Part 7 (2/2)
(Detail of Danae)
In the iination of the ancient Greeks all human love was inspired by the Goddess Aphrodite, Venus, aided by her son, the little archer Cupid It was Cupid's office to shoot the arrows of affection Being ahis shafts at the unsuspecting Often his victims were so oddly chosen that it seemed as if the marksman had shot at random Some believed that he did his work blindfolded
The poets describe Cupid as a beautiful winged boy carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows, and soh the wide universe, but he loved best the island of Cyprus, which was his oodly curls,” wrote Moschus,[36]
”but impudent is the face he wears; his little hands are tiny, 'tis true, yet they shoot far Small is his arrow, yet it carries even to the sky He is naked indeed, so far as his body is concerned, but his ed as a bird he flies upon now one party of men and women and now another, and settles on their inmost hearts”
[Footnote 36: In the first idyl, translated by J Bank]
The ht caused by a wound of love is explained by the fact that Cupid's arroere tipped with gall and honey The way in which they were fashi+oned is variously described by the poets
Anacreon has it that they were e of Vulcan, the husband of Venus, and the blacksmith of the Gods One of this poet's odes relates how--
”In the Lemnian caves of fire Thesteel to for wars of her honeyed dews; And Love (alas the victi dart”[37]
[Footnote 37: In Moore's translation]
A slightly different explanation is given by the Latin poet Claudian:--
”In Cyprus' isle two rippling fountains fall And one with honey flows, and one with gall; In these, if we may take the tale from fame, The son of Venus dips his darts of fla The victi is a painful thrill,” but ”not to love, more painful still”
[Illustration: CUPID SHARPENING HIS ARROWS (DETAIL OF DANAe) _Borghese Gallery, Rohtiest could not withstand his arts The war-God Mars, bringing his spear one day to Vulcan's forge, sht shafts of Cupid ”Try it,”
said little Love, handing hiony of pain, and begged Cupid to take the arrow back
Apollo, the archer of the sun, was equally imprudent, and was richly punished for his sneers An arrow from the fatal quiver made hi who could give so much pain and pleasure was at once to be loved and feared Hence all paid hoe--
”To Love, for heaven and earth adore him And Gods and mortals bow before him”
In our picture, Cupid looks just as the poets have described hioodly curls” Only the milk and honey of Cyprus could have made the little body so plump A deep crease marks the line of his wrist, a soft fold of flesh the neck The full quiver lies on the table beside hi one of the darts[38] A little companion helps him hold the whetstone steady while he presses the arrow tip upon its surface So--
”Cupid sharpening all his fiery darts Upon a whetstone stained with blood of hearts”
[Footnote 38: Vasari says that Cupid is trying the arrow on a stone]
Cupid's cos
He may be a human playfellow of the little God, or one of the brood of loves hich the poets have peopled Cyprus While the original ination has multiplied his kind We read of the ”playful rout of Cupids” attendant upon the love-God, who rules as sovereign a them