　that。　　They　prevent　us　seeing　the　French　landscapes。　　Very　few　people　know　the　country　in　France　and　the　humble　people　who　dwell　there。　　Very　few　writers　have　loved　the　country　well　enough　to　be　able　to　depict　its　hidden　charms。

La　Fontaine　has　done　it　in　his　fables　and　Perrault　in　his　tales。　　George　Sand　has　her　place；　in　this　race　of　writers；　among　the　French　Homers。




IX

THE　‘BONNE　DAME'　OF　NOHANT　THE　THEATREALEXANDRE　DUMAS　FILS　LIFE　AT　NOHANT


Novelists　are　given　to　speaking　of　the　theatre　somewhat　disdainfully。　　They　say　that　there　is　too　much　convention；　that　an　author　is　too　much　the　slave　of　material　conditions；　and　is　obliged　to　consider　the　taste　of　the　crowd；　whilst　a　book　appeals　to　the　lover　of　literature；　who　can　read　it　by　his　own　fireside；　and　to　the　society　woman；　who　loses　herself　in　its　pages。　　As　soon；　though；　as　one　of　their　novels　has　had　more　success　than　its　predecessors；　they　do　not　hesitate　to　cut　it　up　into　slices；　according　to　the　requirements　of　the　publishing　house；　so　that　it　may　go　beyond　the　little　circle　of　lovers　of　literature　and　society　women　and　reach　the　crowd　the　largest　crowd　possible。

George　Sand　never　pretended　to　have　this　immense　disdain　for　the　theatre　which　is　professed　by　ultra…refined　writers。　　She　had　always　loved　the　theatre；　and　she　bore　it　no　grudge；　although　her　pieces　had　been　hissed。　　In　those　days　plays　that　did　not　find　favour　were　hissed。　　At　present　they　are　not　hissed；　either　because　there　are　no　more　poor　plays；　or　because　the　public　has　seen　so　many　bad　ones　that　it　has　become　philosophical；　and　does　not　take　the　trouble　to　show　its　displeasure。　　George　Sand's　first　piece；　_Cosima_；　was　a　noted　failure。　　About　the　year　1850；　she　turned　to　the　theatre　once　more；　hoping　to　find　a　new　form　of　expression　for　her　energy　and　talent。　　_Francois　le　Champi_　was　a　great　success。　　In　January；　1851；　she　wrote　as　follows；　after　the　performance　of　_Claudie：　　_　〃A　tearful　success　and　a　financial　one。　　The　house　is　full　every　day；　not　a　ticket　given　away；　and　not　even　a　seat　for　Maurice。　　The　piece　is　played　admirably；　Bocage　is　magnificent。　　The　public　weeps　and　blows　its　nose；　as　though　it　were　in　church。　　I　am　told　that　never　in　the　memory　of　man　has　there　been　such　a　first　night。　　I　was　not　present　myself。〃

There　may　be　a　slight　exaggeration　in　the　words　〃never　in　the　memory　of　man；〃　but　the　success　was　really　great。　　_Claudie_　is　still　given；　and　I　remember　seeing　Paul　Mounet　interpret　the　part　of　Remy　admirably　at　the　Odeon　Theatre。　　As　to　the　_Mariage　de　Victorine_；　it　figures　every　year　on　the　programme　of　the　Conservatoire　competitions。　　It　is　the　typical　piece　for　would…be　_ingenues。_

_Francois　le　Champi；　Claudie_　and　the　_Mariage　de　Victorine_　may　be　considered　as　the　series　representing　George　Sand's　dramatic　writings。　　These　pieces　were　all　her　own；　and；　in　her　own　opinion；　that　was　their　principal　merit。　　The　dramatic　author　is　frequently　obliged　to　accept　the　collaboration　of　persons　who　know　nothing　of　literature。

