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Narcissus Sat Before the Mirror
Narcissus sat before the mirror,
But only people he could see.
They fought and shouted; toward the evening, drunk on grief,
They prayed, they cried, they loved,
Now thrilled by life, now sunk in sorrow…
And lived the way that they were taught,
The way they’d been brought up and raised.
No one is guilty of a thing —
The order writes its own script.
Plague and famine are no obstacle!
The obstacle is — how to shed the armor?
How do you find yourself in trouble?
Not lose yourself inside the rush?
How do you live your life — and find its meaning?
Neither rule over life nor live dependent on it?
How do you welcome those who come,
And let go of those who leave?
He searched for answers in the mirrors,
But in reflection — only “I”.
Yet “I” kept splitting into particles,
And that thin coat of silver —
A corridor of mirrored life —
Led him only to the scaffold.
The burden of awareness — that’s a fact!
And you, you fool, simpleton, oddball,
You won’t break through — the seal is there!
The executioner won’t let you in — quit hovering!
Live like everyone and “drink it to the bottom,”
Life still has plenty of days in store.
Questions about this article
01What does Narcissus see in the mirror?
At first he sees not himself but people living as they were taught and raised to live; then the search through reflections returns him to his own "I", which breaks into fragments.
02What proves to be the real obstacle in the poem?
Not plague or famine, but the need to shed one’s armor, find oneself, avoid being lost in bustle, find meaning, and learn to accept what comes and let go of what leaves.
03Where does the search for an answer in reflections lead?
The hero enters a corridor of mirrored life, where a fragmented "I" and the pressure to live like everyone else turn the search for self into a tragic conflict.