Chapters 19-21 with context

transito fluvio modicum te progressam

“Once the river has been crossed and you have advanced a little way,

textrices orabunt anus telam struentes, manus paulisper accommodes.

weavers, old women constructing a warp will beg you to lend them your hands for a short time.

“anus telam struentes” - signficance?

Identity of these women unknown (just not the fates) - deception generally linked with weaving

nec id tamen tibi contingere fas est:

Nor however, is it right for you to touch this task:

nam haec omnia tibi et multa alia de Veneris insidiis orientur,

for all these things and many others will emerge for you from the ambushes of Venus,

ut vel unam de manibus omittas offulam:

so that you drop just one cake from your hands:

nec putes futile istud polentacium damnum leve;

may you not imagine that that trivial loss of barley-cake is worthless:

altera enim perdita, lux haec tibi prorsus denegabitur.

for once one of the two [cakes] has been lost, this light of day will be entirely denied to you.

canis namque praegrandis,

For the enormous dog,

teriugo et satis amplo capite praeditus,

endowed with three, very ample heads,

immanis et formidabilis,

huge and terrifying,

tonantibus oblatrans faucibus mortuos,

barking with his thundering jaws at the Dead

quibus iam nil mali potest facere,

to whom he can do nothing bad now,

frustra territando ante ipsum limen et atra atria Proserpinae semper excubans

always keeping watch by terrifying in vain before the very threshold and black halls of Proserpina,

servat vacuam Ditis domum:

he guards the empty home of Hades:

“vacuam Ditis domum:” - why is it considered empty?

The inhabitants are immaterial lacking substance

hunc offrenatum unius offulae praeda facile praeteribis,

you will easily pass by this dog, after he has been muzzled by the reward of one cake

ad ipsamque protinus Proserpinam introibis,

and at once you will come upon Proserpina herself,

quae te comiter excipiet ac benigne,

who will welcome you courteously and kindly

ut et molliter assidere et prandium opipare suadeat sumere.

so that she may urge you to calmly take a seat and sumptuously dine upon food.

“molliter assidere et prandium opipare suadeat sumere” - significance?

According to common logic, those who eat food of the Dead or sit down there are bound to stay in the Underworld - Persephone eating pomegranate seeds and Theseus unable to get up from chair in Underworld

sed tu et humi reside et panem sordidum petitum esto,

But you even sit on the ground and ask for and eat dirty bread,

“humi reside” - like who?

A beggar

deinde nuntiato quid adveneris,

then, when it has been announced why you have arrived

susceptoque quod offeretur,

and when what is being offered has been taken up,

rursus remeans canis saevitiam offula reliqua redime,

coming back again, buy off the savagery of the dog with the remaining cupcake,

ac deinde, avaro navitae data quam reservaveras stipe

and then, after the coin which you had kept back, has been given to the greedy ferryman

transitoque eius fluvio,

and after his river has been crossed,

recalcans priora vestigia ad istum caelestium siderum redies chorum.

treading your earlier footsteps once more, you will return to that chorus of heavenly stars.

sed inter omnia hoc observandum praecipue tibi censeo,

But amongst all things, I advise you especially that this must be observed –

ne velis aperire vel inspicere illam quam feres pyxidem

don’t open or inspect that box which you will bear

vel omnino divinae formonsitatis abditum curare thesaurum.’

and take care of the hidden treasure of divine beauty altogether.”

sic turris illa prospicua vaticinationis munus explicuit.

 In this way that far-sighted tower set forth his duty of prophecy.

nec morata Psyche pergit Taenarum

Psyche did not delay and made her way to Taenarus

sumptisque rite stipibus illis et offulis,

and once those coins and cakes had been duly picked up,

infernum decurrit meatum

she ran down her course to the Underworld

transitoque per silentium asinaria debili

and after she had passed by the crippled donkey-driver in silence

et amnica stipe vectori data,

and had given the river-fare for a passenger

neglecto supernatantis mortui desiderio,

and had ignored the request of the dead man floating

et spretis textricum subdolis precibus,

and had rejected the crafty pleas of the weavers

et offulae cibo sopita canis horrenda rabie,

and had rendered insensible the horrible rage of the hound with the food of the cake,

domum Proserpinae penetrat:

she arrived at the house of Proserpina:

nec offerentis hospitae sedile delicatum cibum beatum amplexa

She did not embrace the luxurious seat of her hostess who was offering it, nor the rich food,

“sedile delicatum” - who did sit down and got stuck and why is it ironic that Persephone xenia is devious?

Theseus and Pirithous - Persephone also got trapped in the Underworld for taking the offer of food so she is playing the same trick now herself.

sed ante pedes eius residens humilis,

but sitting humbly before her feet,

cibario pane contenta,

content with plain bread,

Veneriam pertulit legationem,

she carried out Venus’ mission.

“legationem” - what type of vocab is this and why is it ironic?

Formal diplomacy - contrasts her eating common bread on the floor.

statimque secreto repletam conclusamque pyxidem suscipit,

And at once she took up the box, once it had been filled once more with a secret and been sealed

“repletam conclusamque” - what does this pleonasm emphasise?

The significance of Psyche opening it later in the text

et offulae sequentis fraude caninis latratibus obseratis,

and once the dog’s barking had been muzzled by the trick of the second piece of cake

residuaque navitae reddita stipe,

and after the remaining coin had been given to the ferryman,

longe vegetior ab inferis recurrit.

she raced back from the Underworld far more lively.

et repetita atque adorata candida ista luce,

And once she had found again and worshipped that bright light of day,

quanquam festinans obsequium terminare,

although hurrying to end her service,

mentem capitur temeraria curiositate,

she was seized in her mind by a reckless curiosity

et ‘ecce ’ inquit

and “look,” she said,

‘inepta ego divinae forimonsitatis gerula,

“foolish bearer of divine beauty,

quae nec tantillum quidem indidem mihi delibo,

if I do not even skim so small a quantity from the same source for myself,

vel sic illi amatori meo formoso placitura.’

to please that beautiful lover of mine at least in this way.”

et cum dicto reserat pyxidem:

And with her speech she opened the box:

nec quicquam ibi rerum nec formositas ulla,

there was not anything at all there and not any beauty

sed infernus somnus ac vere Stygius,

but the sleep of death and truly a Stygian sleep,

qui statim coperculo revelatus invadit eam

which at once was uncovered by the lid and entered her

crassaque soporis nebula cunctis eius membris perfunditur

and poured itself out over all her limbs with a thick cloud of Sleep

et in ipso vestigio ipsaque semita conlapsam possidet;

and it seized her, once she had collapsed on the very spot and on the path itself.

et iacebat immobilis

She was lying there both motionless

et nihil aliud quam dormiens cadaver.

and nothing other than a sleeping corpse.