Psyche and Love

... In the legends, she was beautiful as roses, white as lilies... So "Venus," the goddess of beauty, envied her, and set her son the god "Cupid" upon her to kill her..

And the beautiful winged child fluttered to the garden of her palace, his bow and arrows with him.. and slipped behind the silken curtains, stringing the golden bow.. And she was asleep... upon the pillows.. Oh, the enchantment floating in that bed!!

An arm here, an arm there, and the little head upon the rosy pillow, a moonbeam falling over it...

The radiant brow and the drowsy lashes dazzled him.. So he drew the arrow from the bow, and as he drew it, it scratched him, and his heart filled with love; he came toward her and pressed upon her rosy mouth a sweet kiss.. and went back the way he came, a lover.

And arms of light carried her to the palace of the beautiful little god.. He would come to her at the first of the night, with light steps, so that she could not make out his face; but she could hear music coming from him.

He never told her his name.. nor allowed her to light the lamp to see his face!

Curiosity drove her, one night, while the little beloved was dozing: she rose to the lamp and lit it, to see her lover. And what did she see?!

A creature of wondrous beauty... The lamp trembled in her hand, and a drop of oil fell upon his arm.. He opened his eyes, and leapt from the window, and beat his wings.

And "Psyche" wandered distracted over the earth, the evil spirits carrying her off into the darkness and wrestling with her... And once he saw her, when the evil spirit had struck her down, stretched upon the dewy grass.. her breast rising and falling.. and his old love came back to him..! He came toward her and pressed upon her brow a kiss... and joy spread through all nature..

"A Greek legend"