"Love rules the elements, Love rules the stars, Love rules the gods, his peers—his sway over them exceeds yours over your goats and sheep. All flowers are the works of Love, all trees are his creations; through his power do rivers flow, and winds blow."
Daphnis and Chloe is a Greek pastoral novel written during the Roman Empire, the only known work of second-century Hellenistic romance writer Longus.
"This will cure him that is sick, and rouse him that is in dumps; one that has loved, it will remember of it; one that has not, it will instruct. For there was never any yet that wholly could escape love, and never shall there be any, never so long as beauty shall be, never so long as eyes can see."
"By mid-day their eyes would have been taken prisoner. For seeing Daphnis naked, Chloe would be suddenly overpowered by all his beauty and feel faint at the impossibility of finding fault with any part of him; and Daphnis, seeing her in her fawn-skin and pine-crown holding out the milk-pail, would think that he was seeing one of the Nymphs from the cave. So he would snatch the pine-crown from her head and after kissing it would put it on himself."
"He also began to teach her to play the syrinx, and when she started to blow into it he would snatch the syrinx away and run his own lips over it; he gave the impression of correcting her mistakes, but by proxy of the syrinx he was giving Chloe kisses."
"He felt as though his life was still at the mercy of the pirates; for he was young and lived in the country and as yet knew nothing of the piracy of Love."
"While he was muttering this passion, a grasshopper that fled from a swallow took sanctuary in Chloes bosom. And the pursuer could not take her, but her wing by reason of her close pursuit slapped the girl upon the cheek. And she not knowing what was done cried out, and started from her sleep. But when she saw the swallow flying near by and Daphnis laughing at her fear, she began to give it over and rub her eyes that yet would be sleeping. The grasshopper sang out of her bosom, as if her suppliant were now giving thanks for the protection. Therefore Chloe again squeaked out; but Daphnis could not hold laughing, nor pass the opportunity to put his hand into her bosom and draw forth friend Grasshopper, which still did sing even in his hand. When Chloe saw it she was pleased and kissed it, and took and put it in her bosom again, and it prattled all the way."
"On Lesbos while hunting I saw in a Nymphs’ grove a display, the fairest I ever saw: an image depicted, a story of love."