ECHO

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 147, 24 June 1933, Page 3 (Supplement)

ECHO

You cannot see her. Never again will sweet, fleet Eclio be seen. But you can still hear her,-arid if yon are sad -so is she, but if you call out joyfully to her she is glad and answers you back happily. Her story is a strange one. Alas, once she talked too much, and was cruelly punished.

In lier quick, laughing voice.Echo told wonderful' tales to everybody who carefl to listen to her, and when the great god Zens was tired of all the serious work he had to do he would go to the cave where Echo lived and listen to her interesting stories. Tint Hera, the Queen of Zeus, was, angry to think that her husband wasted so much time listening to a. silly little cave nymph Tike Echo, and she went to her and told iier that she talked too much. Echo argued and argued, determined to have the last word, and Hera punished her by taking away liYn- sweet voice and leaving her only the power to repeat' the last words spoken by other people. t

When Echo found that she coxild not speak she fled in shame and sorrow to the woods, and wept bitterly for the voice she had lost. One day a beautiful youth called Narcissus came'hunting in those woods, and Echo followed him, hiding behind the trees/and after a time Narcissus lost his way. "Is there anybody here ?" lie called. "Here!" repeated Echo, glad to be able to speak to him. "Whore?" he cried, "come hither." "Come hither!" answered Echo, and she ran out hoping that Narcissus would take pity on her and talk to her because she was so lonely. But Narcissus had no heart. He loved nobody but himself, and he pushed sad lonely Echo away because he did not want affection from anybody. Strange to say, people loved Narcissus directly they saw him, and poor Echo wept day and night because she was so fond of him, ancl then she pined away. At last her body vanished, and only her voice remained. Now she lives in lonely places —caves, tunnels, hills, empty houses, and if you speak to her she still repeats your last words.