Page 10 - KTUDELL E-LIT | Issue 4 - January 2025

LITERATURE 2025
Daphne &

Apollon by Ayşegül KASAP

In the emerald embrace of Hatay’s ancient forests, where the
wind whispers secrets through the rustling leaves, a tale of
love, both fiery and heartbreaking, unfurls like a silken
banner. Daphne, the exquisite daughter of the River God
Peneus, was the very essence of nature’s grace. Her reflection
in the river’s clear waters resembled the first bloom of spring,
kissed by the golden morning sun. Yet, she was a creature of
the wild, her spirit untouched by the magic of romantic love.
Her heart belonged solely to her father, Peneus, and the
enchanting world of nature that surrounded her.

One day, as the sun painted the forest floor with dappled
light, Apollon, son of Zeus, and Leto, god of light, music, and
poetry, wandered through these enchanted woods. His
presence radiated a divine glow, and his lyre, crafted with
celestial skill, could weave melodies that charmed the very
birds from the branches. It was then, amidst the whispering
leaves and fragrant blossoms, that he first beheld Daphne.
Her beauty struck him like a thunderbolt, igniting a flame of
desire within his heart, a sensation he had never before
experienced. But Eros, the mischievous god of love, had
other plans. He drew back his bow and loosed a golden
arrow, piercing Apollon’s heart with an irresistible longing,
while Daphne remained untouched, shielded by a leaden
arrow that repelled all such affections. Love, it seemed, had
chosen to bestow its bittersweet gift upon only one.

Consumed by this newfound and overwhelming passion,
Apollon pursued Daphne through the verdant depths of the
forest, his voice echoing among the trees like a mournful
song. “Wait, nymph, daughter of Peneus, I beg you!” he cried,
his words carried on the wind. The forest echoed with the Author credit line
god's cries and the nymph's desperate pleas. Daphne, fleeing ID 339624211
Apollon’s love, her heart pounding like a trapped bird, © Pepperboxdesign
begged her father, Peneus: “Help me father! If your streams have | Dreamstime.com
divine powers change me, destroy this beauty that pleases too well!”
(Ovid, 2015, p. 29)
Her plea reached the ears of the river god, and he, with the ancient magic of the waters, answered his
daughter’s desperate call. A transformation began to ripple through Daphne, a slow and agonizing shift
from flesh and blood to wood and leaf. Her delicate skin hardened into smooth bark, her flowing hair
transformed into a canopy of shiny green leaves, and her slender limbs stretched and twisted into sturdy
branches, reaching towards the sky. As she sank into the embrace of the earth, her voice became a ghost of
itself, fragile and fleeting, carrying a solemn vow: that her fruits would forever stand beyond the reach of
mortal hunger or the grasp of parched longing.

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