Unit VI (and Bonus) reading
Unit VI (and Bonus) reading
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Lectio: cupido et psyche
Lectio: cupido et psyche
The marriage of Cupid, the Roman god of passion, to his wife Psyche is a motif often depicted in art across the ancient Mediterranean, but the only ancient literary version of the tale that remains for modern readers was written by Apuleius in his Metamorphoses (also called The Golden Ass, to distinguish it from Ovid's more famous poem, also called Metamorphoses). Apuleius's book, written in the 2nd century CE, is the only extant ancient Roman novel to survive in its entirety and is a blend of mythological story and fairy tale. Unlike Apuleius's version, our story is told from Psyche's perspective and was adapted from the composition of a former Pitt Classics student, Sarah C. Street.
Find a Google Doc of all supplemental readings here! ↓
Find a Google Doc of all supplemental readings here! ↓
Instructions:
Read aloud the passage below, paying attention to how much you can understand as you read in Latin. Then, read through the passage more carefully, working to understand the sense of the passage; don’t write out a translation! As you do so, label all conjunctions, subjects and predicate nominatives, verbs (including subjunctives) and infinitives, direct objects, adjectives (including participles), and prepositions in the passage, and put all (prepositional and participial phrases) in parentheses and bracket all [dependent clauses]. Finally, answer the questions below.
Cupīdō et Psȳchē
Nōmen mihi Psȳchē est. Nāta sum fīlia mortālis rēgis rēgīnaeque, sed facta sum dea. Duās maiōrēs sorōrēs habēbam, quae pulchriōrēs erant, sed pulcherrima fuī. Omnēs meam fōrmam mīrābantur et mihi dōna et laudem adferēbant. Quīdam etiam loquēbantur mē esse pulchriōrem Venere ipsā! Nōn sciēbam, sed Venus mē ōdit. Illa īrāta dea fīliō suō Cupīdinī imperāvit ut mē sagittā percuteret.
Cum multōs annōs nōn uxor fierem, mea familia cōgitāvit: “Psȳchē est puella cui nēmō nūbere velit!” Dēnique meus pater dē mē ōrāculum rogāvit. Ōrāculum respondit mē nūptūram esse - mōnstrō! Metuēns mē, mea familia mihi nūptiās dedit sed - trīste dictū! - etiam fūnus fuit. Pompam domō ad lītus secūta sum, et magnopere timēbam. Eō diē, ē rūpe iacta sum, sed nōn cecidī! Zephyrus mē ad pulcherrimam rēgiam leviter tulit.
Servāta ā Zephyrō, in rēgiam iī. Nēmō ibi erat, sed tōta rēgia dīvitiīs ōrnāta est! Vōcēs invīsibilium - mīrābile dictū! - loquēbantur mē esse dominam rēgiae, quae domus meō virō novō erat. Ego enim nūpta est!
Meus vir nocte ad mē vēnit, sed eum nōn vidēre potuī. Ille mihi dīxit: “Tē amō, cārissima Psȳchē, sed numquam vultum meum spectābis.” Ille mihi imperāvit nē lūmen accenderem. Cum incerta essem, tamen meō virō pāruī.
(Bonus Reading begins here)
Eō nocte, meus vir ad mē vēnit, et iterum eum nōn vidēre potuī. Eō dormiente, lūmen accendī. Dēnique vultum meī virī spectāvī et - mīrābile vīsū! - ille erat pulcherrimus! Scīvī prōtinus meum virum esse deum Cupīdinem!
Fōrmam eius tam mīrābar ut oleum ex lūmine in meī virī corpus affunderem. Excitātus dolōre, īrātissimus factus est. Ille ait: “Psȳchē, mihi nocuistī et numquam iterum vultum meum spectābis.” Deinde meus vir fūgit et mē sōlam domī relīquit.
Relicta in rēgiā, trīstissima mortālium omnium eram! Quaerēns meum virum, errābam. Post multōs diēs, deam Venerem, mātrem Cupīdinis, invēnī. Dea dīxit mē nōn esse suō fīliō dignam uxōrem. Venus mihi tria opera dedit ut meam virtūtem experīrētur.
Prīmō diē, magnum numerum grānōrum minimōrum lēgī, formīcīs iūta. Secundō diē, lānam auream dē ovibus acriōribus coēgī, ā deō flūminis iūta. Tertiō diē, Venus mihi imperāvit ut Orcum inīrem et partem fōrmae Proserpinae caperem.
Cum Venus mihi imperāret, Orcum iniī. Prōserpina mihi arcam dedit, quam, ēgrediēns ex Orcō, patefēcī. Heu, arca fōrmam Prōserpinae nōn tenēbat, sed somnum! Mē dormiente, Cupīdō rediit et Iovem petīvit ut nōs iuvāret. Iuppiter mihi ambrosiam dedit, et ego facta sum immortālis. Nunc sum dea et uxor Cupīdinis!
Glossary:
All vocabulary not found in capita 1-40 are glossed below. Words in bold on DCC Latin Core Vocabulary List.
Cupīdō, Cupīdinis, m. - Cupid, god of desire
Psȳchē, Psȳchēs (acc = Psychēn), f. - Psyche, a mortal woman who (spoilers) marries Cupid
Venus, Veneris, f. - Venus, goddess of love and beauty
sagitta, sagittae, f. - arrow
percutiō, percutere, percussī, percussum - to strike, hit
ōrāculum, ōrāculī, n. - oracle
mōnstrum, mōnstrī, n. - monster
nūptiae, nūptiārum, f. (pl.) - wedding
fūnus, fūneris, n. - funeral
pompa, pompae, f. - procession (processions were a part of both weddings and funerals)
rūpes, rūpis, f. - cliff
Zephyrus, Zephyrī, m. - Zephyr, the west wind (personified as a god)
rēgia, rēgiae, f. - palace
invīsibilis, invīsibile (adj.) - invisible
vir, virī, m. - man, husband
lūmen, lūminis, n. - light, lamp
accendō, accendere, accendī, accēnsum - to light, to set alight
oleum, oleī, n. - oil
affundō, affundere, affūdī, affūsum - to pour, spill
excitō, excitāre, excitāvī, excitātum - to wake up
grānum, grānī, n. - seed, grain, granule
formīca, formīcae, f. - ant
lāna, lānae, f. - wool, fleece
aureus, aurea, aureum (adj.) - golden
ovis, ovis, f. - sheep
Orcus, Orcī, m. - the Underworld
Prōserpina, Prōserpinae, f. - Proserpina, wife of Pluto and queen of the Underworld
arca, arcae, f. - box
Iuppiter, Iovis, m. (acc. Iovem) - Jupiter/Jove, the king of the gods
ambrosia, ambrosiae, f. - ambrosia, the food of the gods
Comprehension Questions:
Quid omnēs dē fōrmā Psȳchēs dīcēbant?
Quid Venus Cupīdinem facere iubet?
Quid familia Psȳchēs facit? Cur?
Quis Psychēn servat? (Psychēn = accusative)
Quī Psȳchēn dē virō novō eius loquuntur?
Quid vir Psȳchēs imperat?
Quid Psȳchē videt cum lūmen accendit?
Quid Cupīdō facit postquam Psȳchē eum videt?
Quem Psȳchē errāns invenit?
Quae tria opera Venus Psȳchae dat? (Psȳchae = dative)
Quid in arcā Prōserpinae est?
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