Early spring ... birds sing love songs ... in ancient Rome,
February 14 was chosen as the day to remind those pierced by Cupid's errant arrows
of Love and Psyche ... the nature of Psyche and Love is delicate and
needs to be nurtured ... people were urged to use the Cupid's bow of their
upper lip to blow kisses to caress their beloved ... or nowadays greetings
cards.
The ancients believed that baby Cupid shot arrows indiscriminately ... that those pricked became
"Love sick" ... that babies just as Love do not know reason ... that in all ages, Cupid's arrows
strike most living creatures, human or otherwise. Ancient artists held Love as Psyche to be as
tender as a butterfly ... that love when reciprocated is a fountain of bliss ... that as Cupid
became Eros, cupidity and erotic drives became unrelenting ... that one desire may engender many
and become a cause of unrest and unhappiness ... that when an arrow pricked Cupid's finger, he
became aware of Psyche ... that love induced divine Cupid to forgive the many flaws of mortal Psyche
... that Cupid visited hell to rescue Psyche and implored Zeus to grant her immortality.
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