Once upon a time there lived a beautiful nymph Pomona. Most of all she loved the villages and her orchard. She was not attracted to either forests or rivers. She spent the whole day only in her native village in her garden. She either trimmed the plants, ridding them of excess shoots, then cut the bark and grafted new branches, then watered the garden, fearing that her favorites would dry out from thirst. And Pomona did not allow anyone into her garden, especially her neighbors, fearing that their rudeness would cause her trees and bushes any harm. But despite her stern disposition, everyone around her loved the hardworking and beautiful Pomona. Many young men, once seeing her going to the garden or returning home, fell hopelessly in love with her. Not only people, but also gods fell in love with Pomona. Even the forest god Silvan was inflamed with ardent love for her. But Pomona rejected everyone, seized by only one passion - working in her garden, growing beautiful fruits.
However, the young god Vertumnus burned brightest for Pomona. Whatever he did to achieve the favorable attention of the nymph. He brought her ripe ears of corn, appeared before her in a wreath of freshly mown grass, or came to Pomona with a yoke shaft, as if he had just finished hard plowing and unharnessed the oxen from the plow. Sometimes Vertumnus pretended to be a winegrower and even a gardener. But it was all in vain. The young beauty did not pay any attention to him. Sometimes, desperate to attract the attention of his beloved, Vertumnus took a ladder, placed it against the wall of Pomona’s garden, climbed onto the top step and admired the beautiful gardener from there. But this was not enough for him. He passionately wanted to at least touch Pomona, kiss her, feel her beautiful body in his arms. Vertumnus thought for a long time about how he could fulfill his desire. And finally, I came up with an idea.
Autumn has come. Amazing fruits ripened in the Pomona garden, the likes of which were not found in any other garden around. Vertumnus turned into an old woman, tied a bandage around his head, as old people usually do, and, leaning on a stick, approached the gate of his beloved’s garden. Pomona was afraid of men, but old women did not frighten her. Therefore, when one day she heard a knock at the gate and, looking out, saw a bent stranger asking permission to enter, she calmly let her in. The imaginary old woman immediately drew attention to the ripe fruits and, as it seemed to Pomona, praised them with all her heart. The hardworking nymph was flattered to hear such praise, and she developed sympathy for the wanderer. At that time it was customary for old people to kiss young people, and Vertumnus, in the guise of an old woman, embraced young Pomona and kissed her several times. But he kissed him not as old men and women usually do, but with love and passion. Then he sat down on a hillock in the middle of the garden under a large elm tree. A grapevine curled around the trunk with full, ripe, transparent grapes peeking out in abundance from the green leaves of the elm. Vertumnus praised the connection between the tree and the vine and noted that in general any life together is much better and more pleasant than a single one. “If the trunk remained alone,” said Vertumnus, “it would not attract anything other than greenery, and few would pay attention to it. And if there was only one vine, it would never be able to rise and would lie pressed to the ground, staining its beautiful berries with dirt and dust.” Vertumnus began to reproach Pomona for not wanting to follow the example of her beloved plants - she did not want to marry anyone, although none of the heroines of antiquity knew as many marriage proposals as she did. Then the imaginary old woman began to praise Vertumnus. He does not travel around the world, but lives in one place, so Pomona will not have to wait for him for many years. Unlike others, for whom one love replaces another, he is faithful to only one, and this one is she - Pomona. He is young and beautiful, and he can take on different guises, whatever Pomona herself wishes. He will gladly accept the fruits of her garden, but it is not the garden that attracts him, but only the beautiful Pomona. He needs nothing in the world except marriage with her, not even the gifts of the blessed gods. And for the edification of hard-hearted Pomona, Vertumnus told an old myth.
Once upon a time in Cyprus, Iphis, a young man of much less noble origin, fell passionately in love with the noble Anaxerete. He tried to defeat his love with his mind, but it was all in vain. And then Iphis came to the threshold of his beloved, pouring tears over him and asking for mercy. He tried to approach Anaxerete through her slaves and wet nurse, he sent her beautiful wreaths and passionate letters. But, alas, the cruel I of Anaxeret not only did not answer his pleas, but even laughed viciously at them. Iphis realized that he would never achieve his goal, and decided to leave his disgusted life, because there was no life for him without Anaxerete. But he decided to leave so that Anaxerete would not learn about his death from someone else, but would become a witness to it herself. And so Iphis came to Anaxerete’s chambers, tied a rope with a loop at the end to the ceiling and, turning his face to the girl, hung. His feet hit the door, it opened from the impact, and the slaves ran into the chambers screaming and moaning. They removed the lifeless body and took it to his mother, who was raising her son without a father. The mother mourned the deceased bitterly. And then a sad procession headed through the entire city to the funeral pyre. Anaxerete decided to look at this sad procession, but as soon as she saw the body of Iphis lying on a stretcher, her eyes stopped, her face turned pale, her body became heavy, and she turned into a stone statue. This statue is still preserved in Cyprus.
Having told Pomona the old myth, Vertumnus asked the maiden not to forget the sad story, to cast aside her pride and unite in love with the one who loves her. And then the spring frost will not touch the fruit ovary and the swift wind will not pick the flowers in her garden. Having said this, Vertumnus threw off his old woman's guise and appeared before Pomona in his true form - as a beautiful young man. He rushed to the nymph and was ready to take possession of her by force. But this did not happen. A love wound also opened in Pomona's heart. She felt an irresistible love for young Vertumnus. And they were overcome by a single passion.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru