The Cypress Tree's Sorrow
By Amber Workman

Phaethon followed the stream for a few more hours before he stopped near a cypress tree. He wanted to have a small nap and maybe a snack before he set back to find his dad, Apollo.

He still couldn’t believe that he was on this journey. Phaethon had never traveled outside of his city before and now he was miles away from everything he had known. However, he knew that the question of who his father was and what he was like were even more important than this being his first adventure from home.

As he settled down for his nap, he could feel something dripping on his face. Wiping the sticky substance away with his fingers, Phaethon frowned. This was sap from the cypress tree. That was strange. Usually, the sap just ran down the tree instead of falling onto the uncovered heads of young men on a mission.

Phaethon stood up then walked over to the cypress tree, touching its trunk. Many of the sap droplets were running down it slowly. He had never studied any other tree’s sap before but for some reason, he could tell this one’s was shaped different.

“Teardrops,” came the most mournful voice Phaethon had ever heard. The tree was talking to him, just like the sunflower had.

“Don’t be silly. Trees can’t cry,” Phaethon said as he looked at the tree trunk.

“Apollo made it so this tree can,” the tree cried, making Phaethon’s eyes widen. This tree was like the sunflower. His father must have turned this boy (since it was clearly a sad boy’s voice) into a tree.

“But why?” Phaethon asked. “Why would Apollo make a tree cry?”

“I asked him to,” the tree said tragically. “My name was Cyparissus. I was a talented young man. I could hunt, sing, and do just about everything that Apollo loved and enjoyed. He thought highly of me. He was always praised me at how gifted I was. So one day he said he would give his gifted lover a gift.

“I had laughed at how silly he was. However, that day he brought me the most elegant deer as a companion. I wish I could tell you my pet’s name but it is too emotional for me to think about. I loved my companion. We went everywhere and everyone was so envious of my gift.”

“Ah! So someone killed it?” Phaethon asked, shaking his head. “People do such horrible things when they are jealous.”

“No, no one killed him out of jealousy,” the tree whispered quietly. “He was napping by the stream just as you were going to do. I was so stupid and careless. I threw my javelin into the air. I had wanted to fight for Apollo in the Olympic Games that summer. I had only wanted to practice. But it was all for not. The javelin pieced my precious deer's heart. Killed instantly by my own hand.”

“That’s horrible. But wait…why did Apollo turn you into a tree? Was he angry at you for killing your deer? That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Phaethon asked, but the cypress tree did not even move in response.

“No, Apollo came to me that evening. He found me covered in my pet’s blood, crying over the horrible deed that I had committed. He tried to comfort me but I did not deserve it. The creature had been loyal to me and I had killed it. I asked him to kill me too, but he refused. I begged him to take my life but he swore he never would. He said he couldn’t live without me.

“So I told him to change me. I didn’t care what it was. If I was a beetle or a mountain, that was fine, I just didn’t want to be capable of hurting anyone again. He took my hand and it became a branch. I was so grateful as I became this cypress tree. He said my sap would follow like the tears that ran down my face and then he left. It was finished.”

“He just left you to suffer?” Phaethon growled with rage. How could his father be so heartless?

“No, he came back once but the grief I was in hurt his heart too much. He wanted to remember me as the young man who made him laugh, not cry. I hold no regrets over it. He gave me exactly what I wanted.”

Phaethon nodded. He understood now. His father could have been selfish and refused to transform Cyparissus. However, he had done everything the young man had wished. Phaethon could slowly see that his father was a lot more complicated than some of the stories he had heard about him. He lay down under the cypress tree and closed his eyes. After his nap, he would carry on with his journey and be that much closer to learning just who his dad really was.

Cypress Tree (Birds As Art)
Deer Statue (Chelminski Gallery)
Eros Sleeping (Met Museum)

With this story, I wanted to show where Apollo wasn’t angry or vengeful. Someone he loved wished to ‘leave him.' He didn’t react with selfishness or pull the ‘god card’ and make sure they never left him. He was saddened deeply but he did as his lover asked him. For Cyparissus, I wanted him to be a bit pitiful. He loved his deer and was so distraught by having killed it himself; he couldn’t bear to be human anymore. He loved Apollo but he couldn’t deal with the knowledge of what he had done. He was just a tender soul. Phaethon is really starting to see the many sides of his dad and he may not agree with everything that his dad has done, but he understands. It is a very soul-searching journey for him as well since this is the first time he has ever really went out on his own. In my next story, I will tell about the contest between Apollo and Marsyas. This really touches on darker side of Apollo and how he is ruthless when challenged. It is a very graphic depiction of Apollo at his most selfish and most powerful. What will Phaethon think about this side of his father?