〃Your　characters　say　this；〃　observes　the　manager；　it　is　all　very　well；　but；　believe　me；　it　will　be　better　for　him　to　say　just　the　opposite。　　The　piece　will　run　at　least　sixty　nights　longer。〃　　There　was　a　manager　at　the　Gymnase　Theatre　in　those　days　named　Montigny。　　He　was　a　very　clever　manager；　and　knew　exactly　what　the　characters　ought　to　say　for　making　the　piece　run。　　George　Sand　complained　of　his　mania　for　changing　every　play；　and　she　added：　　〃Every　piece　that　I　did　not　change；　such；　for　instance；　as　_Champi_；　_Claudie_；　_Victorine；　Le　Demon　du　foyer_　and　_Le　Pressoir_；　was　a　success；　whilst　all　the　others　were　either　failures　or　they　had　a　very　short　run。〃＇48＇


＇48＇　_Correspondance：_　To　Maurice　Sand；　February　24；　1855。


It　was　in　these　pieces　that　George　Sand　carried　out　her　own　idea　of　what　was　required　for　the　theatre。　　Her　idea　was　very　simple。　　She　gives　it　in　two　or　three　words：　　〃I　like　pieces　that　make　me　cry。〃　　She　adds：　　〃I　like　drama　better　than　comedy；　and；　like　a　woman；　I　must　be　infatuated　by　one　of　the　characters。〃　　This　character　is　the　congenial　one。　　The　public　is　with　him　always　and　trembles　for　him；　and　the　trembling　is　all　the　more　agreeable；　because　the　public　knows　perfectly　well　that　all　will　end　well　for　this　character。　　It　can　even　go　as　far　as　weeping　the　traditional　six　tears；　as　Madame　de　Sevigne　did　for　Andromaque。　　Tears　at　the　theatre　are　all　the　sweeter；　because　they　are　all　in　vain。　　When；　in　a　play；　we　have　a　congenial　character　who　is　there　from　the　beginning　to　the　end；　the　play　is　a　success。　　Let　us　take　_Cyraino　de　Bergerac_；　for　instance；　which　is　one　of　the　greatest　successes　in　the　history　of　the　theatre。

Francois　le　Champi　is　eminently　a　congenial　character；　for　he　is　a　man　who　always　sets　wrong　things　right。　　We　are　such　believers　in　justice　and　in　the　interference　of　Providence。　　When　good；　straightforward　people　are　persecuted　by　fate；　we　always　expect　to　see　a　man　appear　upon　the　scene　who　will　be　the　champion　of　innocence；　who　will　put　evil…doers　to　rights；　and　find　the　proper　thing　to　do　and　say　in　every　circumstance。

Francois　appears　at　the　house　of　Madeleine　Blanchet；　who　is　a　widow　and　very　sad　and　ill。　　He　takes　her　part　and　defends　her　from　the　results　of　La　Severe's　intrigues。　　He　is　hard　on　the　latter；　and　he　disdains　another　woman；　Mariette；　but　both　La　Severe　and　Mariette　love　him；　so　true　is　it　that　women　have　a　weakness　for　conquerors。　　Francois　only　cares　for　Madeleine；　though。　　On　the　stage；　we　like　a　man　to　be　adored　by　all　women；　as　this　seems　to　us　a　guarantee　that　he　will　only　care　for　one　of　them。

〃Champi〃　is　a　word　peculiar　to　a　certain　district；　meaning　〃natural　son。〃　　Dumas　_fils_　wrote　a　play　entitled　_Le　Fils　naturel_。　　The　hero　is　also　a　superior　man；　who　plays　the　part　of　Providence　to　the　family　which　has　refused　to　recognize　him。

In　_Claudie_；　as　in　_Francois　le　Champi_；　the　rural　setting　is　one　of　the　great　charms　of　the　play。　　The　first　act　is　one　of　the　most　picturesque　scenes　on　the　stage。　　It　takes　place　in　a　farmyard；　the　day　when　the　reapers　have　finished　their　task；　which　is　just　as　awe…inspiring　as　that　of　the　sowers。　　A　cart；　drawn　by　oxen；　enters　the　yard；　bringing　a　sheaf　all　adorned　with　ribbons　and　flowers。　　The　oldest　of　the　labourers；　Pere　Remy；　addresses　a　fine　couplet　to　the　sheaf　of　corn　which　has　cost　so　much　labour；　but　which　is　destined　to　keep　life　in　them　all。　　Claudie　is　one　of　those　young　pea