A woman, one among many, is rejected and curses Narcissus to only be able to love himself. One day when Narcissus is walking in the forest, he sees his reflection in water and thinks it is not himself but the most beautiful person in existence. He questions who it could be, one of the gods probably. Any time he tries to drink water, touch the person below it, or kiss the image the ripple destroys the person’s appearance. He realizes it is in fact himself, and he becomes depressed when he cannot be with himself. So distraught, he stops eating and sleeping - never taking his eyes off the reflection of the pool. No one else has ever felt this love, and no one else has ever felt this pain Narcissus expresses as he aches to be with himself. He cries about the cruelty of his reflection appearing to respond to his approach, only for the image to be distorted when he finally makes contact with it. He protests about the fact that it is a one sided conversation, and that he can only see smiles or tears returning his own.
“My riches make me poor” - his own beauty is his downfall. No matter what he wishes to do, he stays and stares at his reflection. Echo, a forest nymph who was once rejected by him, finds him at the end of his existence suffering and dying. Once mad, she now feels pity and sees him off to the other side. When his family comes to collect his remains, they only find a flower in its place.
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