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with her bow, and to lead wherever she also wishes. And they make her now contend about beauty—for there was a contest about this for no man, but goddesses held it against one another; and a shepherd had to judge, and an apple was the prize for the victor; and she appears with her whole body to the shepherd, and with the sight she received both the vote and the apple, and she seemed beautiful; from which, whenever they wish to play, the Erotes throw apples at one another with laughter. And now she acts youthful against the others and brings Zeus down from heaven to earth, and he was gold, and a swan flew, and she did not spare even to make Zeus a bull. And through her Poseidon has forgotten the sea, and admiring Tyro, he mingles with fresh waters. And Pan seemed to see Echo, hearing only her voice, and did not recognize his beloved. And Apollo, holding the laurel plant, proclaims his love for Daphne. And Aphrodite drew the gods even to herself. And Hephaestus indeed lived with Aphrodite, but Ares was jealous of him. And Hermes also loved, having Apollo as a partner in his passion. But indeed it was necessary for her herself to experience her own arrows, and to know what sort of shafts she shoots against others, and it was not possible to remain unnoticed. For the rose proclaims by its appearance both Adonis and Aphrodite. And mountains and hunting were a concern to him. But to Aphrodite, Adonis was everything; and sometimes, leaving her girdle and her own children, the Erotes, she crossed over to the glens and, resting her neck upon her hand, she watched Adonis. But indeed something difficult that was seen disturbed your love, and lamentation was mixed with desire. For Ares, learning these things—for he also loved Aphrodite—was jealous of the youth, and once, watching for her to be away, he steals his nature by his appearance, and seeming to be a boar, he lured the boy to the hunt. And he, as was likely, rushes to close quarters, calling his dogs, and hastened to take the seeming beast. But indeed it is difficult for mortals, O Adonis, when they have a god as an enemy; for you have made this your last run; and hoping for prey, you yourself lay as prey. Alas, what tidings Aphrodite had to hear, and she heard them. And struck by the news, she was wholly of the passion, and gave nothing to reason, but coming into forgetfulness of what was proper, she rose as she was and was carried on a run through everything. No cliffs hindered her, no ravines stopped her, no river held her back, flooding with its waters. How cruel were the Erotes. For the mother followed, driven out of her mind by passion, as her children wished. And being carried along thus, she falls upon a rose plant, and being somehow more delicate in body—and what else, indeed, but Aphrodite?