When autumn came Proserpina donned her
brown suit again and Pluto claimed her. There, in his underground realm,
she reigns all the cold winter months. She is happy now because Queen
Ceres is happy. The mother knows that when spring breathes over the
earth again Proserpina will come back to her.
Can you guess who Proserpina is? You have seen her a thousand times.
Yes, and when you see her next you will say how strange that the Greeks
could tell such a story of only a little brown seed.
THE GIRL WHO WAS CHANGED INTO A SUNFLOWER
_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.
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