Echo was a nymph who talked too much．She was very fond of having the last words．One day she sPoke rudely to the great Hera，who said that for this offenceEcho should never use her voice again，unless to repeat what she hadjust heard，but since she was very fond of last words，she might repeat the last words of others．This was almost as bad as if Hera had changed her into a parrot．Echo was very much ashamed，and hid herself in the forest．

　　Narcissus，a young man who had hair as yellow as gold an deyes as blue as the sky，——a very rare thing in Greece，where most people were very dark，——used to hunt in the forest where Echo was hiding．As she was looking out shyly from somecave or from behind a great tree，Echo often saw Narcissus，andshe admired him very much．

　　One say Narcissus became separated from his friends，andhearing something rustle among the leaves，he called out，“Who's here？”

　　“Here，” answered Echo．

　　“Here I am．Come！”said Narcissus。

　　“I am come，” said Echo；and，as she spoke，she came outfrom among the trees．

　　When Narcissus saw a stranger， instead of one of his friendsas he had expected，he looked surprised and walked quickly away。

　　After this， Echo never came out and allowed herself to be seen again ，and in time she disappeared till she became only a voice．

　　This voice was heard for many，many years in forests and among mountains，particularly in caves．In their lonely walks，hunters often heard it．Sometimes it repeated the barking of their dogs；sometimes it repeated their own last words．Italways had a strange and sad sound，and seemed to make lonely places more lonely still．

　　薏姑是個說話太多的女神。她很喜歡重復說過的話。一天，她說話不慎觸怒了偉大的赫拉，赫拉就說因為這樣，以后薏姑永遠不能再講話，只能重復她剛剛聽到的聲音，不過既然她那么喜歡重復話，她可以重復別人所說的最后一句話。這個懲罰就像赫拉把她變成鸚鵡一樣可怕。薏姑很羞恥就躲在樹林里不敢見人。

　　那西塞斯是個頭發像黃金一般黃，眼睛像天空一般藍的少年——在希臘這是件奇事，因為大部分希臘人皮膚都很黑，——他時常在薏姑躲的林中打獵。當薏姑從洞里或樹后膽怯地窺視外面時，她時?？匆娔俏魅梗軔勰剿Ｒ惶欤俏魅乖诹掷锔呐笥逊质至?，突然他聽到樹葉里有沙沙的聲音，他就叫“誰在這里？”

　　“這里，”薏姑回答。

　　“是我，來！”那西塞斯說。

　　“我來了，”薏姑說，也就跑出樹后。

　　那西塞斯看到出來的并不是他期待的朋友而是一個陌生人，他很驚訝，就很快地走了。

　　從此以后薏姑沒有再露面也不讓任何人看到，慢慢地她就消失，只剩下她的聲音。

　　許多年在山間尤其是深洞里都能聽到這種聲音。獵人們獨自在山里走時都能聽到，有時候甚至模仿狗叫，有時候則重復獵人叫的后面幾個字。它總是帶著神奇憂傷的聲音，似乎要使孤獨的地方更孤單。