—and having nothing covering her two feet—for her passion did not allow her to take thought for this—being thus, struck by a thorn, she changes the appearance of the rose, and the color of her blood became the nature of the roses. For there was a time when it was white, and it has been changed to this, and it is fortunate in the wound of Aphrodite, and you might say that it is an image of her color for the rose. With this the bridal chambers are crowned—for it is fitting, I think, that the things of the Erotes be adorned with the plant of the Erotes, just as the Graces are to one another. This, mixed also with Dionysus, imitates the salvation of men. Now also stories fashioned about roses become something charming and lovely. But may the god appear gracious to us, and grant us to see the spring again and to sing of the rose. 4 Shepherd O newer light, which I longed for long ago, but could not see, and it only remained to pray; now the sun is gracious, and the air has relaxed its brows, and the wind is moderate, and the sea is tame, and the earth with its flowers has imitated the art of painters. Now the Muses dance with the birds, the Graces with the meadows, Pan with the flocks, and the Erotes with our minds. All things have been transformed and have become gracious and a truce is soon poured, and war is nowhere. Take courage now, you goats and flocks, and welcome the long-awaited grass. For recently Zeus poured heavily upon the earth, and the bright sun, this one was hidden, warred upon by the clouds. And the air and the trees were shaken together by the winds; and the sea was raised high, and threatened hostility to sailors, roaring like some lion. And torrents

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τόξῳ, καὶ ἄγειν ὅπῃ καὶ βούλεται. ταύτην δὲ ποιοῦσι νῦν μὲν περὶ κάλλους ἐρίζουσανἀγὼν γὰρ ἦν περὶ τούτου ἀνθρώπων μὲν οὐδενὶ, θεαὶ δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλας αὐτὸν ἐποιοῦντο· κρίνειν δὲ ἔδει ποιμένα, καὶ μῆλον ἦν νικώσῃ τὸ ἆθλον· ἡ δὲ ὅλῳ σώματι φαίνεται τῷ ποιμένι, καὶ ψῆφον ἅμα τῇ θέᾳ καὶ τὸ μῆλον ἐδέχετο, καὶ ἐδόκει καλή· ὅθεν ἡνίκα παίζειν ἐθέλουσι τοῖς μήλοις ἀλλήλους ἅμα γέλωτι βάλλουσιν οἱ Ἔρωτες. νῦν δὲ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων νεανιεύεται καὶ εἰς γῆν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατάγει τὸν ∆ία, καὶ χρυσὸς ἦν, καὶ κύκνος ἵπτατο, καὶ οὐδὲ ταῦρον ἐφείσατο ποιῆσαι τὸν ∆ία. καὶ διὰ ταύτης ἐπιλέλησται μὲν θαλάσσης ὁ Ποσειδῶν, καὶ τὴν Τυρὼ θαυμάζων ποτίμοις ὕδασιν ἐπιμίγνυται. καὶ ὁ Πᾶν ὁρᾶν ἐδόκει τὴν Ἠχώ, φθεγγομένην μόνον ἀκούων, καὶ τὴν ἐρωμένην ἠγνόει. ὁ δὲ Ἀπόλλων δάφνην ἔχων τὸ φυτὸν, τῆς ∆άφνης κηρύττει τὸν ἔρωτα. ἡ δὲ Ἀφροδίτη τοὺς θεοὺς καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὴν ἐπεσπάσατο. καὶ Ἥφαιστος μὲν συνῴκει τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ, Ἄρης δὲ τοῦτον ἐζήλου. ἤρα δὲ καὶ Ἑρμῆς, κοινωνὸν τοῦ πάθους ἔχων Ἀπόλλω. