Daphne

Daphne was a lovely blooming fairy maiden. As she was playing merrily in the woods one day she saw Apollo the sun-god staring at her with more than amazement and admiration in his eyes. The beaming face of the sun put her to flight. The eager Apollo followed her closely behind, calling out to her to stop. His passion had been lighted by her beauty and grace. He was afraid that this might be the last time he saw her. The quick footed maiden made the best of her legs, but the passionate Apollo pressed hard upon her. Through rough fields and pathless woods she ran, but the sound of his pursuing feet ever grew nearer. As he ran he begged his beloved maiden to slow down, for he feared that she might fall and hurt her sparkling skin on the rocky roads. But the escaping maiden never cared so much about that. She even threw one glance backwards. At last she was quite breathless and cried to her father, a rivergod, for help. No sooner had her prayer been uttered than answered, for she had instantly found herself glued to the ground and a layer of soft bark growing over her fair skin. She had been turned into a laurel（月桂） tree. Sighing, Apollo put his arms around the tree trunk. The trunk responded by turning thinner. To show his undying love for the maiden, he decided that the laurel would be his favorite tree and should be the prize of honour and fame for deathless poets and poetry. Thus the most outstanding poet always desires to be made a poet laureate.