E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Apollo.
The sun, the god of music. (Roman mythology.)
1
“A pollo’s angry, and the heavens themselves
Do strike at my injustice.”
Shakespeare: Winter’s Tale, iii. 2.
A perfect Apollo. A model of manly beauty, referring to the Apollo Belvidere (q.v.).
2
The Apollo of Portugal. Luis Camoëns, author of the Lusiad, so called, not for his beauty, but for his poetry. He was god of poetry in Portugal, but was allowed to die in the streets of Lisbon like a dog, literally of starvation Our own Otway suffered a similar fate. (1527–1579.)
