THE LAUREL
Reading edition
Daphne was a young Greek goddess, and Apollo, the god of the sun, fell desperately in love with her. But, charming as Apollo was, Daphne did not like him, and whenever she saw him she ran away.
One day she was flying through the woods to escape from Apollo, and, terrified lest he should overtake her, she implored the water gods to change her 42form. No sooner had she expressed this wish, than her feet became fastened to the ground, and lengthened themselves into roots, her hair turned into leaves, and her arms to boughs, so that when Apollo came to where he had last seen her running from him, he found instead a beautiful laurel tree.
Then Apollo declared that as she was no longer Daphne, and, therefore, could not be his love, as a laurel she should be his tree, and that a crown of her leaves should be the reward of the highest honour and fame.
Apollo further declared that her boughs should never be bare in winter-time, but should always be clothed with glistening emerald leaves.
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