apollo continually followed her, begging her to stay, but the nymph continued to reject him. they were evenly matched in the race until eros intervened, urging apollo on until he is at full speed. he reaches out to grab her, but she manages to escape his grasp and quicken her pace. eros further assists apollo by giving him wings, then hangs onto daphne's shoulders in an attempt to slow her gait. they were soon within sight of her father's waters. exhausted, overcome by the efforts of her escape, and sensing that she was about to be caught, she ran toward the banks and cried out, "help me father! if your streams have divine powers change me, destroy this beauty that pleases too well!" no sooner than the cry left her mouth she felt "a heavy numbness seized her limbs, thin bark closed over her breast, her hair turned into leaves, her arms into branches, her feet so swift a moment ago stuck fast in slow-growing roots, her face was lost in the canopy." she had become the laurel tree.
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