The Golden Ass: Or, a Book of Changes

325 Pages·2007·1.18 MB·English

by  Apuleius

Joel Relihan uses alliteration and assonance, rhythm and rhyme, the A
occasional archaism, the rare neologism, and devices of punctuation p
and typography to create a sparkling, luxurious, and readable u
translation that reproduces something of the linguistic and comic l
e
effects of the original Latin. The Introduction is a masterpiece of
i
clarity, orienting the reader in matters of authorship, narration, u
genre, religion, structure, and style. Agenerous and browsable
s
index, select bibliography, and maps are included.
“This daring rendition of the Metamorphosesis the only recent T
translation to bring out the unique euphuism of Apuleius’ style and
h
to convey vividly the text’s kinship with oral storytelling. Relihan
revels in Apuleian alliteration, striking archaisms, and lively
e
colloquialisms, and keeps us always aware that we are listening to

stories told aloud. Readers cannot fail to take delight in it.”
G
—Ellen Finkelpearl, Scripps College
o
“Learned and lively, smart and sassy, and fun from beginning to l
end—that is Apuleius’ Golden Ass, and Joel Relihan’s new American
d
translation captures the spirit, the style, and the pleasure of it. Here
is a version to savor and enjoy, as you accompany the world’s
e
cleverest donkey on his journey to enlightenment.”
n
—David Konstan, Brown University

A Apuleius
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The Golden Ass
Joel C. Relihanis Professor of Classics, Wheaton College, Norton, s
Massachusetts.
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ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-887-2 c
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Translated, with Introduction, by
Joel C. Relihan
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9 780872 208872
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APULEIUS
The Golden Ass
Or, A Book of Changes

APULEIUS
The Golden Ass
Or, A Book of Changes
Translated, with Introduction, by
Joel C. Relihan
Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Indianapolis/Cambridge
Copyright © 2007 by Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
All rights reserved
10 09 08 07 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
For further information, please address
Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 44937
Indianapolis, Indiana 46244-0937
www.hackettpublishing.com
Cover design by Abigail Coyle
Interior design by Elizabeth L. Wilson
Composition by Professional Book Compositors, Inc.
Printed at Edwards Brothers, Inc.
Cover photo: Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Apuleius.
[Metamorphoses. English]
The golden ass, or, Abook of changes / Apuleius ; translated, with
introduction, by Joel C. Relihan.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-887-2 (pbk.)
ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-888-9 (cloth)
1. Mythology, Classical—Fiction. 2. Metamorphosis—Fiction.
I. Relihan, Joel C. II. Title. III. Title: Golden ass. IV. Title: Book of
changes.
PA6209.M3R45 2007
873’.01—dc22
2007027142
e-ISBN: 978-1-60384-032-3 (e-book)

ƒ
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
Maps xlii
The Golden Ass
Or, A Book of Changes
Chapter One
ATraveler’s Tale 3
Chapter Two
Hospitality in Hypata 23
Chapter Three
The Festival of Laughter 47
Chapter Four
ADen of Thieves 67
Chapter Five
Psyche Lost 92
Chapter Six
Psyche Regained 114
Chapter Seven
Charite Regained 135
Chapter Eight
Charite Lost 154
Chapter Nine
Millers’ Tales 177
Chapter Ten
Wicked, Wicked Women 207
Chapter Eleven
Queen Isis 233
Index 255
v
to Elise, the poet
for the right word in the right place
Acknowledgments
When I translated Boethius’ Consolation, I felt that what the stu-
dent needed was greater access to and insight into the structure
of the original: the poems were translated meter for meter and the
text was provided with an apparatus of intratextual parallels, but
the English I used was relatively formal. The Golden Asspresented
a different set of demands, primarily in the matter of style. The
student would have little chance of appreciating the linguistic
humor and the narrative playfulness of this romance were it
dressed in the somber suit of standard academic prose, and a the-
matic index seemed more useful than a full set of explanatory
notes. I thank both Deborah Wilkes, my editor, for emboldening
me along my more exuberant path, and Ellen Finkelpearl, whose
close eye and critical acumen passed over every word of a trans-
lation that has been much improved by her restraint as well as by
her encouragement.
I have my students to thank as well for testing and criticizing
an early version of Cupid and Psyche in my courses in the Spring
of 2007, “Ancient Romance” and “Myth and Folklore.” Some
gambits proved unsuccessful and led to some changes of tone;
this has given me confidence that the translation—which my stu-
dents said engages them as “active readers” (to use the modern
phrase)—may prove useful and successful for the nonspecialist
audience. I should like to single out Megan Reid for her particu-
larly perceptive cautions; and I thank Heather Day for sharing
with me her investigations into the parallels between Apuleius
and Heliodorus regarding how the pursuit of wisdom functions
within the structures of romance. For the infelicities that surely
remain I have only myself to blame. To Susanne Woods, former
provost of Wheaton College, I will be always grateful for allow-
ing an unexpected medical leave to be followed by an expected
sabbatical and thus giving me the year in which the majority of
the work found its way through its first draft. As always, the
greatest debt is recorded in the dedication.
Joel C. Relihan
Wheaton College
Norton, Massachusetts
vii

Introduction
In the following Introduction I hope to provide to readers new to
the work some essential orientation in matters of authorship and
narration, genre and religion, structure and style; I hope as well
to convince them that its beauties and its mysteries are accessible
even to those who have not mastered the massive marvels of mod-
ern scholarship that illuminate its many details. We are not ab-
solutely certain of the original title: The Golden Assis both ancient
and popular, and the adjective denotes its elegance; Metamorphoses
is certainly part if not all of it, and shows an allegiance to Ovid; I
will use them both. But the title page offers a translation of Meta-
morphosesthat is both literal and suggestive. If the words ABook of
Changesgive readers an expectation of the exotic, and remind them
of the complicated processes the Chinese classic offers for divining
the order in seemingly random events, they will be well prepared
for the intricacies of interpretation of this romance.
Sophist vs. Philosopher
Apuleius is an interesting man, and we are fairly well informed
about him. He is also an author who has left us a wide range of
works in a number of styles, so we are well acquainted with his
views—more in practice than in theory—on the proprieties of
composition and rhetoric. The Golden Assis his most famous and
important work, and very few people who read and enjoy it will
ever read his dry work on Aristotelian logic, On Interpretation. So
the first of many questions for the reader is how far does the au-
thor’s biography (whether historical, intellectual, or literary) take
us in understanding the eccentricities of this romance?1
Apuleius’ life would seem to lie in the middle fifty years of the
second century of this era: he was born probably between 120 and
ix