Narcissus

In Greek mythology, Narcissus is the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. The seer Tiresias prophesied that, if Narcissus did not look upon his reflection, he would live a long and healthy life. Many women and nymphs (and sometimes men, as in one earlier retelling of the myth) fell in love with Narcissus, but he rejected them and broke many of their hearts. The goddess Nemesis heard the cries of these forlorn lovers and placed a curse on Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection. Some versions of the story say that he killed himself because of his eventual grief of turning away so many other lovers, but others simply say he fell and drowned while beholding his reflection in the water.
==Significance to Stevens==
In Stevens's poem "Jumbo," he calls "the companion of nothingness" (10) the "Ancestor of Narcissus, prince / of secondary men" (16-17), assumedly referring to the ego of the imagination. Like Narcissus, though the poet holds glory, it is a glory that, in the eyes of some, is practically meaningless and fleeting.
==Sources and Further Reading==
Encyclopedia Mythica's entry on Narcissus