\b0 King \b \cf4 \ATXht11637 Pygmalion\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 of Cyprus refused to marry since his heart and his sens
es had been captured by an ivory statue, as white as snow, representing\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht2 Aphrodite\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , which was as perfect in its nudity as he imagined the goddess must be. He had carved it himself and the passion that he had infused i
nto it had made the material appear almost alive: the hand that caressed it could not tell whether it was ivory or real flesh that lay beneath its fingers. Pygmalion covered the statue with kisses and embraced it with the feeling that his passion was ret
urned. At night he lay it by his side in the bed and in the daytime he dressed it in clothes and jewelry. Then the time came for the festival of Aphrodite, celebrated with great enthusiasm all over Cyprus. After making the sacrifices required by ritual,
Pygmalion approached the altar and, having paid due homage, timidly asked the gods to find a wife for him who would resemble the girl he had carved. He did not dare to say that what he really wanted was the ivory girl herself, but Aphrodite, who was pres
ent at her own festival, understood the meaning of his prayer and brought the effigy to life. The creature granted to him by Aphrodite gave birth to\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11608 Paphos\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 .
