5.13
[1] Suscipit Psȳchē singultū lacrimōsō sermōnem incertāns: “Iam dūdum, quod sciam, fideī atque parciloquiō meō perpendistī documenta, nec eō sētius adprobābitur tibi nunc etiam firmitās animī meī. [2] Tū modo Zephyrō nostrō rūrsum praecipe fungātur obsequia, et in vicem dēnegātae sacrōsānctae imāginis tuae redde saltem cōnspectum sorōrum. [3] Per istōs cinnameōs et undique pendulōs crīnēs tuōs, per tenerās et teretīs et meī similēs genās, per pectus nesciō quō calōre fervidum sīc in hōc saltem parvulō cognōscam faciem tuam: [4] supplicis ānxiae piīs precibus ērogātus germānī complexūs indulgē frūctum et tibi dēvōtae Psȳchae animam gaudiō recreā. [5] Nec quicquam amplius in tuō vultū requīrō, iam nīl officiunt mihi nec ipsae nocturnae tenebrae: teneō tē, meum lūmen.”
[6] Hīs verbīs et amplexibus mollibus dēcantātus marītus lacrimāsque eius suīs crīnibus dētergēns sē factūrum spopondit et praevertit statim lūmen nāscentis diēī.
Psȳchē entreats Cupid to let her see her sisters and he acquiesces.
singultū: common classical term (Kenney ad loc.) with alternative Virgilian meaning of ‘dying throes’ (L&S), perhaps foreboding the doomed consequences of Psyche’s actions.
quod sciam: “as far as I know”, an odd, idiomatic yet formal use of quod=quoad (Kenney ad loc.).
fideī atque parciloquiō… documenta: unique dative construction; lit: “proofs for…loyalty and discretion.”
praecipe fungātur: note omission of ut, common with substantive clauses of result after verbs of commanding (A&G §565a).
meī similēs: meī may be taken as equivalent to meīs – a Homeric construction.
nesciō quō calōre: lit. “with which heat I do not know;” more liberally, “with some unknown heat” (L&S s.v. nescio I γ)
sīc: commonly used to introduce a promised deed of thanksgiving in a prayer (see Nisbet & Hubbard 1970 on Horace Odes 1.3.1).
in hoc … faciem tuam: a twist on Dido’s lament on childlessness in Aen. 9.328-30 (Kenney ad loc.): perhaps contrasting perfidious Dido with naïve Psyche?
Nec quicquam amplius in tuō vultū requīrō: “and I ask nothing more with respect to your appearance” (Kenney ad loc.).
nīl: taken adverbially here, “not at all”, intensifying the force of nec.
[6] lūmen: notable diction, suggesting ‘mystical revelation’ (Kenney ad loc.) and the etymology of Lucius and Photis’ names.
suīs crīnibus dētergēns: drying of tears with hair is not an uncommon motif, found e.g. in Xen. Eph. 1.9.5-6, Luke 7:37-8, and John 12:3.
singultus, -ūs m.: sobbing
dūdum: a little while ago
incerto, -āre: to render indistinct, to obscure
parciloquium, -iī n.: use of few words; by extension, discretion in general
perpendō, -ere, perpendī, perpēnsum: to examine, consider
sētius: see 5.1.7.
adprobo, -āre: to assent to, approve
fungor, fungī, fūnctus sum: to execute, perform
cinnameus, -a, -um: of cinnamon, smelling of cinnamon
pendŭlus, -a, -um: hanging down
teres, -etīs: smooth, rounded
ērogō, -āre: to entreat
indulgeō, -ēre, indulsī, indultum: to concede, allow, indulge
dēcantō, -āre: to enchant
dētergeō, -ēre, detersī, detersum: to wipe clean
spondeō, -ēre, spopondī, spōnsum: see 5.5.4
praevertō, -ere, praevertī, praevertum: to anticipate, go before
In this painting, we may note the similar features of Psȳchē and Cupid as listed by her here – the reddish glow of Cupid in the painting may even represent that unknown heat referenced in the text (Luca Giordano, “Cupid Visiting the Sleeping Psȳchē” (c.1695-97), Hampton Court Palace, The Royal Collection).