how does the myth of Baucis and Philemon illustrate nature as a symbol of eternal love?

Answer 1

First of all, they exhibited the best kind of love. They loved others more than themselves. Nature teaches us that love is natural. And nature as is true love is eternal. It is cyclical, yes, but when it seems to die out, it just breeds more of itself. It is a continuous cycle that needs care. It is fragile and can be hurt, but if we take care, it will flourish.

Answer 2

This is probably way out of my field. But the trees, if I recall correctly and in the version of the myth that I read, grew so that their branches were intertwined. Each represented one of the old couple. They also died at the exact same time like they wished. These could be used to point out how it is symbolic but I'm not entirely sure how. It could be said that the couple loved each other so completely that they survived the flood just for the other person, that the others died because they didn't have someone they loved to survive for.