"He swore that of all gods and men, no one
"Should hold her in his arms but he alone;
"That she should dwell with him in glorious wise
"Like to a goddess in some paradise;
"Yea, he would get from Father Jove this grace
"That she should never die, but her sweet face
"And wonderful fair body should endure
"Till the foundations of the mountains sure
"Were molten in the sea; so utterly
"Did he forget his mother's cruelty."—William Morris.
Meantime it came to be known all over that land, and in other lands to which the fame of the fair Psyche had spread, that the mighty goddess Aphrodite had declared herself the enemy of the princess. Therefore none dared seek her in marriage, and although many a noble youth sighed away his heart for love of her, she remained in her father's palace like an exquisite rose whose thorns make those who fain would have it for their own, fear to pluck it from the parent stem. Her sisters married, and her father marvelled why so strange a thing should come about and why the most beautiful by far of his three daughters should remain unwed.
At length, laden with royal gifts, an embassy was sent by the king to the oracle of Apollo to inquire what might be the will of the dwellers on Olympus concerning his fairest daughter. In a horror of anxiety the king and his queen and Psyche awaited the return of the ambassadors. And when they returned, before ever a word was spoken, they knew that the oracle had spoken Psyche's doom.
"No mortal lover shall fair Psyche know," said the
