APOLLO AND DAPHNE.
I
Apollo from Olympus stray'd,
Enchanted by a mortal maid,
Who fled from the intruder.
Her coyness, as is oft the case,
But gave new ardour to the chase,
And so he still pursued her!
II
One year he followed, and she flew!
(A life of misery, she knew,
An ill assorted match meant.)
Jove changed her to a laurel tree;
And so Apollo's proved to be
An evergreen attachment!
III
Too deeply rooted may be thought
Poor Daphne's dread of being caught,
But do not miss the moral:
She seems to say, “Receive, young bard,
“From woman's praise your best reward,
From woman's smile your laurel.”
