Kindly received, she courtesy declined: Sat on the ground; ate not, save where she lay, A crust of bread; reveal'd the goddess' mind; The gift took; and return'd upon her way: Gave Cerberus his cake, Charon his fare, And saw through Hell's mouth to the purple air And one by one the keen stars melt in day. 29 Awhile from so long journeying in the shades Resting at Tænarus she came to know How, up the eastern coast some forty stades, There stood a temple of her goddess foe. There would she make her offering, there reclaim The prize, which now 'twas happiness to name, The joy that should redeem all passèd woe. 30 And wending by the sunny shore at noon, She with her pyx, and wondering what it hid, Of what kind, what the fashion of the boon Coud be, that she to look on was forbid,-- Alas for Innocence so hard to teach!-- At fancy's prick she sat her on the beach, And to content desire lifted the lid. 31 She saw within nothing: But o'er her sight That looked on nothing gan a darkness creep. A cloudy poison, mix'd of Stygian night, Rapt her to deadly and infernal sleep. Backward she fell, like one when all is o'er, And lay outstretch'd, as lies upon the shore A drown'd corpse cast up by the murmuring deep. FEBRUARY 1 While Eros in his chamber hid his tears, Mourning the loss of Psyche and her fate, The rumour of her safety reacht his ears And how she came to Aphrodite's gate: Whereat with hope return'd his hardihood, And secretly he purposed while he coud Himself to save her from the goddess' hate. 2 Then learning what he might and guessing more, His ready wit came soon to understand The journey to the far Laconian shore; Whither to fly and seek his love he plan'd: And making good escape in dark of night, Ere the sun crost his true meridian flight He by Teuthronè struck the southern strand. 3 There as it chanct he found that snowy bird Of Crete, that late made mischief with his queen, And now along the cliffs with wings unstir'd Sail'd, and that morn had cross'd the sea between: Whom as he past he hail'd, and question'd thus, 'O snowy gull, if thou from Tænarus Be come, say, hast thou there my Psyche seen?' 4 The gull replied 'Thy Psyche have I seen; Walking beside the sea she joy'th to bear A pyx of dark obsidian's rarest green, Wherein she gazeth on her features fair. She is not hence by now six miles at most.' Then Eros bade him speed, and down the coast Held on his passage through the buoyant air. 5