Pursuance
Apollo and Daphne, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1622/25
Love-struck, this agile god must chase
this nymph with comely form and face,
although she has made very clear
he should not think of her as dear.
He once received a golden shot—
a leaden one was what she got—
and ever since she runs away
from his intentions for his prey.
Now she is terrified to find
him getting far too close behind,
then closer still, when he is bold
enough to reach for her and hold. . . .
She cries to Father desperately
and turns into a laurel tree.
Jane Blanchard
