Cupid had swiftly departed before dawn broke. After she made Psyche her wife on their marriage bed, the goddess knew she must not remain with the princess any longer, or her mother would grow suspicious.
When Psyche awoke the next morning, she was alone. Her lips still tingled with kisses and below her belly, she could feel all sorts of pleasure lingering there. The princess remembered the sweet ecstasy that seized her whole being and a swoon of happiness darkened her mind. A blush crept onto her cheeks. Was she now a woman and no more a virgin?
Indeed her wedding night was truly magical, but she wondered who had come and made love to her. Her eyes had sought in vain for her betrothed, but during those hours of passion and heat, all her senses scattered like leaves in the wind.
The pri
Psyche awoke from her sleep and found herself alone in her bed as always. She got out of her chamber and took her fragrant bath. Afterward, she seated by herself in the adjoining alcove where the meal was set ready for her.The table was laden with excessive repast fit for the gods themselves, whole wheat bread out of the oven, topped with fortifying sesame paste and thick golden honey, layered pasta filled with goat cheese and savory meat with olive oil, and sliced Macedonian ham on a bed of chopped lettuce and baked tomatoes along with a jug of the creamiest milk. There was also a huge bowl of grapes and figs and freshly picked berries from the groves of Argos, and mountain tea from Crete.But this time, Psyche couldn't seem to find her appetite. She began her first meal of the day in silence. As her head was preoccupied with so many
Day after day went by in the same fashion, and night after night. Psyche lived her solitude life as she went singing and dancing from room to room, entertaining herself. The great pile of stone was filled with the sound of her lovely voice. At the end of the day, the mortal maiden returned to her chamber. Her meal was served by the same invisible attendants. She again bathed and anointed herself with perfume, waiting for her beloved partner. When the night was well advanced, a genial sound met her ears. Cupid had come to make love to her, and the maiden embraced the goddess with longing arms. Psyche began to enjoy herself and her enigmatic lover with more excitement. This life in the course of nature became delightful to Psyche as she grew accustomed to it. Hearing that soothing gol
Psyche showed her sisters all sorts of magnificent riches and made sure they enjoy their luxurious stay.But when they started mentioning the whereabouts and the identity of her partner, she invented an impromptu story that her lover was a handsome young man whose cheeks were still smooth without a beard and chest still soft but warm with a love for her.Although Psyche's heart was rejoiced to see her sisters again, she did not in any way disregard her lover's warning. She was anxious as she tried not to betray through a slip of the tongue, so she weighed her sisters down with gold and precious jewels. She then hastily summoned Zephyrus and entrusted them to him for the return journey.This was carried out at once, and those sisters then made their way home safely. They were now gnawed
Psyche woke to the break of day and eagerly awaited her beloved sisters. Her happiness was overflowing, seeping through her every pore, making her face radiant even more.As previously done, Zephyrus recalled his queen's command, and somewhat unwillingly enfolded the two older sisters in the bosom of his breeze. Then he set them down on the brilliant garden.Without hesitation, the sisters at once marched with measured steps into the grandiose palace and embraced their prey.They cloaked their deeply hidden trickery with joyful expressions and flattered their youngest sister with warm words.Psyche was clueless about their evil intention and invited the two women inside. As soon as they had rested their feet to recover the weariness o
Psyche was now alone with her thoughts. The solitude tossed in her grief like the waves of the sea. She lost her head and began to banish all her spouse's warnings and her own promises. After all, her sisters had made some solid stabs. It was true that she had never seen her lover's face, and she had no knowledge whatsoever of what her companion was. She merely heard the voice and was constantly warned against seeing what the owner of it looks like, and threatened with great disaster if she showed curiosity. What if her sisters' warning was genuine?But the only way to know it was to see. And as dusk began to fill the sky, Psyche got up and poured the oil into a well-trimmed wick. Then she concealed it beneath the cover of an enclosing jar. Though her plan was formed and her determination fixed, she still faltered in the uncertainty of purpose. Her heart was torn between many impulses of her unhappy plight.Then the grief-stricken maiden waited for her love to enter th
The poor princess had fainted there on the ground. When she recovered her senses, she felt the rough patch of grass beneath her soft form. Then she rose and stared around her again. Psyche was still alone and everything felt like a horrible dream. But then again, she did not know which one was a true dream. Did she dream about finding a beautiful home and a divine lover in the first place?Yet the ache in her chest was so real. Her eyes hurt from salty hot tears, and she remembered what she had done. The grief and loss struck her with a heavy blow once again. It wasn't a dream but her current reality. Her dearest deserted her, and it was all her fault. Psyche let out a howl of despair, blaming herself for her haste and naivety.Then wild with sorrows, the poor princess decided to set out and follow her lover into the wood. In her random
As Psyche wandered one day, she saw a lofty temple perched on the peak of a high mountain."Perhaps this is where I can perform my prayers to my beloved," she said to herself. Then she turned her steps thither. Her feet were utterly weary from her unremitting labors, but her hope and aspiration quickened them. She mounted the higher ridges with a stout heart and drew close to the sacred altar.There she saw ears of wheat in a heap, and others were woven into a garland, and ears of barley as well. There were sickles lying close by and a whole array of harvesting tools, but they were in a jumbled and neglected heap, thrown carelessly by workmen's hands in summer-time.Psyche carefully sorted them out and ordered them in separate piles, no doubt she reflected that she should not neglect t
Psyche drew near the temple of Venus, endeavoring to fortify her mind while ruminating on her fate. The end was doubtful and perhaps fatal.At the door, she saw the goddess's priestesses, who did not have to be chaste, although they were required to be fairly attractive and shall often settle down with someone they believe to be their One True Love, to whom they shall be faithful unless a stronger True Love comes along.Before she could utter a word, the priestess named Consueto confronted her, crying in disgust."Most wicked of all women, have you at last begun to realize that you have upset Venus? Or are you still pretending to be unaware of the exhausting efforts we have endured in search of you?""Here I am now, priestess," Psyche