A Great Nose is the Banner of a Great Man

"Does it seem strange: a hundred cutthroats against one poor poet? It is not strange. It is a minimal defense, mademoiselle--(Drawing his sword; quietly.)--when that poet is a friend of Cyrano de Bergerac."
~ Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Act 1

Today, we have the legendary fictional poet Cyrano de Bergerac, created by Edmond Rostand (who was inspired by a real person). You have probably heard of Cyrano -- his nose is gargantuan. He describes it like this:

"A great nose is the banner of a great man, a generous heart, a towering spirit, an expansive soul--such as I unmistakably am, and such as you dare not to dream of being, with your bilious weasel's eyes and no nose to keep them apart! With your face as lacking in all distinction--as lacking, I say, in interest, as lacking in pride, in imagination, in honesty, in lyricism--in a word, as lacking in nose..."

Despite his pride in his large appendage, Cyrano is sure that it will prevent the woman of his heart from returning his love, so he agrees to help another man woo her. His words, spoken by the other man, are very successful in winning his ladylove's heart.

And why not? Check out how beautifully he describes a kiss:

"And what is a kiss, specifically? A pledge properly sealed, a promise seasoned to taste, a vow stamped with the immediacy of a lip, a rosy circle drawn around the verb 'to love.' A kiss is a message too intimate for the ear, infinity captured in the bee's brief visit to a flower, secular communication with an aftertaste of heaven, the pulse rising from the heart to utter its name on a lover's lip: 'Forever.'"

Or you could write it like this:

"And what is a kiss,
specifically?
A pledge properly sealed,
a promise seasoned to taste,
a vow stamped with the immediacy
of a lip,
a rosy circle
drawn around the verb 'to love.'

A kiss is a message
too intimate for the ear,
infinity captured
in the bee's brief visit to a flower,
secular communication with an aftertaste of heaven,
the pulse rising from the heart
to utter its name on a lover's lip:
'Forever.'"

Links:
~ The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
~ I wish the BBC radio production of Cyrano (with Kenneth Branagh as Cyrano) was available on their site. You can hear bits on YouTube.
~ Cyrano, the poetry card game
~ Genji, another poetry card game (Japanese-themed)
~ Monsterpiece Theater - Cyranose de Bergerac (don't say, "Nose"!)
~ It's probably best not to get your love advice from Cyrano Debench
~ Cyrano, the opera by David DiChiera
~ Another opera (this one Estonian, by Eino Tamberg, libretto by Jaan Kross after Edmond Rostand)

Karen is hosting the Poetry Friday round-up this week.