Echo and Narcissus

Narcissus was a handsome youth. His lovely face and graceful¹ form were the admiration² of all who looked upon him. And he knew it. He was proud that he thought no one buthimself was worthy³ to see his youthful beauty. Thus given up to sweet thoughts of self, Narcissus avoided all company. He roamed the wooded little valleys every day, madly in love withhimself.  

 

When he was delightfully⁴ wandering through the woods oneday, a wood fairy maiden⁵, echo by name, caught sight of him. She was excited at once. Joyfully⁶ coming down towards narcissus, she stretched out her loving arms. To her dismay, however, the young man roughly brushed her aside and went by without so much as a glance at her. The poor fairy maiden's face turned red and quickly withdrew to a shady spot, following the object of her love with her longing⁷ eyes.  

 

Presently narcissus stopped to drink from a little stream. Kneeling down on the bank, he saw a lovely face in the clear water. His heart gave a beat. He smiled and was smiled back to. Thinking that it must be a maiden in love with him, he bent⁸ down to kiss her. And her lips also drew near his. But as soon a she touched the clear surface the lovely face disappeared. The angry youth was now desperate. Never had he been looked downupon like that before. Day and night, he stayed at the stream without drinking and eating. Before long he died, never suspecting that his maiden was just his own image in the stream. The gods took pity on the fair dead body and turned it into a flower bearing his name.  

 

The intoxicated⁹ echo saw all this. Slowly she became weak for despised love, until at last nothing remained of her except her voice.

 

那西塞斯是一位英俊的青年，面容可爱，体形优美。他深信，他的容貌会使每个见到他的人羡慕不已。他很骄傲，认为除了自己之外，别人都不配欣赏他那充满青春气息的面庞。因而，他沉溺于甜美的自我欣赏之中，远离所有的人，在苍翠蓊郁的小山谷中终日闲逛，他成了一位自恋狂。 

 

一天，那西塞斯在树林中愉快地游荡。一位名叫回声的仙女一看见他就兴奋起来；她伸出爱的双臂，高兴地走向那西塞斯。然而，令她惊愕的是，这位青年粗暴地将她推开，连看都不看她一眼就走开了。这位可怜的仙女羞红了脸，迅速退到遮阴处，含情脉脉地凝望着心上人。 

 

不久，那西塞斯来到一条小溪边饮水。当他跪在岸边时，他发现清澈的溪水中有一张非常可爱的面庞。他非常激动，并对着水中的人微笑，水中人也给了他一个微笑。他认为，一定是一位仙女爱上了他。于是，他就蹲下去吻她，她的嘴唇也向他靠拢。但是，当他的嘴唇一接触清澈的溪水，水中那张可爱的脸就消失了。这位恼怒的青年人此时变得绝望了，他从未被人如此鄙视过。他日夜呆在溪边，不吃不喝，不久就死了。他从未怀疑过水中的女子只是自己的影子罢了。众神非常怜悯他那优美的躯体，把他变成了一朵同名的花。 

 

那位陶醉于爱河的回声亲眼目睹了这一切变化。慢慢地，她由于单相思而日渐憔悴；最后，除了声音之外，她已经一无所有。

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