Tag Archives: Santa Ynez

Daphne

Daphne

[Apollo’s] at her shoulders now; she feels his breath
upon the hair that streams down to her neck.
Exhausted, wayworn, pale, and terrified,
she sees Peneus’ stream nearby; she cries:

“Help me, dear father; if the river-gods
have any power, then transform, dissolve
my gracious shape, the form that pleased too well!”

As soon as she is finished with her prayer,
a heavy numbness grips her limbs; thin bark
begins to gird her tender frame, her hair
is changed to leaves, her arms to boughs, her feet–
so keen to race before–are now held fast
by sluggish roots; the girl’s head vanishes,
becoming a treetop. All that is left
of Daphne is her radiance.

The Metamorphoses of Ovid, trans. A. Mandelbaum

Postscript: Not at all related to the naming of this image after the story of the mythical Daphne, the image was captured in Santa Ynez, CA, Saint Agnes in English. Wikipedia describes Saint Agnes as: the patron saint of chastity, gardeners, girls, engaged couples, rape victims and virgins.

%d bloggers like this: