"
Hardly had Daphne finished her plea, when her limbs grew heavy, and a
thin bark began to cover her flesh. Her hair changed to green leaves,
her arms to slender branches, and her feet, which had borne her along
so swiftly, were now rooted to the ground. Her father had answered her
plea. Daphne, the nymph, was changed into a laurel tree.
When Apollo saw that his beautiful Daphne had become a tree, he threw
his arms about the newly-formed bark and cried, "Since you cannot be
my wife, fair Daphne, at least you shall be my tree, my laurel. Your
leaves shall be used to crown the heads of the victorious brave, and
they shall remain green alike in summer and in winter."
And so it came to pass. The laurel, Apollo's emblem from that day on,
became the sign of honor and triumph.
THE LITTLE ACORN
It was a little acorn that hung on the bough of a tree.
It had a tender green cup and a beautifully carved saucer to hold it.
The mother oak fed it with sweet sap every day, the birds sang
good-night songs above it, and the wind rocked it gently to and fro.
The oak leaves made a soft green shade above it, so the sun might not
shine too warmly on its green cover, and it was as happy as an acorn
could be.
There were many other acorns on the tree, and the mother tree, through
her wind voices, whispered loving words to all her babies.
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