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PSYCHE.
BY
MOLIÈRE
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE.
WITH A SHORT INTRODUCTION AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.
BY
CHARLES HERON WALL
'Psyche' is a tragédie-ballet.Molière had sketched the plan,written the prologue, the first act, and the first scenes of thesecond and third acts, when the King asked him to have the playfinished before Lent. Pierre Corneille, then sixty years old, helpedhim, and wrote the other scenes in a fortnight. Quinault wrote thewords of the songs.
Molière acted the part of Zephyr.
PERSONS REPRESENTED.
Jupiter.
Venus.
Love.
Zephyr.
Aegiale andPhaëne, two Graces.
The King.
Psyche.
Aglaura.
Cidippe.
Cleomenes andAgenor, two princes,Psyche's lovers.
Lycas, captain of the guards.
A River God
Two Cupids.
PROLOGUE.
The front of the stage represents a rustic spot, while at the back thesea can be seen in the distance.
SCENE I.
Flora.appears in the centre of the stage, attended byVertumnus,god of trees and fruit, and byPalemon, god of the streams. Each ofthese gods conducts a troup of divinities; one leads in his trainDryads andSylvans, and the otherRiver Godsand Naiads.
Florasings the following lines, to inviteVenus to descendupon earth:—
Flora.
The din of battle is stayed;
The mightiest king of earth
His arms aside has laid;
Of peace 'tis now the birth!
Descend thou, lovely Venus,
And blissful hours grant us!
Vertumnusand Palemon,and the divinities who attend them, jointheir voices to that of Flora, and sing the following words.—
Chorus of Divinitiesof the earth and streams, composed ofFlora, Nymphs, Palemon,Vertumnus, Sylvans, Fauns, Dryads, andNaiads.
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.
Descend thou, lovely Venus,
And happy hours grant us!
Then is formed an entry of the ballet, composed of twoDryads,four Sylvans,two River Gods,and two ...