On the island of Keos in the Carthean Valley, there was a deer dedicated to the nymphs. This deer was beautiful. His branched horns were gilded, a pearl necklace adorned his neck, and precious jewelry hung from his ears. The deer completely forgot his fear of people. He entered the houses of the villagers and willingly extended his neck to anyone who wanted to stroke it. All the inhabitants loved this deer, but most of all he was loved by the young son of King Keos, Cypress, the beloved friend of the archer Apollo. The cypress led the deer to clearings with lush grass and to loudly murmuring streams; he decorated its mighty horns with wreaths of fragrant flowers; often, playing with a deer, young Cypress, laughing, jumped onto its back and rode around the flowering Carthean valley.
It was a hot summer afternoon; the sun was burning; the whole air was full of heat. The deer took refuge in the shade from the midday heat and lay down in the bushes. By chance, Cypress was hunting where the deer lay. He did not recognize his favorite deer, since it was covered by foliage, so he threw a sharp spear at it and struck it to death. Cypress was horrified when he saw that he had killed his pet. In grief, he wants to die with him. Apollo consoled him in vain. Cypress's grief was inconsolable; he prayed to the silver-bowed god that God would let him be sad forever. Apollo heeded him. The young man turned into a tree. His curls became dark green pine needles, his body was covered with bark. He stood like a slender cypress tree before Apollo; like an arrow, its top went into the sky. Apollo sighed sadly and said:
“I will always grieve for you, wonderful young man, and you will also grieve for someone else’s grief.” Always be with those who mourn!
Since then, the Greeks hung a branch of cypress at the door of a house where there was a deceased person; its needles decorated funeral pyres on which they burned the bodies of the dead, and planted cypress trees near the graves.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru