Once there was a king who had three daughters. Psyche was the youngest and most beautiful. She was so beautiful that the people in her land began to neglect Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, to worship Psyche instead. Venus became jealous and eventually so angry that she sought revenge. Venus went to her son, Cupid, and asked him to make Psyche fall in love with a hideous monster.
Cupid agreed but upon setting his eyes on Psyche, he fell in love with her. He was unable to carry out his mother’s wishes. Meanwhile, Psyche’s father, the king, was trying to marry her off with her sisters. Unfortunately, no one wanted to marry Psyche because she was too beautiful. The king was very upset and consulted Apollo’s oracle. The Oracle told him to leave Psyche on a mountainside where a serpent would take her away.
On the mountain, Psyche waited patiently in despair. She sat and sat, but the serpent never came for her. Instead, Zephyr, the most gentle of winds, carried her away. In the morning, Psyche awoke. She looked around her and saw a castle. Intrigued, she wandered toward it. As she got closer, Psyche noticed that the palace was empty.
Psyche neared the threshold and was surprised to hear voices calling her name. She entered the palace and listened as the voices directed her about her new home. “We are your servants. Everything you see around you is yours.”
Psyche had everything she had ever wanted, but something was missing, or rather someone. As evening neared, the voices told Psyche that her husband would be returning. He came to her in total darkness, but she wasn’t afraid. Psyche knew that he couldn’t be a monster.
Time passed and Psyche began to miss the companionship of her sisters. She asked her unseen husband if they would come visit her. “They will be nothing but trouble! Be forewarned of their jealous nature.” However, Psyche was very lonely and longed to sit and talk with her older siblings, regardless of their flaws.
Soon Zephyr brought Psyche’s sisters for a little visit. Psyche showed them her beautiful palace and they quickly became jealous. They began to ask questions about her husband and harassed her so much that Psyche admitted she had never seen him.
At that her envious sisters reminded her how the oracle had said she was destined for a terrible serpent. “Just think, Psyche! He could be a horrid creature who is just waiting for you to become comfortable. Then, when you least expect it, he will kill you” “He has made you a prisoner! People say he is a man-eating monster!”
By and by they convinced Psyche that she had to find out who or what her husband really was. Psyche made a plan. Late that night when her husband was sleeping, she armed herself with a knife and lit an oil lamp. Quietly, she crept near him and let the light fall on his sleeping form.
Imagine her surprise when she beheld the most beautiful and charming of the gods, Cupid. Psyche leaned closer to gaze at his face and the lamp began to tip. A drop of hot oil spilled onto Cupid’s shoulder and he awoke. Without a word, he looked at her and left.
Psyche chased after him crying. Upon hearing her cries, Cupid stopped and said, “So this is how you repay my love and devotion to you. I disobeyed my mother, the goddess Venus, for you. Go to your sisters whose words you value more than mine! Love cannot dwell with suspicion.”
丘比特和普赛克 (1)
从前有个国王，他有三个女儿。普赛克是最小的也是最漂亮的一个。她实在太漂亮了，以致她那个国家的人都忽视了爱与美的女神维纳斯，转而崇拜普赛克。维纳斯开始的时候是嫉妒，后来就试图寻找报复的办法。她向自己的儿子丘比特求助，让他设法使普赛克爱上一个可怕的魔鬼。
丘比特同意了。但当他看到普赛克的时候，他即可爱上了她。他不能行使他妈妈的意愿。同时，普赛克作国王的父亲，想把普赛克嫁出去。不幸的是，普赛克太漂亮了，没有人愿意娶她。她的父亲非常沮丧，向阿波罗的神喻祈求办法。神喻说，将普赛克置于山腰，一条大毒蛇会将她带走。
在山里，普赛克在绝望中耐心等待着。她就这样坐着，坐着，但并没有什么毒蛇靠近她。相反，风向中最温和的西风，将她带走了。清晨，普赛克醒来。她环顾左右，发现了一座城堡里。充满了好奇，她向城堡走去。走得近了，她发现，那座城堡是空的。
她惊奇地发现有人在叫她的名字。她走进这个新发现的地方，跟着那个声音的指导她查看自己的新家。“我们都是你的仆人，你所看到的一切都是你的。”
普赛克拥有了她想拥有的一切，但总觉得缺了什么，或者缺了什么人。夜晚临近，那些声音告诉普赛克，她的丈夫要回来了。他只能在完全的黑暗中走近她，可她不必害怕。普赛克知道他一定不是个魔鬼。
随着时间的流逝，普赛克开始怀念有姐姐们陪伴的生活。她问那个没见过面的丈夫，能不能让姐姐们来看她。得到的答案是“她们只会带来麻烦，出于好妒的天性。”然而，普赛克太孤单了，她渴望与一父同胞的姐妹坐下来，聊聊天，即使她们有这样那样的缺点。
很快，西风将普赛克的姐姐们带来了。普赛克带着它们参观她漂亮的城堡，她们充满妒忌。她们开始没完没了地问关于她丈夫的事情，普赛克最终不耐烦了，她承认她还没有见过他。
嫉妒的姐姐们马上提醒她那个神谕，说她命中注定会被魔鬼带走。姐姐们说，“想想吧，普赛克！他一定是个可怕的生物，他只是想让你舒舒服服地放松警惕，等你不注意的时候，再杀死你。”“他已经囚禁了你，人们说他是个吃人的怪兽！”
不久以后她们终于让普赛克相信了她们所说的，一定要知道她丈夫究竟是什么人或什么东西。普赛克做了个计划。那夜的晚些时候，当她的丈夫熟睡的时候，她随身带了把小刀，点燃一盏油灯。悄悄地，她爬着靠近他，让光亮能照见他睡觉的样子。
想想看她有多惊讶，当她看到的是众神中最美丽、最有魅力的，丘比特。普赛克凑得更近为了盯着他的脸看。油灯倾斜了，一滴热油低落在丘比特的肩膀，他马上醒了。没说一句话，他看了看她就离开了。
普赛克哭喊着追随他。听到她的哭声，丘比特停下来说，“这就是你回报我对你的爱、对你的奉献的方式。为了你，我背叛了我的母亲，女神维纳斯。去找你的姐姐们吧，她们的话比我的更让你听从。爱不与猜忌同生。”
