Aphrodite loved Adonis more than she did anybody else, for he was a brisk, lovely young hunter. She gave up her home at olympus and took to the woods. In the woods she dressed herself up like a huntress and kept the youth company all day long. With him she wandered through grounds and groves1（小树林） and over hills and valleys. She cheered hunting dogs and pursued animals of a harmless sort. They had a great time together. However, she warned him many times not to chase wild beasts like lions and wolves, but the young man just laughed at the idea.
One day, after warning him thus, she left for olympus in her carriage. Quite by chance Adonis' hunting dogs found a boar（野猪）, which roused Adonis to enthusiasm. He hit the beast with an arrow, but the boar, turning on him, buried its white tusk2 deep into his tender side and trampled3 him to death. When Aphrodite came back to find her lover cold in death, she burst into a passion of tears. Unable to take him back from the lower world, she sprinkled wine on adonls' blood and turned it into anemone4（银莲花）, a delicate purple flower.
Aphrodite was not calmed down yet. In grief and despair she flew to Zeus and begged Zeus' sympathy. Hades（冥府，地狱） was by no means prepared to meet her request. After much dispute anagreement was worked out under which adonis was to spend half the year above ground with aphrodite, but the remaining six months in the elysian fields. Therefore, in spring time adonis came back to the loving embrace of aphrodite, but when winter came he had to return most reluctantly to hades.
阿芙罗狄蒂爱阿多尼斯胜过爱别的任何人，因为他是一个精神抖擞、生气勃勃的少年猎手。她离开了奥林波斯山的住所来到林中。她装扮成一个女猎手，让这个年轻人整日陪伴左右，并与他一起游遍了山林、河谷。她跟着猎狗，欢呼雀跃，追赶着无害的动物。他们一起渡过了一段美好时光。虽然她奉劝了他许多次不要捕杀像狮子和狼这样的野兽，但年轻人只是嘲笑她的想法。
有一天，当她如此奉劝他之后，她坐上马车去奥林波斯山。非常凑巧，阿多尼斯的猎狗发现了一头野猪，使阿多尼斯热血沸腾，跃跃欲试。他一箭射中了这头野猪，但是野猪没死，掉过头向他冲击，长牙深深地扎进阿多尼斯的要害部位，将他抵死。当阿芙罗狄蒂回来之后，发现她的恋人尸骨已寒，她大哭起来。但无法将他从地府再拉回阳间，她便在阿多尼斯的血上洒上葡萄酒，将它变作秋牡丹，一种紫色的小花。
阿芙罗狄蒂的心并没有因此平静下来，在忧伤和绝望心情的笼罩下，她飞到宙斯处，乞求他的怜悯。哈得斯一点也不打算答应她的要求。经过一番口舌之争，他们达成协议：阿多尼斯每年可以到阳间和阿美罗狄蒂相聚半年，但剩下的六个月得到天堂渡过。由此每当春天的时候，阿多尼斯就转世回到阿芙罗狄蒂身边享受她爱的拥抱，但到了冬天他就得不情愿地回到哈得斯那儿。
