为什么“水仙花”代表自恋？-英语点津

你身边是不是也有很多narcissist（自恋者）呢？其实这个词的原形narcissus指的是“水仙花”，那么我们为什么用水仙花来形容自恋者呢？这来自一个美丽的古希腊神话：少年那西斯在水中看到了自己的倒影，便爱上了自己，每天茶饭不思，憔悴而死，化成一朵花，后人称之为水仙花。

Echo, a nymph, falls in love with a vain youth named Narcissus, who was the son of the blue Nymph Liriope of Thespia. The river god Cephisus had once encircled Liriope with the windings of his streams, and thus trapping her, had seduced the nymph, who gave birth to an exceptionally beautiful boy. Concerned about the welfare of such a beautiful child, Liriope consulted the prophet Tiresias regarding her son's future. Tiresias told the nymph that Narcissus would live to a ripe old age, "if he didn't come to know himself."

为什么“水仙花”代表自恋？

When he had reached "his sixteenth year", (fifteen years of age, by modern reckoning) every youth and girl in the town was in love with him, but he haughtily spurned them all.

One day when Narcissus was out hunting stags, Echo stealthily followed the handsome youth through the woods, longing to address him but unable to speak first. When Narcissus finally heard footsteps and shouted "Who's there?", Echo answered "Who's there?" And so it went, until finally Echo showed herself and rushed to embrace the lovely youth. He pulled away from the nymph and vainly told her to leave him alone. Narcissus left Echo heartbroken and she spent the rest of her life in lonely glens, pining away for the love she never knew, until only her voice remained. With Narcissus unchanged and still scornful of those who sought him, a spurned virgin prayed to Rhamnusia (also known as Nemesis), to take revenge on Narcissus by making him feel unrequited love.

Nemesis heard this prayer and sent Narcissus his punishment. He came across a deep pool in a forest, from which he took a drink. As he did, he saw his reflection for the first time in his life and fell in love with the beautiful boy he was looking at, not realizing it was himself. Eventually, after pining away for a while, he realized that the image he saw in the pool was a reflection of himself. Realizing that he could not act upon this love, he tore at his dress and beat at his body, his life force draining out of him. As he died, the bodyless Echo came upon him and felt sorrow and pity. His soul was sent to "the darkest hell" and the narcissus flower grew where he died. It is said that Narcissus still keeps gazing on his image in the waters of the river Styx.

Echo: 古希腊神话中的一个山林女神，宙斯的老婆赫拉嫉妒山林女神Echo的美貌，让她失去了正常的说话能力，只能重复别人的话的最后三个字。这也就是Echo后来成为“回声”的由来。