Sentence:  The various supports, rafters, braces and plates are of pandanus logs of a rich oily brown, and make one think of a sylvan cathedral where <WSD>hamadryads</WSD> might very well dance, where Syrinx might be chased by Pan, Daphne by Apollo, and various other heathen rites take place in the dark hours before the dawn. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A wood-nymph who was physically a part of her tree; she would die if her tree were felled.