This A2 Elementary retelling of Echo and Narcissus keeps the plot clear for learners while still giving the story some atmosphere and momentum. She loved to talk and tell stories. She lived in the green woods and was always chatting with the birds and trees.
This version is written for English-speaking learners and includes clickable word help inside the story, full story audio, and lesson notes after the reading. It is free to use on Yak Yacker and is designed to feel natural, readable, and manageable in English.
Echo was a forest nymph. She loved to talk and tell stories. She lived in the green woods and was always chatting with the birds and trees.
One day, Echo talked to the goddess Hera. Hera was . 'You talk too much!' said Hera. 'From now on, you can only the last words you hear!'
Echo was very . She could not speak her own words. She could only . 'Hello,' said a bird. 'Hello,' said Echo. 'Good morning,' said a tree. 'Morning,' said Echo.
In the same woods lived a young man, Narcissus. He was very . Everyone loved him, but he loved no one. He only loved .
One day, Echo saw Narcissus in the forest. She wanted to say, 'I love you!' But she could not. She a tree and watched him.
Narcissus heard a . 'Is someone there?' he called. 'There?' repeated Echo's voice. 'Come here!' said Narcissus. 'Here!' said Echo. She with a smile. But Narcissus looked at her and said, 'Who are you? !' 'Go away!' repeated Echo, and she ran away crying.
Narcissus walked to a of water. He looked down and saw his own face. He fell in love with the . 'You are beautiful!' he said. 'Beautiful!' echoed the water. He did not know it was himself.
Narcissus stayed by the pool day and night. He did not . He only looked at his reflection. Slowly, he became and died. A white flower grew where he sat. They called it Narcissus.
Echo watched from the trees. She was so sad. 'Goodbye,' whispered Narcissus before he died. 'Goodbye,' whispered Echo. She too, but her voice stayed. If you go to the mountains and shout, you might hear her .
Echo was a wood fairy. She loved talking and telling stories. She lived in the forest and always chatted with birds and trees.
One day, Echo talked too much to Hera. Hera got angry. She said, 'You talk too much! Now, you can only repeat the last words you hear.'
Echo was very sad. She couldn't speak her own words. She only repeated. A bird said 'Hello,' and Echo said 'Hello.' A tree said 'Good morning,' and Echo said 'Morning.'
In the same woods lived Narcissus, a very beautiful young man. Everyone loved him, but he loved no one. He only loved himself.
One day, Echo saw Narcissus. She wanted to say 'I love you!' but couldn't. She hid behind a tree and watched.
Narcissus heard a noise and called, 'Is someone there?' Echo repeated, 'There?' He said, 'Come here!' She said, 'Here!' and came out smiling. But he said, 'Who are you? Go away!' She repeated 'Go away!' and ran away crying.
Narcissus walked to a clear pool. He saw his reflection and fell in love. He said, 'You are beautiful!' The water echoed, 'Beautiful!' He didn't know it was himself.
Narcissus stayed by the pool without eating or drinking. He grew weaker and died. A white flower grew there, called Narcissus.
Echo watched sadly. Narcissus whispered 'Goodbye' and Echo whispered 'Goodbye.' She faded, but her voice stayed. If you shout in the mountains, you may hear her echo.
This story has many interesting words to help you describe nature, feelings, and actions. Let's learn a few of them!
Here are some key words from the story. They will help you retell the myth in English.
- nymph - a spirit of nature, often a young woman
- reflection - the image you see in a mirror or water
- echo - a sound that repeats after you shout
- whisper - to speak very quietly
The story uses the past simple tense to talk about finished actions. Look at how verbs change.
Many verbs add -ed, but some are irregular. Can you find examples?
- lived → She lived in the woods.
- loved → Everyone loved him, but he loved no one.
- fell → He fell in love with his reflection.
- said → 'You talk too much!' said Hera.
Hera punished Echo: 'You can only repeat the last words!' After that, Echo could only repeat. In English, we use 'could' and 'could not' (couldn't) to talk about ability in the past.
Can you make sentences like these about the characters?
- Echo could only repeat what she heard.
- She couldn't speak her own words.
- Narcissus could see his face in the water.
- He couldn't stop looking at himself.
English is full of 'echo words' - words that sound like what they mean. For example, 'whisper' and 'echo' themselves! Listen for them when you speak.
Try this: Read the story aloud. When you see a verb in the past, clap your hands. Can you be Echo and repeat the last word of each sentence?
Echo and Narcissus comes from the Greek / mythology tradition and is best known as a greek myth. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Ancient Greek myth; public domain, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually general, but this version is adapted for A2 Elementary learners studying English. Good for mythology + emotions.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Project Gutenberg.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A2 English Vocabulary List. After that, try 1,200 English Phrases and Expressions for another useful next step.
