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SUMMARY

The Athenians are stuck in Aegina and are greeted by the ruler Aeacus’ son, Phocus. Phocus notices one man Cephalus’ spear, which is made of unfamiliar wood and tipped with gold. Curious about the type of wood, Phocus questions where Cephalus found the spear when another Athenian tells the king’s son of the spear’s magical properties: it will never miss its target and always come back to its owner. Upon being questioned about where it came from, Cephalus begins to cry as he tells the story of his wife.

 

            Cephalus and his wife Procris had been incredibly happy together when the goddess of dawn Aurora kidnapped Cephalus. Throughout his month imprisonment with the goddess, he never stopped talking about how Procris was the only woman he would ever love. Tired of his declarations, Aurora let the hunter go, but also warned him of one thing: that he would regret marrying her.

 

            While finding his way back to Procris, Cephalus overthought Aurora’s words and began to worry if Procris had been cheating on him during his absence. In order to test her fidelity, he disguised himself with help from Aurora and began attempting to seduce Procris, who had been mourning the loss of her husband faithfully. Cephalus, determined to break his own wife, gave her gifts until it seemed like she would give in, and then revealed himself. This caused Procris to run away, disgusted with her husband’s distrust of her, and become a huntress with Diana.

 

            Soon after Cephalus realizes his mistake, finds Procris, and they get back together. Procris gives him two gifts: the world’s fastest dog, and the spear that Phocus asked about. While hunting a fox, Cephalus unleashes the hound, Laelaps, who promptly turns to stone while chasing the fox. Phocus stops the story hear and questions why the teller is saddened by the spear to get him back on track. One day while hunting, Cephalus is praying to the breeze (“aura” in Latin) and someone nearby mishears him and thinks he is calling to a lover and cheating on Procris. This someone tells Procris that Cephalus has a mistress and she decides to test him. The next day, she follows him as he hunts and as he prays to the wind, she jumps out of the bush unexpectedly. Thinking she is a wild animal, Cephalus shoots her with his spear. With her dying breath, she asks him not to see this “Aura” woman anymore.

 

            The moral of this story is about trust. Cephalus and Procris teach that both trust and loyalty are important in a relationship. Without those two virtues, a relationship can crumble and people can be hurt.

 

 

SCANSION

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