Midas, the king wished that whatever he touched should turn to gold without realizing the consequences. As a result, he became a slave of his desires. He touched his daughter, she turned into a gold statue.
When he said I want everything I touch to turn to gold, God warned him. The use of words and phrases makes the story distinctive.
The sentence, 'I would have absorbed the fragrances of the rose without touching them' shows his grief.