(1) ἔδοξε τῇ Γῇ Λάδωνι τῷ ποταμῷ πρὸς συνουσίαν ἐλθεῖν· καὶ ἐπεὶ συνῆλθον ἀλλήλοις, κύει μὲν ἡ Γῆ, τίκτεται δὲ ἡ Δάφνη. (2) φιλεῖ δὲ ἐκείνην ὁ Πύθιος, καὶ ῥήματα ἦν ἐραστοῦ πρὸς τὴν κόρην. (3) ἀλλ’ ἡ Δάφνη τὴν σωφροσύνην ἐφίλει. (4) διώκειν οὖν ἔδει, καὶ ἐδιώκετο. (5) πρὶν δὲ ἀπειπεῖν ἐν τῇ φυγῇ, παρακαλεῖ τὴν μητέρα αὑτῆς πάλιν αὐτὴν εἴσω ποιῆσαι καὶ τηρῆσαι οἵα γεγένηται. (6) ἡ μὲν οὖν ὧδε ἐποίει καὶ τὴν Δάφνην εἶχεν ἐν ἑαυτῇ· κατὰ δὲ τὸ μέρος ἐκεῖνο εὐθὺς ἀνεπήδα φυτόν. (7) καὶ παραπεσὼν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ἀκμὴν τοῦ ἔρωτος ὁ θεὸς οὐκ εἶχεν ὅπως ἀποστῇ τοῦ φυτοῦ· ἀλλ’ αἵ τε χεῖρες ἀνελαμβάνοντο καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐκοσμεῖτο. (8) λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὁ τρίπους οὐκ ἄνευ τῆς δάφνης ἱδρῦσθαι κατὰ Βοιωτίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ χάσματος.
notes
Most editors consider this story a later addition. This appendix story concerns Daphne, here made the daughter of Earth and the river Ladon. According to myth, Apollo fell in love with Daphne, a maiden devoted to chastity. When Apollo pursued her and she could no longer escape, she prayed to her parent for rescue. She was then transformed into a laurel tree. Apollo, unable to possess Daphne herself, adopted the laurel as his sacred plant: he wore its leaves, used them to adorn his hair and his symbols of victory, and associated them with his cult and oracle.
For a fuller version of the story that Pseudo-Palaephatus is summarizing, see Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.452–567; Parthenius of Nicaea, Erotika Pathemata 15; Pausanias 8.20.2–4.
1
πρὸς συνουσίαν ἐλθεῖν: i.e., to have sex.
2
ῥήματα ἦν ἐραστοῦ: “His [i.e., Apollo’s] words were those of a lover.”
4
διώκειν ... ἔδει: "pursuit was required."
5
πρὶν: + infin., “before.”
πάλιν αὐτὴν εἴσω ποιῆσαι: Daphne asks her mother to “put her back inside of her [i.e., inside of Earth].”
τηρῆσαι οἵα γεγένηται: “to preserve her as she was,” “to preserve her as she had become.” Οἵα is adverbial (LSJ οἷος V.2).
6
κατὰ δὲ τὸ μέρος ἐκεῖνο: "at that place."
7
οὐκ εἶχεν ὅπως ἀποστῇ: “he had no way to leave,” “he couldn’t tear himself away” (LSJ ἔχω A.III.2).
ἀποστῇ: 3rd sing. aor. subj. act. > ἀφίστημι.
τὸ λοιπὸν: “henceforth,” “hereafter” (LSJ λοιπός 3).
8
κατὰ Βοιωτίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ χάσματος: according to later sources, the tripod for the Pythia, Apollo’s oracle at Delphi (not in Boeotia but nearby Phocis), was set up over a chasm in the bedrock; see Diodorus Siculus 16.24.1-5. The mention of Boeotia here may be an error, or it may refer to another, less famous, shrine of Apollo in that region.
vocabulary
1
Λάδων –ωνος, ὁ Ladon, a river in Arcadia
συνουσία –ας, ἡ intercourse; sex
συνέρχομαι, συνελεύσομαι, συνῆλθον, συνελήλυθα, —, — to come together, meet
κύω, —, ἔκυσα, —, —, — to become pregnant, conceive
Δάφνη –ης, ἡ Daphne, a nymph
2
φιλέω, contr. to love
Πύθιος –α –ον Pythian, an epithet of Apollo
ῥῆμα –ατος, τό word, that which is spoken
ἐραστής –οῦ, ὁ lover
κόρη –ης, ἡ girl
3
σωφροσύνη –ης, ἡ temperance, chastity
5
ἀπαγορεύω, ἀπερῶ, ἀπεῖπον, ἀπείρηκα, ἀπείρημαι, ἀπερρήθην to tire, sink from exhaustion
φυγή –ῆς, ἡ flight
παρακαλέω, contr. to call upon
εἴσω, adv. within, inside
τηρέω, contr. to protect, preserve
6
ἀναπηδάω, contr. to leap up, spring forth
φυτόν –οῦ, τό plant
7
παραπίπτω, παραπεσοῦμαι, παρέπεσον, παραπέπτωκα, —, — to fall beside
ἀκμή –ῆς, ἡ peak, zenith
ἔρως –ωτος, ὁ love
ἀφίστημι, ἀποστήσω, ἀπέστησα / ἀπέστην, ἀφέστηκα, ἀπεστάθην to stand away, depart from
ἀναλαμβάνω, ἀναλήψομαι, ἀνέλαβον, ἀνείληφα, ἀνείλημμαι, ἀνελήφθην to take (something) up
κοσμέω, contr. to adorn, decorate
8
τρίπους –ποδος, ὁ tripod
ἱδρύω, ἱδρύσω, ἵδρυσα, ἵδρυκα, ἵδρυμαι, ἱδρύθην to set up
Βοιωτία –ας, ἡ Boeotia
χάσμα –ατος, τό chasm, opening