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Echo

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Echo, having often amused Juno with her stories, to give time to

Jupiter’s mistresses to make their escape, the Goddess, at last,

punishes her for the deception. She is slighted and despised by

Narcissus, with whom she falls in love.

He, much celebrated by fame throughout the cities of Aonia, 67 gave

unerring answers to the people consulting him. The azure Liriope 68 was

the first to make essay and experiment of his infallible voice; whom

once Cephisus encircled in his winding stream, and offered violence to,

when enclosed by his waters. The most beauteous Nymph produced an

infant from her teeming womb, which even then might have been beloved,

and she called him Narcissus. Being consulted concerning him, whether he

was destined to see the distant season of mature old age; the prophet,

expounding destiny, said, "If he never recognizes himself. " Long did the

words of the soothsayer appear frivolous; but the event, the thing

itself , the manner of his death, and the novel nature of his frenzy,

confirmed it.

And now the son of Cephisus had added one to three times five years, and

he might seem to be a boy and a young man as well. Many a youth, 69 and

many a damsel, courted him; but there was so stubborn a pride in his

youthful beauty, that no youths, no damsels made any impression on

him. The noisy Nymph, who has neither learned to hold her tongue after

another speaking, nor to speak first herself, resounding Echo, espied

him, as he was driving the timid stags into his nets. Echo was then a

body, not a voice; and yet the babbler had no other use of her speech

than she now has, to be able to repeat the last words out of many. Juno

had done this; because when often she might have been able to detect the

Nymphs in the mountains in the embrace of her husband , Jupiter, she

purposely used to detain 70 the Goddess with a long story, until the

Nymphs had escaped. After the daughter of Saturn perceived this , she

said, "But small exercise of this tongue, with which I have been

deluded, shall be allowed thee, and a very short use of thy voice. " And

she confirmed her threats by the event. Still, in the end of one’s

speaking she redoubles the voice, and returns the words she hears. When,

therefore, she beheld Narcissus 71 wandering through the pathless

forests, and fell in love with him, she stealthily followed his steps;

and the more she followed him, with the nearer flame did she burn. In no

other manner than as when the native sulphur, spread around 72 the tops

of torches, catches the flame applied to it . Ah! how often did she

desire to accost him in soft accents, and to employ soft entreaties!

Nature resists, and suffers her not to begin; but what Nature does

permit, that she is ready for; to await his voice, to which to return

her own words.

By chance, the youth, being separated from the trusty company of his

attendants, cries out, "Is there any one here? " and Echo answers "Here!"

He is amazed; and when he has cast his eyes on every side, he cries out

with a loud voice, "Come!" Whereon she calls the youth who calls. He

looks back; and again, as no one comes, he says, "Why dost thou avoid

me? " and just as many words as he spoke, he receives. He persists; and

being deceived by the imitation of an alternate voice, he says, "Let us

come together here; " and Echo, that could never more willingly answer

any sound whatever, replies, "Let us come together here!" and she

follows up her own words, and rushing from the woods, 73 is going to

throw her arms around the neck she has so longed for. He flies; and as

he flies, he exclaims, "Remove thy hands from thus embracing me; I will

die first, before thou shalt have the enjoyment of me. " She answers

nothing but "Have the enjoyment of me. " Thus rejected, she lies hid in

the woods, and hides her blushing face with green leaves, and from that

time lives in lonely caves; but yet her love remains, and increases from

the mortification of her refusal. Watchful cares waste away her

miserable body; leanness shrivels her skin, and all the juices of her

body fly off in air. Her voice and her bones alone are left.

Her voice still continues, but they say that her bones received the

form of stones. Since then, she lies concealed in the woods, and is

never seen on the mountains: but is heard in all of them . It is her

voice alone which remains alive in her.

EXPLANATION.

It appears much more reasonable to attempt the explanation of this

story on the grounds of natural philosophy than of history. The poets,

in their fondness for basing every subject upon fiction, probably

invented the fable, to explain what to them appeared an extraordinary

phenomenon. By way of embellishing their story, they tell us that Echo

was the daughter of the Air and the Tongue, and that the God Pan fell

in love with her; by which, probably, the simple fact is meant, that

some person, represented under the name of that god, endeavored to

trace the cause of this phenomenon.

If, however, we should endeavor to base the story upon purely

historical grounds, we may suppose that it took its rise from some

Nymph, who wandered so far into the woods as to be unable to find her

way out again; and from the fact that those who went to seek her,

hearing nothing but the echo of their own voices, brought back the

strange but unsatisfactory intelligence that the Nymph had been

changed into a voice.

Narcissus falls in love with his own shadow, which he sees in a

fountain; and, pining to death, the Gods change him into a flower,

which still bears his name.

Thus had he deceived her, thus, too, other Nymphs that sprung from the

water or the mountains, thus the throng of youths before them .

Some one, therefore, who had been despised by him , lifting up his

hands towards heaven, said, "Thus, though he should love, let him not