_Greek_
Years ago there was a beautiful girl who lived near a large garden. This
girl's name was Clytie. She had wonderful golden hair and big brown
eyes, and she was tall and slender.
Clytie stood in this large garden one day, watching her pet doves as
they flew about in the sky, when she caught a glimpse of the sun chariot
of Apollo. She even had a glimpse of Apollo himself, as he guided his
wonderful horses along their course, which was the circle of the
heavens. There were many fleecy clouds in the sky, and one had veiled
the burning sunlight from the eyes of Clytie, or she would never have
been able to see the sight, which only the eyes of Jupiter's eagle may
endure and not become blind.
After this the foolish girl went every day into the garden and, staring
up into the sky, tried to see Apollo once more. Every day for more than
thirty days she went into the garden. Her mother often told her that she
would make Apollo angry, for he shines brightly so as to hide himself
from people on the earth.
"Clytie! Clytie!" her mother would call, "come in and take your sewing."
[Illustration: APOLLO. From a statue in Rome.]
But Clytie never would obey. Sometimes she would answer:
"Oh, mother, let me stay. He was so beautiful. I have no heart
for work."
Apollo saw the foolish girl day after day and he became out of
patience with her.
"Mortal maidens must obey their mothers," he said, and a burning
sun-arrow fell on Clytie's bright head.
Such a strange change came upon Clytie from that moment. Her brown
eyes grew larger. Her golden hair stood straight out around them, and
her pretty clothing changed into great heart-shaped leaves which clung
to a stiff stalk. Her feet grew firmly into the ground, and the ten
little toes changed into ten strong roots that went creeping
everywhere for water.
When Clytie's mother called again no answer came and she found, in going
into the garden, a flower in place of her child.
And now Clytie always stares at the sun all day long. In the morning her
face is toward the east, and at night it is toward the west.
Did you ever think that the sunflower was once a lovely girl?