The Golden Ass

'My dear Socrates,' I said, 'what you tell me…'

'When we had gone some way the sun rose…'

Book 2

As she said this, she looked at me and laughed.

One day Byrrhena insisted that I should have…

'Left alone with the corpse for company…'

Book 3

There then arose the senior magistrate…

'I was coming away disconsolate…'

And so she carried on.

Book 4

In the middle of all this, one of them…

'Excited by this ingenious scheme…'

They went on with this sort of soft soap…

So saying, she summoned that winged son…

Book 5

The sisters inquired the way to the rock…

The two sisters, sworn accomplices…

Then Psyche, though naturally weak in body…

Proclaiming her wrongs in this way…

Book 6

With these words, she flew at Psyche…

Then indeed Psyche knew that her last hour..

That then was the tale told by the drunken…

Book 7

Without a moment's hesitation the robbers…

Delighted with our vengeance…

Only a few days later he played an even worse…

Book 8

'But Thrasyllus, always hasty and as rash…'

That was his story, told with many deep sighs…

It concerned a certain slave to whom his master…

Anyway, let me tell you how heavenly providence…

Book 9

Having stayed in this place for a few days…

Now, let me present to you an exceptionally…

'But when day came and Barbarus got up…'

The miller then followed suit with his wife…

While everyone was still numbed…

Book 10

But while these vile creatures were considering…

As for me, I was once again launched…

When, after a journey partly on land…

At the news of the girl's grievous death…

After them there entered a third girl…

Book 11

The awesome prophecy was ended…

Next appeared the gods who deigned to proceed…

Meanwhile swift Rumour had not been slow…

Morning came, and, the ceremonies duly…