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[This file was first posted on April 30, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO Latin-1
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, PSYCHE ***

PSYCHE.
BY
MOLI RE

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE.
_WITH SHORT INTRODUCTIONS AND EXPLANATORY NOTES_.
BY

written the prologue, the first act, and the first scenes of the
second and third acts, when the King asked him to have the play
finished before Lent. Pierre Corneille, then sixty years old, helped
him, and wrote the other scenes in a fortnight. Quinault wrote the
words of the songs.

JUPITER.
VENUS.
LOVE.
ZEPHYR.
AEGIALE _and_ PHA NE, _two Graces_.

THE KING.
PSYCHE.
AGLAURA.
CIDIPPE.
CLEOMENES _and_ AGENOR, _two princes_, PSYCHE'S _lovers_.
LYCAS, _captain of the guards_.
A RIVER GOD
TWO CUPIDS.

FLORA _appears in the centre of the stage, attended by_
VERTUMNUS, _god of trees and fruit, and by_ PALEMON, _god of
the streams. Each of these gods conducts a troup of divinities; one
leads in his train_ DRYADS _and_ SYLVANS, _and the other_ RIVER GODS
_and_ NAIADS.

VERTUMNUS _and_ PALEMON, _and the divinities who attend them, join their voices to that of_ FLORA, _and sing the following words_.--

CHORUS OF DIVINITIES _of the earth and streams, composed of_
FLORA, NYMPHS, PALEMON, VERTUMNUS, SYLVANS, FAUNS, DRYADS, _and_
NAIADS.

A peace profound we now enjoy,
And games and bliss without alloy;
Earth's mightiest king has giv'n us rest;
To him be praise and thanks addrest.

_Then is formed an entry of the ballet, composed of two_ DRYADS, _four_ SYLVANS, _two_ RIVER GODS, _and two_ NAIADS, _after which_ VERTUMNUS _and_ PALEMON _sing the following dialogue_:--

VERTUMNUS.
Yield, yield, ye beauties stern,
To sigh 'tis now your turn!

PALEMON.
See you, the queen above,
She comes to breathe soft love!

VERTUMNUS.
A fair one stern for aye
Ne'er wins a faithful sigh!

PALEMON.
To woo has beauty arms,
But gentleness has greater charms.

BOTH (_together_).
To woo has beauty arms;
But gentleness has greater charms,

VERTUMNUS.
Seek not your hearts to shield;
To pine is law, and ye must yield.

PALEMON.
Is aught more worthless born
Than hearts that love will scorn?

VERTUMNUS.
A fair one stern, for aye
Ne'er wins a faithful sigh!

PALEMON.
To woo has beauty arms,
But gentleness has greater charms.