
5.10
[1] Suscipit alia: “Ego vērō marītum articulārī etiam morbō complicātum curvātumque ac per hōc rarissimō venerem meam recolentem sustineō, [2] plērumque dētortōs et dūrātōs in lapidem digitōs ēius perfricāns, fōmentīs olidīs et pannīs sordidīs et faetidīs cataplasmatibus manūs tam dēlicātās istās adūrēns, nec uxōris officiōsam faciem sed medicae labōriōsam persōnam sustinēns. [3] Et tū quidem, soror, videris quam patientī vel potius servīlī — dīcam enim līberē quod sentiō — haec perferās animō: enimvērō ego nequeō sustinēre ulterius tam beātam fortūnam allāpsam indignae. [4] Recordāre enim quam superbē, quam adroganter nōbīscum ēgerit et ipsā iactātiōne immodicae ostentātiōnis tumentem suum prōdiderit animum [5] dēque tantīs divitiīs exigua nōbīs invīta prōiēcerit cōnfestimque praesentiam nostram gravāta prōpellī et efflārī exsībilārīque nōs iusserit. [6] Nec sum mulier nec omnīnō spirō, nisi eam pessum dē tantīs opibus dēiēcerō. Ac sī tibi etiam, ut pār est, inacuit nostra contumēlia, cōnsilium validum requīrāmus ambae. [7] Iamque ista quae ferimus nōn parentibus nostrīs ac nec ūllī mōnstrēmus aliī, immō nec omnīnō quicquam dē ēius salūte nōrimus. [8] Sat est quod ipsae vīdimus quae vīdisse paenitet, nēdum ut genitōribus et omnibus populīs tam beātum ēius differāmus praecōnium. Nec sunt enim beātī quōrum dīvitiās nēmō nōvit. [9] Sciet sē nōn ancillās sed sorōrēs habēre māiōrēs. Et nunc quidem concēdāmus ad marītōs, et larēs pauperēs nostrōs sed plānē sōbriōs revīsāmus, dēnique cōgitātiōnibus pressiōribus īnstrūctae ad superbiam poeniendam firmiōrēs redeāmus.”
Psȳchē’s other sister continues the complaints and the two begin to plot Psȳchē’s downfall.
rarissimō: Take adverbially.
videris: “you may reflect upon/consider” (L&S s.v. videō II B2).
animō: modified by both servīlī and patientī .
gravāta: gravor originally meant “to be weighed down” but came to take on the meaning “to be annoyed.” In later Latin, it could take an accusative of what one is annoyed by (L&S s.v. gravō II γ).
requīrāmus, mōnstrēmus, norimus: hortatory subjunctives
ista = the gifts they received from Psyche
nōrimus: syncopated perfect subjunctive (with present meaning) from nōscō.
praecōnium: a substantive adj.; here, “news that is spread around, publishing, proclaiming.”
sciet: governs an indirect statement. Note future tense. Psyche is the implied subject.
sōbriōs: The sense is “modest” or “prudent,” as opposed to literally “sober.”
poeniendam: from poeniō, an archaic form of puniō. Ad + accusative gerundive denotes purpose (A&G §506).
articulāris, -e: of the joints
complicō, -āre: to fold up, fold together
recolō, -colere, -coluī, -cultus: to cultivate again, recall to mind (can have religious connotation)
detorqueō, -ēre, -torsī, -tortus: to turn, bend away, twist
perfricō, -āre, –cui, -cātum/-ctum: to rub all over
fōmentum, -ī n.: compress, wound dressing
olidus, -a, -um: foul-smelling, stinking
pannus, -ī m.: piece of cloth, bandage
faetidus, -a, -um: foul, disgusting
cataplasma, -atis n.: bandage
officiōsus, -a, -um: dutiful
medica, -ae f.: female physician, midwife
adroganter (adv): arrogantly
iactātiō, -onis f.: bragging, vanity
tumeō, -ēre, tumuī: to be swollen, inflated, puffed up
exiguus, -a, -um: small, paltry
efflō, -āre: to exhale, blow out/away
exsībilō, -āre: to hiss out/offstage
pessum (adv.): see 5.6.6, which this threat echoes.
inacescō, -ere, inacuī: to become bitter for (+ dat.)
paeniteō, –ēre, -uī: to grieve, displease, cause pain
nēdum: much less, by no means
praecōnium, -ī n.: a public proclamation
pressus, -a, -um: concise, accurate; cf. 5.5.2