Christianizing the Myth of Apollo & Daphne: John Gower Confessio Amantis 3.1685ff

Christianizing the Myth of Daphne and Apollo

Name: John Gower Date: 1330 – 1408 CE Region:   [modern England] Citation:  Confession of a Lover 3.1685ff

Here the narrator provides an example about those who use being in love as an excuse to pressure those who aren’t ready. And he provides an example, explaining how Phoebus [Apollo] loved a very beautiful woman named Daphne, and pressured her way too much for love. This angered Cupid and he wounded Phoebus’ heart with a golden arrow, making him burn for love even more fiercely; but he struck Daphne’s heart with a lead arrow, and she became very aloof to him. And so the more passionately Phoebus pursued Daphne in love, the more standoffish she became, and ultimately disdained Phoebus’ attraction for her with her whole heart.

Christianizing the Myth of Daphne and Apollo

 Hic ponit Confessor exemplum contra illos qui in amoris causa nimium festinatione concupiscentes tardius expediunt. Et narrat qualiter pro eo quod Phoebus quamdam virginem pulcherimam nomine Daphnem nimia amoris acceleratione insequebatur, iratus Cupido cor Phoebi sagitta aurea ignita ardentius vulneravit: et econtra cor Daphnae quadam sagitta plumbea, quae frigidissima fuit, sobrius perforavit. Et sic quanto magis Phoebus ardentior in amore Daphnem prosecutus est, tanto magis ipsa frigidior Phoebi concupiscentiam toto corde fugitiva dedignabatur.

John Gower [1330 – 1408 CE, modern England] was a 14th century English poet. He was a contemporary and peer of Geoffrey Chaucer; both authors use overlapping characters and themes. Although his Confession of a Lover [Confessio Amantis] was written in English, the Latin text of this story was taken from the summaries that the author wrote for each chapter in Latin.