Death of a Naturalist In this quote he parallels himself to Narcissus, a hunter in Greek Mythology who is cursed to fall in love with his own reflection by the goddess Nemesis after he shuns Echo, an Oread nymph. The reader can see that for a short time after his college experience, Heaney relies on only himself for inspiration. Eventually he realizes his mistake, and unlike Narcissus, is able to bring himself back to reality. Death of a Naturalist was received with mostly positive reviews and helped Heaney gain recognition on an international scale. Several of the poems had been published previously in pamphlets
Narcissus (mythology) work comprised one movement of the larger Janus Cycle, for mixed instrumentation. In 1987, Thea Musgrave was commissioned by a consortium of four flutists for a solo work. She composed Narcissus for flute and digital delay. German composer Matthias Pintscher composed his first cello concerto based on this mythology figure, titled "Reflections on Narcissus". In Marilyn Manson's song Deep Six, the first verse mentions Zeus in conversation with Narcissus. As a part of SM Station, Kim Hee-chul, Kim Jungmo (M&D) and Wheein made a song called "Narcissus". South Korean girl group, Gugudan released an EP on the 27th February, 2017