The myth of Narcissus and Echo - Iseult Gillespie

Translator: Sabela R. Ríos Reviewer: Xusto Rodriguez

Hera, queen of the gods, was on the edge of her throne.

Hera, raíña dos deuses, estaba a carón do seu trono.

A mountain nymph named Echo, renowned for her charm and chatter,

Unha oréade chamada Eco, famosa polo seu encanto e a súa leria,

was regaling her with a sensational story.

entretíñaa cunha historia sensacional.

But what Hera didn’t know was that Echo was merely distracting her

O que Hera non sabía era que Eco só a estaba distraendo

while her husband, Zeus,

mentres o seu home, Zeus,

was frolicking about with the other nymphs.

rebuldaba coas outras ninfas.

Unfortunately for Echo, Zeus got sloppy, and Hera realized what was going on.

Por desgraza para Eco, Zeus descoidárase e Hera descubriu o que ocorría.

Enraged by Echo’s duplicity—

Enfurecida polo finximento de Eco

and powerless to stop her husband’s adultery—

e impotente ante o adulterio do seu home,

Hera decided to silence the nymph for good.

Hera decidiu acalar á ninfa por sempre.

From then on, Echo could no longer enrapture listeners with her stories;

Eco xa non podía enfeitizar a xente coas súas historias;

she could only repeat the last words another said.

só repetir as últimas palabras que dixeran outros.

As her conversations became dull and her company undesirable,

As súas conversas volvéranse insulsas e ninguén buscaba a súa compaña,

Echo grew dispirited.

Eco andaba moi desazada.

One day, while Echo was drifting through the woods,

Un día, mentres vagaba polo bosque,

she spotted a young man hunting deer.

viu un mozo cazando un cervo.

It was Narcissus, the stunningly beautiful son of a river god and water nymph.

Era Narciso, o fillo incriblemente fermoso dun deus dos ríos e dunha náiade.

After his birth, a seer had given his mother a cryptic prophecy:

Cando naceu, un oráculo fíxolle á súa nai unha profecía enigmática:

Narcissus would live a long life— but only if he never really knew himself.

Narciso vai vivir moitos anos, pero só se nunca se coñece ben a si mesmo.

No one was sure exactly what to make of this.

Ninguén sabía que facer ante isto.

And, in the meantime, Narcissus grew into a proud youth.

Mentres, Narciso converteuse nun mozo vaidoso.

His good looks attracted many admirers.

A súa beleza gañáralle moitas admiradoras,

But he preferred to amble through life on his own

pero el prefería camiñar só pola vida

and left a trail of broken hearts in his wake.

e deixaba un rastro de corazóns rotos ao seu paso.

Seeing Narcissus there, Echo was filled with longing.

Cando Eco o mirou, quedou engaiolada.

Unable to initiate a conversation, she walked after him.

Incapaz de comezar unha conversa, foi tras del.

Soon, Narcissus heard a rustle, and called out,

Narciso escoitou o murmurio das follas e díxolle:

“Who goes there? Who are you?”

Quen anda aí? Quen es ti?

Echo revealed herself, but only repeated the word “you,”

Eco deixouse ver, pero só puido repetir a palabra «ti»,

making her tone as endearing as possible as she went to hold him.

da maneira máis encantadora que puido, mentres se achegaba a el.

Agitated, Narcissus said, “Let me go, I can’t stay.”

Inquedo, Narciso dixo: Déixame ir, teño que marchar.

Echo could only counter with a plea for him to do so.

Eco só puido rogar para que quedase.

Freeing himself from her embrace, Narcissus snapped,

Ao liberarse da súa aperta, Narciso berrou:

“I’d rather die than have you love me!”

Denantes morto ca que me ames!

To which Echo could only cry, “Love me... love me.”

E Eco non fixo máis que chorar mentres repetía: “Que me ames... ames”.

Narcissus told Echo once more to leave him alone,

Narciso díxolle outra vez que o deixase marchar,

then faded from her gaze.

despois, desapareceu dos seus ollos.

Echo wandered to a cave.

Eco vagou ata chegar a unha cova.

And gradually, her heart grew heavy and her body frail

O seu corazón tornouse pesado e o seu corpo fráxil

until all that was left of her was her voice,

ata que o único que quedou dela foi a súa voz,

which the wind carried to vast, empty places.

que o vento levou ata lugares extensos e baleiros.

Forever after, it could be heard reverberating through hollow caves

Dende entón e para sempre, pódese oír resoando nas covas baleiras

and rebounding across lonely clearings.

e rebotando nos clareiros solitarios.

But this wasn’t even the first time heartbreak over Narcissus

Pero esta non era a primeira vez que Narciso rompía un corazón

had proven fatal.

e tiña un resultado mortal.

A young man named Ameinias had also been cruelly rejected by Narcissus.

Un mozo chamado Aminias tamén fora rexeitado por Narciso.

Before his death, he prayed to Nemesis, the goddess of revenge,

Antes de morrer, rezáralle a Némese, a deusa da vinganza,

that Narcissus would also one day know the pain of love.

para pedirlle que Narciso, algún día, coñecese a dor do amor.

She heard Ameinias’ pleas and, upon witnessing Echo’s fate,

Ela escoitou a petición de Aminias e, tras contemplar o destino de Eco,

decided that it would be the final affront.

decidiu que esa sería a súa última afronta.

It was time for retribution.

Era o momento do castigo divino.

So, Nemesis set Narcissus towards a clear, glassy pool.

Así, Némese puxo a Narciso diante dunha lagoa de auga cristalina.

As he bent towards the water to drink,

Cando se inclinou para beber,

he caught sight of a hauntingly beautiful young man.

ficou abraiado ante a beleza do mozo que tiña diante.

Never before had Narcissus seen himself with such clarity.

Nunca antes se mirara con tanta nitidez.

He spent the day acquainting himself with every glinting angle and glowing curl

Pasou o día familiarizándose con cada ángulo e cada rizo brillante.

then passed the evening gazing at his reflection by moonlight

Despois, estivo toda a noite mirando o seu reflexo baixo o luar

and sleeping with his fingers grazing the water.

e durmiu cos dedos rozando a superficie da auga.

Days wore on, and Narcissus never parted from his one true love.

Pasaron os días e Narciso nunca se afastou do seu amor.

When he reached out, his double reached for him;

Cando se achegaba, o seu dobre achegábase tamén;

and when he leaned in to bestow a kiss, he also tilted his face.

cando se inclinaba para bicalo, el tamén ladeaba a cabeza.

But when he tried to hold the bewitching figure, it disappeared.

Pero, ao tentar agarrar a engaiolante figura, desapareceu.

At last, Narcissus knew the agony of unrequited love.

Por fin, Narciso coñeceu a agonía que supoñía o amor sen correspondencia.

Eating and drinking nothing, Narcissus too wasted away.

Ao non comer nin beber nada, Narciso foi mirrando.

His neck ached from bending over the lake, and his legs became rooted to the grass.

Doíalle o pescozo de mirar para a lagoa e as herbas rubíronlle polas pernas.

When the wood nymphs finally passed by,

Cando as ninfas do bosque foron velo,

all that was left of him was a white and yellow flower

o único que quedaba del era unha flor branca e amarela,

bending towards its reflection.

inclinada sobre o seu reflexo.

From then on, it was known as narcissus.

Dende entón, coñécese co nome de Narciso.