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Ecstasy of Narcissus

Libretto

I

The Naiads, his sisters,
And sweet Dryads, lingering,
Formed a Choir of Grief to sing,
His lament, their loss.

II

Liriope, Liriope,
Such a lovely Nymph,
In forest shape, and fair,
The river god, Cephsius,
Did thee ensnare and rape.
Abandoned there,
Surely to perish,
But for the Dryads care.

III

Liriope healed.
But made pregnant
By the River's outrage,
She mothered a son,
Narcissus, by name.

Narcissus.

IV

Blind Tiserias, the Sage
Counselled our Nymph
That her son, Narcissus,
Would reach old age
And exhaust his race,
If he neither knew himself well,
Nor saw his own face.
Thus, Tiserias, the Sage,
Counselled our Nymph.

V

Narcissus grew,
Stubborn Narcissus grew,
And all creatures sought him
But hard Pride threw a thorn
Into the slender boy's arm
And no Sage could teach him,
Nor love of youth or maid
Reach him.

Narcissus grew.
Stubborn Narcissus grew thus.

VI

Fair Echo, rejected,
Kept her affection
Though her body grew weak.
Rejected by Narcissus,
Wasted and strained,
Until only the sound
of her voice remained . . .

VII

Now, a certain youth boy
By Narcissus was spurned.
And, in revenge, to Nemesis,
He turned,
Beseeching Nemesis, the god,
For a Curse,
To confound Narcissus
With an endless Thirst:

VIII

"Narcissus, next glancing
into thine own eyes,
though one thirst be quenched,
a stronger one arise.
Changing on thy reflection
Or shadow self,
So be thee captured
By love for thyself.
Narcissus, be captured
By love for thyself."

IX

Rememberest thou,
rememberest thou . . .

With eyes half closed
Surrounded by leaf and moss,
Water against thy face, lingering,
Weeping drops,
Pieces of thee
Washing away,
Spilling into earth,
Drop after drop,
Impressions,
A rain of kisses,
Kisses,
gathering there.
At first,
Nothing,
A bouquet of whispers,
Dew and chimes,
But still, the Water,
Touching thee,
Remembered there,
And in the grass,
A glorious bewitching,
Emerging and shimmering,
Perfectly round,
Perfectly still,
Full of moon and branches
And clouds,
Of night,
and thoughts of thee,
Of only thee. . .

Thy lips moved to drink,
To kiss,
Thy body to bathe,
But the water also drank of thee,
And bathed in thee,
And kissed thee,
Rememberest thou,
rememberest thou . . . .

X

The boy in the water loves thee.
He was watching and caught thee,
Caught thine ear and caught thine eye,
When thou knelt to hear him sigh.

The boy in the water loves thee.
He loosened thy clothes
And let thee enter him so sweetly,
First thy fingers and thy hand,
Then thy arm . . . .

The boy in the water loves thee,
He was shivering against thee,
Shivering against thy skin.

The boy in the water loves thee.
He wants thy waist,
Thy chest, and thighs,
To slip in so smoothly,
Until every inch of thee
Is kissed;
Sung to, whispered
And kissed.

XI

Oh food! Oh water! Oh thirst!
Narcissus feeds too much.
Yet he cannot stop.
His whole Being
is sweetened
by the sweet substance
down his throat,
soothing and so honeyed.

He's drunk so much
That he's become
Sick,
He's become so sick.

Oh food! Oh water! Oh thirst!
But soon, his nausea passes
And the seduction begins again.
With anxiety for love.
With anxiety for love . . .
Oh thirst!

With frustration and hunger,
Narcissus, forlorn,
Feeds once more.
Narcissus, forlorn,
Feeds once more,
Satiating himself,
until his heart would burst
for love,
until his heart would burst
for love.

Oh food! Oh water! Oh thirst!

XII

Narcissus,
What cold air
Stiffens thy blooms
Before full blossom?

Art thou cold?
Narcissus,
Why art thou so cold?

Where art thou, Beauty,
Where art thou now?
Oh, pure reflection,
Give him back his youth!

Narcissus,
What fine lace of wrinkles
Dresses thine eyes?

Where art thou, Youth,
Where art thou now?
Oh, pure reflection,
Give it back!

Narcissus,
What cold air
Stiffens thy blooms
Before full blossom . . .
Before full blossom?

XIII

Now, Narcissus thirsts,
Yet he dare not drink,
'lest each drink diminish,
his image grow,
his image grow faint,
and the pool reflect less.

Now, Narcissus thirsts,
Yet he dare not drink,
So parched,
He stares in the water,
And yearning, he stares
Back at himself
in return.

Now, Narcissus thirsts . . . .

XIV

Narcissus died,
Farewell!
Narcissus cried,
'Ah me! Farewell.'
Echo replied,
'Ah me! Farewell . . .
Farewell,
ah me . . .
and died,
she died,
farewell.
Narcissus died . . .
Farewell!

XV

The Naiads, his sisters,
And sweet Dryads, lingering,
Formed a Choir of Grief to sing,
His lament, their loss.

Of Narcissus, our flower,
Nothing remains,
Of the youth, his hour,
No remark.
Save this white shroud of petals
And pale yellow mouth.
Of his eyes? Now dark.

But wait! Mourning Echo
Recalling Narcissus . . . .
But wait! Mourning Echo,
Rcalling Narcissus's final kiss,
In faint refrain, yet and still,
Like a mist,
A final breath:
'Vivam Vivam, I shall have life.
Live on, live on . . . .
And I shall have Life.'

The Naiads, his sisters,
And sweet Dryads, lingering,
Formed a Choir of Grief to sing,
their lament,
Our loss.

 

 

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