Title of the work
Country of the First Edition
Country/countries of popularity
Original Language
First Edition Date
First Edition Details
Franciszek Kobryńczuk, “Narcyz”, Biuletyn Północno-Wschodniej Izby Lekarsko-Weterynaryjnej [Bulletin of the North-Eastern Veterinary Chamber] 57.3 (2015): 99–100 (accessed: September 13, 2022).
ISBN
Available Onllne
Bulletin of the North-Eastern Veterinary Chamber 57.3 (2015): 99–100 (accessed: December 6, 2022).
Genre
Narrative poetry
Poetry
Target Audience
Children
Cover
We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.
Author of the Entry:
Maciej Skowera, University of Warsaw, mgskowera@uw.edu.pl
Peer-reviewer of the Entry:
Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsaw, elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com
Katarzyna Marciniak, University of Warsaw, kamar@al.uw.edu.pl
Photograph courtesy of the Author.
Franciszek Kobryńczuk
, 1929 - 2016
(Author)
A veterinarian, professor of veterinary sciences specializing in animal anatomy (an authority on the anatomy of the Polish bison), writer, and poet. 1948–1950: a member of a secret youth organization active within the post-WW2 underground connected to Armia Krajowa [Home Army], banned by the Communist regime; in 1950 he was sentenced to a 10-year prison term for this activity; fully exonerated after the fall of Communism. Graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW); from 1994 to 2000 Head of the Department of Animal Anatomy at the same University. Debuted as an author for children in 1958 with a short poem Sowa [Owl], published in children’s magazine “Miś”; contributor to several other magazines for children and young adults, such as “Świerszczyk,” “Płomyk,” “Płomyczek,” and “Mały Apostoł”; author of about 30 books for children, young adults and adults; a former member of the Polish Writers’ Union; now his poems can be found most of all online. The page ewa.bicom.pl/wierszedzieci run by a Kobryńczuk’s admirer, Ewa Białek, functions as the official website for Kobryńczuk’s poems for children.
Source:
Materials kindly provided by the Author.
Bio prepared by Maciej Skowera, University of Warsaw, mgskowera@gmail.com
Summary
All of the nymphs are in love with Narcissus, a beautiful boy. Echo has a special affection for him. However, Narcissus does not pay any attention to her at all, making Echo go further into the forest, and her cries become quieter and quieter until they completely fade away. Narcisuss’ sisters, to change the boy’s approach to love, ask Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, for help. She leads Narcissus to a stream and asks him to wash in the water. Narcissus sees his reflection and falls in love with himself. He does not respond to the cries of his sisters and eventually dies, staring at his face, and on his grave grows a white flower – narcissus, named after him.
Analysis
The first part of the poem focuses on the relationship between Narcissus and the nymph Echo. In contrast, the second part focuses on the punishment for vanity inflicted on the boy by Nemesis. Unlike in many of Franciszek Kobryńczuk’s poems about people turned into plants or animals by the gods, in this case, there is no shadow of sympathy for the young man’s fate, showing it as a severe but just punishment. Interestingly, the poem forms a ‘floral triptych’ with two other pieces dedicated to Adonis and Hyacinth.
Further Reading
Entry: “Narcissus (Narkissos)” on theoi.com (accessed September 13, 2022).
Madondo, Sibusiso Hyacinth, “‘A flower is a lovesome thing’: Myth Analysis of the Hyacinth”, TricTrac: Journal of World Mythology and Folklore 6.1 (2013): 28–39.
Nosek, Anna, W przestrzeniach universum i regio. Wiersze dla dzieci współczesnych pisarzy regionu podlaskiego – interpretacje [In the Spaces of universum and regio: Poems for Children by Contemporary Writers of the Podlasie Region – Interpretations], Białystok: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku, 2015.
Addenda
Narcissus is a plant genus name. Also, the mythological boy and his name inspired the name of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).
