Echo and Narcissus

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  • Created by: Georgia
  • Created on: 26-04-18 22:23
aspicit hunc trepidos agitantem in retia cervos vocalis nymphe, quae nec reticere loquenti nec prius ipsa loqui didicit, resonabilis Echo.
The talkative nymph caught sight (lit. catches sight) of him chasing frightened deer into his nets, she who had not learnt (lit. has not learnt) to keep quiet when someone is talking nor to speak first herself, the ever-answering Echo.
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corpus adhuc Echo, non vox, erat; et tamen usum garrula non alium, quam nunc habet, oris habebat, reddere de multis ut verba novissima posset.
Echo was still a body then, not just a voice; and yet, though talkative, she had no other use of her mouth than she has now, namely that she could give back only the very last words from many.
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ergo ubi Narcissum per devia rura vagantem vidit et incaluit, sequitur vestigia furtim, quoque magis sequitur, flamma propiore calescit,
Therefore when she saw Narcissus roaming through the remote countryside she fell in love and she followed his tracks secretly, and the more she followed, she burned as she came closer to her love,
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non aliter quam cum summis circumlita taedis admotas rapiunt vivacia sulphura flammas.
not unlike when lively sulphur smeared round the tips of torches snatches any flames brought near.
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o quotiens voluit blandis accedere dictis et molles adhibere preces. natura repugnat nec sinit incipiat; sed, quod sinit,
O how often she wanted to approach him with sweet words and employ tender prayers. Her condition prevented her and did not allow her to begin. But, what it did allow,
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illa parata est exspectare sonos, ad quos sua verba remittat.
she was ready for, to wait for sounds to which she might send back her own words in reply.
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forte puer comitum seductus ab agmine fido dixerat ‘ecquis adest?’ et ‘adest!’ responderat Echo. hic stupet, utque aciem partes dimittit in omnes, voce ‘veni!’ magna clamat; vocat illa vocantem.
By chance the boy, separated from his faithful group of companions, had said, ‘Is anyone here?’ and Echo replied, ‘Here!’ He was astonished, and as he darted his gaze in all directions, he called with a loud voice, ‘Come!’; she called to him calling.
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respicit et rursus nullo veniente ‘quid’ inquit ‘me fugis?’ et totidem, quot dixit, verba recepit.
He looked around and, as again no one came, he said, ‘Why do you flee from me?’ and he got back as many words as he had said.
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perstat et alternae deceptus imagine vocis, ‘huc coeamus!’ ait nullique libentius umquam responsura sono
He persevered and, deceived by the illusion of an answering voice, he said, ‘Here, let us get together!’ and Echo, who would never make a more willing reply to any sound, answered,
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‘coeamus’ rettulit Echo et verbis favet ipsa suis egressaque silva ibat, ut iniceret sperato bracchia collo.
‘Let us get together’ and she kept true to her words and, coming out of the wood, she was advancing to throw her arms around the neck she hoped for.
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ille fugit fugiensque ‘manus complexibus aufer; ante’ ait ‘emoriar, quam sit tibi copia nostri.’ rettulit illa nihil nisi ‘sit tibi copia nostri.’
He fled and as he fled he said, ‘Take your hands away from my embrace; may I die before you have enjoyment of me.’ She answered nothing except, ‘You have enjoyment of me’.
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spreta latet silvis pudibundaque frondibus ora protegit et solis ex illo vivit in antris; sed tamen haeret amor crescitque dolore repulsae:
Rejected she hid in the woods and she covered her embarrassed face in leaves and from that time on lived in lonely caves. But nonetheless her love persisted and grew with the pain of rejection:
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attenuant vigiles corpus miserabile curae, adducitque cutem macies, et in aera sucus corporis omnis abit;
the troubles which kept her awake wore out her pitiful body, and emaciation shrivelled her skin, and all the moisture from her body disappeared into the air.
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vox tantum atque ossa supersunt: vox manet: ossa ferunt lapidis traxisse figuram. inde latet silvis nulloque in monte videtur. omnibus auditur: sonus est, qui vivit in illa.
Only her voice and her bones were left. Her voice remained: they say her bones took on the shape of a stone. Ever since she lies hidden in the woods and is seen on none of the mountains. She is heard by everyone: there is a sound, which lives in her.
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hic puer, et studio venandi lassus et aestu, procubuit faciemque loci fontemque secutus; dumque sitim sedare cupit, sitis altera crevit, dumque bibit, visae correptus imagine formae, spem sine corpore amat, corpus putat esse, quod umbra est.
Here the boy, tired by his enthusiasm for hunting and by the heat, fell down attracted by the appearance of the place and by the spring. And while he wanted to quench his thirst, another thirst grew,
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dumque bibit, visae correptus imagine formae, spem sine corpore amat, corpus putat esse, quod umbra est.
and while he drank, captivated by the image of the beauty he saw, he loved a hope without a body, and he thought that which was a reflection was a body.
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astupet ipse sibi vultuque immotus eodem haeret, ut e Pario formatum marmore signum.
He himself was astonished at himself and lingered motionless with unchanging expression, just like a statue shaped from Parian marble.
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spectat humi positus geminum, sua lumina, sidus et dignos Baccho, dignos et Apolline crines, impubesque genas et eburnea colla decusque oris et in niveo mixtum candore ruborem, cunctaque miratur, quibus est mirabilis ipse.
