Cupid & Psyche — Chapter 23 (cont.)

Latin

English

1sed 2dum 8bono 7tanto 6percita 4saucia 5mente 3fluctuat, 10lucerna 9illa 11sive 13perfidia 12pessima 14sive 16invidia 15noxia

1sive 2quod 6tale 7corpus 5contingere 8et 9quasi 10basiare 3et 4ipsa 11gestiebat, 12evomuit 13de 14summa 16luminis 15sui 17stillam 18ferventis 19olei 20super 22umerum 23dei 21dexterum.

1hem 2audax 3et 4temeraria 5lucerna 6et 9amoris 7vile 8ministerium, 11ipsum 13ignis 14totius 12deum 10aduris,

1cum 7te 4scilicet 3amator 2aliquis, 8ut 11diutius 10cupitis 12etiam 13nocte 9potiretur, 5primus 6invenerit.

1sic 2inustus 4exsiluit 3deus 9visa 5-que 6detectae 7fidei 8colluvie 10prorsus 11ex 12osculis 13et 14manibus 15infelicissimae 16coniugis 17tacitus 18avolavit.

But while she wavers, in her wounded mind stirred by so great a blessing, that lamp — whether through most wicked treachery or harmful envy,

or because even it to touch such a body and as if to kiss it was eager spewed forth from the top of its own flame a drop of burning oil over the right shoulder of the god.

What! Bold and rash lamp and base servant of love, you are scorching the very god of fire itself!

since some lover without doubt, (was) the first to discover you, in order that he might possess his heart’s desire longer even at night,

So, scorched, the god leapt up and, of his betrayed loyalty, the filth having seen at once from the kisses and hands of his most ill-fated wife, in silence flew away.

Content — what is happening

While Psyche reels, wounded by so great a blessing, the lamp — whether from treachery, envy, or its own longing to touch and kiss such a body — spills a drop of burning oil onto the god’s right shoulder.
The narrator rounds on the lamp: bold, rash thing, base servant of love, scorching the very god of all fire — for surely some lover first invented you, to keep his heart’s desire the longer by night.
Scalded, the god leaps up; and seeing the foul proof of his betrayed trust, at once he flies away in silence from the kisses and hands of his most ill-fated wife.