5.6
[1] Nec mora, cum paulō mātūrius lectum marītus accubāns eamque etiam nunc lacrimantem complexus sīc expostulat: [2] “haecine mihī pollicēbāre, Psȳchē mea? Quid iam dē tē tuus marītus expectō, quid spērō? Et perdia et pernox nec inter amplexūs coniugālēs dēsinis cruciātum. [3] Age iam nunc ut volēs, et animō tuō damnōsa poscentī pārētō. Tantum memineris meae sēriae monitiōnis, cum coeperis serō paenitēre.”
[4] Tunc illa precibus et dum sē moritūram comminātur extorquet ā marītō cupītīs adnuat, ut sorōrēs videat, lūctūs mulceat, ōra cōnferat. [5] Sīc ille novae nuptae precibus veniam tribuit et īnsuper quibuscumque vellet eās aurī vel monīlium dōnāre concessit, [6] sed identidem monuit ac saepe terruit nē quandō sorōrum perniciōsō cōnsiliō suāsa dē fōrmā marītī quaerat nēve sē sacrilegā cūriōsitāte dē tantō fortūnārum suggestū pessum dēiciat nec suum posteā contingat amplexum. [7] Grātiās ēgit marītō iamque laetior animō “sed prius,” inquit “centiēs moriar quam tuō istō dulcissimō cōnūbiō caream. Amō enim et efflīctim tē, quīcumque es, dīligō aeque ut meum spīritum, nec ipsī Cupidīnī comparō. [8] Sed istud etiam meīs precibus, ōrō, largīre et illī tuō famulō Zephyrō praecipe similī vectūrā sorōrēs hic mihī sistat,” [9] et imprimēns ōscula suāsōria et ingerēns verba mulcentia et īnserēns membra cogentia haec etiam blanditiīs astruit: “mī mellīte, mī marīte, tuae Psychae dulcis anima.” [10] Vī ac potestāte Venerii susurrūs invītus succubuit marītus et cūncta sē factūrum spopondit atque etiam lūce proxumante dē manibus uxōris ēvānuit.
The next night, Cupid returns to find Psyche still weeping. Having succumbed to her romantic wiles, Cupid allows Psyche to bring her sisters to the palace.
nec mora, cum: a favorite phrase of Apuleius’s; literally “there was no delay, when…”
accubāns: unique instance of accubo + accusative.
haecine: From hōci + ne. –ci is the demonstrative enclitic –ce, which is usually dropped, but sometimes retained for emphasis (A&G §146 n. 1).
pollicēbāre: 2s imperf. (deponent) indicative.
perdia et pernox:from per + diem rather than from perdo; pernox is formed the same way.
pārētō: 2s fut. act. imperative.
memineris…monitiōnis: Verbs of remembering take the genitive.
sē moritūram: i.e. commit suicide.
adnuat: A substantive clause of result (A&G §567-71), introduced by an implied ut.
ōra cōnferat: “converse, talk together (with them)”, lit. “bring their mouths together” (L&S s.v. confero B 2b).
aurī vel monīlium: partitive gen. depending on quibuscumque.
dōnāre: “to endow (acc.) with (abl.).”
terruit nē…quaerat nēve …dēiciat…contingat: fear clause.
suggestū: used literally at 5.5.3, of a platform, but here metaphorically; the “cliff” here is the heights of her current blessedness from her marriage with the god.
prius…quam: Translate together as a subordinating conjunction introducing caream.
nec ipsī Cupidīnī comparō: a very Apuleian inside joke with the reader.
largīre: 2s present (deponent) imperative.
vī ac potestāte Venerii: It is notable that Venus’ son should be overcome by the power of Venus, notwithstanding her later rejection of the marriage.
expostulō, āre: to demand pressingly, insist on
coniugālis, -e: marital, relating to marriage
damnōsus, a, um: destructive
tantum (adv.): See note on 5.5.3.
coepīo, -ere, coepī, coeptus: to begin
paeniteo, -ēre -uī: to be sorry (usually used impersonally, but here personally)
comminor, -ārī, -ātus sum: to menace, to threaten
suādeō, -ēre, suāsī, suāsus: to recommend
pessum: (adv.) to the ground, down
efflīctim: (adv.) agonizingly, desperately
largior, -īrī, -ītus sum: to give bountifully
vectura, -ae f.: transportation
suāsōrius, -a, -um: persuasive
ingerō, -ere, -gessī, gestus: to implant
blanditia, -ae f.: fondness, flattery
astruō, -ere, -ūxī, -ūctus: to add
susurus, -ūs/-ī m.: a whisper (cf. Met. 1.1, lepido susurro permulceam).
succumbō, -ere, succubuī, succubitus: to succumb
proxumō, āre, alt. spelling of proximō, āre: to approach
ēvānescō, -ere, ēvānuī: to vanish
Fresco of Zephyr, god of the wind, from Pompeii, 45-79 CE (Naples, National Archeological Museum)