Lying on the ground he watched a pair of stars, his own eyes, and hair worthy of Bacchus, worthy also of Apollo, his unbearded cheeks and ivory neck and the beauty of his face and the blush mixed with the snow-white radiance,
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cunctaque miratur, quibus est mirabilis ipse. se cupit imprudens et, qui probat, ipse probatur, dumque petit, petitur, pariterque accendit et ardet.
and he admired everything, for which he himself was admired. Unknowing he desired himself and when he showed his approval it was he himself who was approved. And while he sought, he was sought and he equally inflamed and burned.
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irrita fallaci quotiens dedit oscula fonti! in mediis quotiens visum captantia collum bracchia mersit aquis nec se deprendit in illis!
How often he gave futile kisses to the deceitful spring! How often did he sink his arms into the middle of the waters to try to catch the neck he saw and yet did not catch himself in them!
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quid videat nescit, sed quod videt uritur illo atque oculos idem qui decipit incitat error. credule, quid frustra simulacra fugacia captas?
He did not know what he saw, but he was inflamed with desire for what he saw and the same error which deceived his eyes also encouraged them. Naive boy, why do you try in vain to catch a fleeting likeness?
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quod petis est nusquam; quod amas, avertere, perdes. ista repercussae, quam cernis, imaginis umbra est.
What you seek is nowhere; what you love, turn round and you will lose it. That shadow, which you see, is a shadow of a reflected image.
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nil habet ista sui; tecum venitque manetque, tecum discedet, si tu discedere possis.
It has no substance; it both comes with you and stays with you; it will leave with you, if you could leave.
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quae simul aspexit liquefacta rursus in unda, non tulit ulterius sed, ut intabescere flavae igne levi cerae matutinaeque pruinae sole tepente solent,
As soon as he saw this again in the clear water, he could not bear it any longer, but, just as honey-gold wax is accustomed to melt with a gentle flame and the morning frosts are accustomed to thaw in the warming sun,
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sic attenuatus amore liquitur et tecto paulatim carpitur igni; et neque iam color est mixto candore rubori, nec vigor et vires et quae modo visa placebant,
thus weakened by love he melted away and was gradually consumed by a hidden fire; and his rosy white complexion now had no colour, and the energy and strength and the things which just now he had seen and liked were no longer,
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nec corpus remanet, quondam quod amaverat Echo.
nor did his body, which Echo had once loved, remain.
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quae tamen ut vidit, quamvis irata memorque indoluit, quotiensque puer miserabilis ‘eheu’ dixerat, haec resonis iterabat vocibus ‘eheu’.
However when she saw this, although angry and unforgetting, she grieved for him and whenever the pitiable boy said, ‘alas!’, she kept repeating ‘alas!’ with echoing sounds.
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cumque suos manibus percusserat ille lacertos, haec quoque reddebat sonitum plangoris eundem.
And whenever he struck his own arms with his hands she also kept returning the same sound of grief.
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ultima vox solitam fuit haec spectantis in undam: ‘heu frustra dilecte puer!’ totidemque remisit verba locus, dictoque vale, ‘vale’ inquit et Echo.
His last cry as he looked into the now familiar water was this 'Alas, boy loved in vain!' and the place sent back these same words, and when he said farewell, Echo said 'farewell' to him too.
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ille caput viridi fessum summisit in herba, lumina mors clausit domini mirantia formam.
He lay down his tired head on the green grass, death closed his eyes which were admiring the beauty of their master.
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tum quoque se, postquam est inferna sede receptus, in Stygia spectabat aqua. planxere sorores Naides et sectos fratri posuere capillos, planxerunt Dryades; plangentibus assonat Echo.
Then when he had been received in the region below, he still kept looking at himself in the water of the Styx. His sisters, the Naiads, wailed and they cut off their hair and offered it to their brother, and the Dryads wailed;
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plangentibus assonat Echo. iamque rogum quassasque faces feretrumque parabant: nusquam corpus erat; croceum pro corpore florem inveniunt foliis medium cingentibus albis.
Echo returned their wailing. And now they were preparing the funeral pyre and the torches which would be shaken and the bier: the body was nowhere; instead of the body they found a yellow flower, with white petals surrounding its centre.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Echo was still a body then, not just a voice; and yet, though talkative, she had no other use of her mouth than she has now, namely that she could give back only the very last words from many.

Back

corpus adhuc Echo, non vox, erat; et tamen usum garrula non alium, quam nunc habet, oris habebat, reddere de multis ut verba novissima posset.

Card 3

Front

Therefore when she saw Narcissus roaming through the remote countryside she fell in love and she followed his tracks secretly, and the more she followed, she burned as she came closer to her love,

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

not unlike when lively sulphur smeared round the tips of torches snatches any flames brought near.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

O how often she wanted to approach him with sweet words and employ tender prayers. Her condition prevented her and did not allow her to begin. But, what it did allow,

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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