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔδει καὶ αὐτήν ποτε τῶν ἑαυτῆς πειραθῆναι βελῶν, καὶ γνῶναι οἷα κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀφίησι τὰ τοξεύματα, καὶ οὐδὲ λανθάνειν ἐγένετο. βοᾷ γὰρ τῇ θέᾳ τὸ ῥόδον Ἄδωνίν τε καὶ Ἀφροδίτην. ἔμελε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ὄρη καὶ κυνηγέσια. τῇ δὲ Ἀφροδίτῃ πάντα ὑπῆρχεν ὁ Ἄδωνις· καὶ ἔσθ' ὅτε τὸν κεστὸν ἀφεῖσα καὶ τοὺς αὑτῆς παῖδας τοὺς Ἔρωτας, παρὰ νάπας ἐπέρα τε καὶ ἐπικλίνασα τῇ χειρὶ τὸν αὐχένα ἐθεάσατο τὸν Ἄδωνιν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὀφθέν τι δυσχερὲς ἐπετάραξέ σου τὸν ἔρωτα, καὶ τῷ πόθῳ θρῆνος ἐμίγνυτο. Ἄρης γὰρ ταῦτα μαθώνἤρα δὲ καὶ οὗτος τῆς Ἀφροδίτηςἐζηλοτύπει τὸν νέον, καί ποτε ταύτην ἀποῦσαν ἐπιτηρήσας κλέπτει τῇ θέᾳ τὴν φύσιν, καὶ σῦς δοκῶν εἰς θήραν ἐφείλκετο τὸ μειράκιον. καὶ ὁ μὲν ὡς εἰκὸς ὁμόσε φέρεται, τὰς κύνας ἀνακαλῶν, καὶ ἑλεῖν ἠπείγετο τὸ δόξαν θηρίον. ἀλλὰ γὰρ χαλεπὸν ἀνθρώποις, ὦ Ἄδωνι, θεὸν ὅτε πολέμιον ἔχουσι· τοῦτον γὰρ ὕστατον πεποίησαι δρόμον· καὶ θήραν ἐλπίσας αὐτὸς ἔκεισο θήραμα. φεῦ οἵας ἀγγελίας ἀκούειν ἔδει τὴν Ἀφροδίτην καὶ ἤκουσε. πληγεῖσα δὲ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ πάθους ὅλη τε ἦν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐδίδου τῷ λογισμῷ, ἀλλ' εἰς λήθην ἐλθοῦσα τοῦ πρέποντος, ὡς εἶχέ τε ἀνέστη καὶ δρόμῳ διὰ πάντων ἐφέρετο. οὐ κρημνοὶ ταύτην ἐκώλυον, οὐ φάραγγες ἔστησαν, οὐ ποταμὸς ἐπεῖχε πλημυρῶν τοῖς ὕδασιν. ὡς ὠμοί τινες ἦσαν οἱ Ἔρωτες. εἵπετο γὰρ ἡ μήτηρ ἔκφρων ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους ὡς οἱ παῖδες ἐβούλοντο. οὕτω δὲ φερομένη περιπίπτει ῥόδων φυτῷ, καί πως ἁβροτέρα οὖσα τὸ σῶμακαὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλο ἢ Ἀφροδίτη; καὶ μηδὲν ἔχουσα περικαλύπτον τὼ πόδεοὐδὲ γὰρ τούτου προνοεῖσθαι παρέσχε τὸ πάθοςοὕτως οὖν ἔχουσα, ἀκάνθῃ πληγεῖσα συμμεταβάλλει τῷ ῥόδῳ τὴν θέαν, καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τὸ χρῶμα τοῖς ῥόδοις φύσις ἐγένετο. ἦν γὰρ ὅτε λευκὸν ὑπῆρχε, καὶ εἰς τόδε μεταβέβληται, καὶ τὴν πληγὴν εὐτυχεῖ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης, καὶ εἴποις ἂν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χρώματος ὑπάρχειν τῷ ῥόδῳ. τούτῳ στεφανοῦνται μὲν αἱ παστάδεςπρέπει γὰρ οἶμαι τὰ τῶν Ἐρώτων Ἐρώτων φυτῷ κοσμεῖσθαι, οἷον πρὸς ἀλλήλας αἱ Χάριτες. τοῦτο καὶ ∆ιονύσῳ μειχθὲν μιμεῖται σωτηρίαν ἀνθρώπων. ἤδη τοῖς ῥόδοις καὶ λόγοι πλαττόμενοι χαρίεν τί τε καὶ ἐπαφρόδιτον γίνεται. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ εὐμενὴς ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς ἐπιφαίνοιτο, καὶ δοίη πάλιν τὸ ἔαρ ἰδεῖν καὶ ῥόδον ὑμνῆσαι. 4 παστορ Ὢ καινοτέρου φωτός, ὃ πάλαι μὲν ἐπόθουν, ἰδεῖν δὲ οὐκ εἶχον, εὔχεσθαι δὲ μόνον ἐλείπετο· νῦν ἥλιος μὲν εὐμενής, ἀὴρ δὲ διέλυσε τὰς ὀφρῦς, καὶ πνεῦμα μέτριον, καὶ χειροήθης ἡ θάλασσα, γῆ δὲ τοῖς ἄνθεσι ζωγράφων τέχνην μεμίμηται. νῦν ἐγχορεύουσι Μοῦσαι ταῖς ὄρνισι, τοῖς λειμῶσιν αἱ Χάριτες, ὁ Πᾶν τοῖς ποιμνίοις, ταῖς δὲ γνώμαις οἱ Ἔρωτες. πάντα μετέστραπται καὶ γέγονεν εὐμενῆ καὶ σπένδεται τάχα, καὶ πόλεμος οὐδαμοῦ. θαρρεῖτε νῦν αἶγες καὶ θρέμματα, καὶ πόαν χρονίαν ἀσπάζεσθε. πρῴην γὰρ ὁ Ζεὺς πολὺς ἐπεχύθη τῇ γῇ, καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ὁ λαμπρός, οὗτος ἐκέκρυπτο, τοῖς νέφεσι πολεμούμενος. ἀὴρ δὲ καὶ δένδρα συνεδονεῖτο τοῖς πνεύμασι· θάλαττα δὲ μετέωρος ᾔρετο, καὶ ναύταις ἠπείλει πολέμιον, οἷά τις λέων ἐπιβρυχώμενος. χείμαρροι δὲ