達芙妮是河神珀紐斯的女兒。在希臘神話中，她被稱作“月桂女神” ( 月桂樹的葉子可以編成花環 ) 。她和阿波羅有壹段特殊的淵源。
Apollo was a great archer（弓箭手）, but sometimes he was a little full of himself. One day he caught sight of another archer Eros and teased（取笑） him, putting down his abilities as an archer.
阿波羅是壹位出色的弓箭手，但有時過於自滿。有壹天他遇到了另壹位弓箭手小愛神厄洛斯，阿波羅嘲笑了他的箭術。
Angry at this insult, Eros shot two arrows. One arrow dipped in gold had the power to create insatiable lust in a person, while the other one, blunted（鈍的） and dipped in lead（鉛）, created absolute abhorrence（厭惡） towards all things romantic and passionate. The arrow dipped in gold struck Apollo, but the arrow dipped in lead struck fair Daphne.
厄洛斯非常惱火，於是射出了兩支箭：壹支用黃金做成的利箭，被射到的人，心中會燃起熊熊愛火；壹支用鉛做成的鈍箭，被射中的人，就會極度厭惡壹切浪漫的愛情。厄洛斯將“愛情之箭”射向了阿波羅，將“厭惡之箭”射向了美麗的達芙妮。
Apollo chased down the maiden, desperate for her love, but she wanted nothing to do with him, and she ran from him endlessly. Soon, she grew weary（厭煩的） in her running and that Apollo would ultimately catch her. Fearful, she called out to her father for help.
阿波羅狂熱地追逐達芙妮，渴求她的愛情，然而達芙妮卻絲毫不為所動，拼命地奔跑想要逃脫。跑了好壹陣子， 達芙妮已經筋疲力盡，眼看阿波羅就要追上她了，恐懼絕望的達芙妮大聲呼喊尋求父親的幫助。
Peneus transformed his daughter into a laurel tree. Suddenly her legs took root, and her arms grew into long and slender branches.
河神珀紐斯將女兒變成壹株月桂樹，瞬間她的兩條腿變成樹根深深紮入土裏，手臂化成了修長的樹枝。
Apollo reached the laurel tree, and still enamored（迷戀的） with Daphne, he made himself a laurel wreath（花環） (a circle made of laurel that you put on your head) from the tree. And that is why the laurel tree was, and still is, a symbol of the god Apollo, and is used by emperors within the culture.
阿波羅追到月桂樹前，依舊深愛達芙妮的他用月桂樹的樹枝編成花環戴在頭上。從此月桂樹成了阿波羅的象征，也受到了眾多國王的青睞。