METAMORPHOSISOFNARCISSUS

WAY OF VISUALLY OBSERVING THE COURSE OF THE METAMORPHOSIS OF NARCISSUS REPRESENTEDINTHEPRINTOFTHEOPPOSITEPAGE: Ifonelooksforsometime,fromaslightdistanceandwithacertaindistantfixedness,atthe hypnoticallyimmobilefigureofNarcissus,itgraduallydisappearsuntilatlastitiscompletely invisible. Themetamorphosisofthemythtakesplaceattheprecisemoment,fortheimageofNarcissus issuddenlytransformedintotheimageofahandwhichrisesoutofhisownreflection.Atthe tipsoritsfingersthehandisholdinganegg,aseed,thebulbfromwhichwillbebornthenew narcissus the flower. Beside it can be seen he milestone sculpture of the hand the fossil handofthewaterholdingtheblownflower. Dalihasendowedsurrealismwithafirstrateinstrument,towittheparanoiacriticalmethod, whichheimmediatelyprovedhimselfcapableofapplyingequallywelltopainting,topoetry, to the film, to the construction of typical surrealist objects, to fashions, to the history of art andeven,ifneedsbe,toallkindsofexegesis AndrBreton:WhatisSurrealism? THE FIRST POEM AND THE FIRST PAINTING OBTAINED ENTIRELY THROUGH THE INTEGRAL APPLICATIONOFTHEPARANOIACCRITICALMETHOD: Forthefirsttime,asurrealistpaintingandpoemobjectivelyallowthecoherentinterpretation of a developed irrational subject. The paranoiaccritical method is beginning to establish the indestructible pudding of the exact details that Stendhal demanded for the description of Saint Peters Church in Rome, and it is doing this in the domain of the most paralyzing surrealistpoetry. The lyricism of poetic images is philosophically important only when it has attained, in its operation,thesameexactnessasmathematicsdointheiroperation. Thepoetmust,beforeanyone,provewhathesays. FIRSTPORTLLIGATFISHERMAN.Whatswrongwiththatchap,glaringathimselfalldayinhis lookingglass? SECONDFISHERMAN.Ifyoureallywanttoknow(loweringhisvoice)hehasabulbinhishead. 1

A bulb in the head, in Catalan, corresponds exactly with the psychoanalytic notion of complex. Ifamanhasabulbinhishead,itmightbreakintofloweratanymoment,Narcissus! Underthesplitintheretreatingblackcloud theinvisiblescaleofSpring isoscillating inthefreshAprilsky. Onthehighestmountain, thegodofthesnow, hisdazzlingheadbentoverthedizzyspaceof reflections, startsmeltingwithdesire intheverticalcataractsofthethaw annihilatinghimselfloudlyamongtheexcremental criesofminerals, or betweenthesilencesofmosses towardsthedistantmirrorofthelake inwhich, theveilsofwinterhavingdisappeared, hehasnewlydiscovered thelighteningflash ofhisfaithfulimage. Itseemsthatwiththelossofhisdivinitythewhole highplateau poursitselfout, crashesandcrumbles amongthesolitudeandtheincurablesilenceof ironoxides whileitsdeadweight raisestheentireswarmingandapotheosic plateaufromtheplain fromwhichalreadythrusttowardsthesky theartesianfountainsofgrass andformwhichrise, erect, tender, andhard, theinnumerablefloralspears ofthedeafeningarmiesofthegerminationof thenarcissi. Already the heterosexual group, in the renowned poses of preliminary expectation, conscientiously ponders over the threatening libidinous cataclysm, the carnivorous blooming ofitslatentmorphologicalatavisms. Intheheterosexualgroup, Inthekinddateoftheyear 2

(butnotexcessivelybelovedormild), thereare theHindu tart,oily,sugared likeanAugustdate, theCatalanwithhisgraveback wellplanted inasuntide, aWhitsuntideoffleshinsidehisbrain, theblondflesheatingGerman, thebrownmists ofmathematics inthedimples ofhiscloudyknees, thereistheEnglishwoman, theRussian, theSwedishwomen, theAmerican andthetalldarklingAndalusian, hardywithglandsandolivewithanguish. Farfromtheheterosexualgroup,theshadowsoftheadvancedafternoondrawoutacrossthe countryside,andcoldlaysholdoftheadolescentsnakednessashelingersatthewatersedge. WhentheclearanddivinebodyofNarcissus leans downtotheobscuremirrorofthelake, whenhiswhitetorsofoldedforward fixesitself,frozen, inthesilveredandhypnoticcurveofhisdesire, whenthetimepasses ontheclockoftheflowersofthesandofhisownflesh, Narcissusloseshisbeinginthecosmicvertigo inthedeepestdepthsofwhich issinging thecoldanddyonisiacsiresofhisownimage. ThebodyofNarcissusflowsoutandlosesitself intheabyssofhisreflection, likethesandglassthatwillnotbeturnedagain. Narcissus,youarelosingyourbody, carriedawayandconfoundedbythemillenary reflectionofyourdisappearance yourbodystrickendead fallstothetopazprecipicewithyellowwreckage 3

oflove, yourwhitebody,swallowedup, followstheslopeofthesavagelymineraltorrent oftheblackpreciousstoneswithpungentperfumes, yourbody... downtotheunglazedmouthsofthenight ontheedgeofwhich theresparklesalready alltheredsilverware ofdawnswithveinsbrokeninthewharvesofblood Narcissus, doyouunderstand? Symmetry,divinehypnosisofthemindsgeometry, alreadyfillsupyourhead, withthatincurablesleep,vegetable,atavistic,slow whichwithersupthebrain intheparchmentsubstance ofthekernelofyournearingmetamorphosis. Theseedofyourheadhasjustfallenintothewater. Manreturnstothevegetablestate byfatigueladensleep andthegods bythetransparenthypnosisoftheirpassions. Narcissus,youaresoimmobile onewouldthinkyouwereasleep. IfitwerequestionofHerculesroughandbrown, onewouldsay:hesleepslikeabole intheposture ofanherculeanoak. Butyou,Narcissus, madeofperfumedbloomingoftransparent adolescence, yousleeplikeawaterflower. Nowthegreatmysterydrawsnear, thegreatmetamorphosisisabouttooccur. Narcissus,inhisimmobility,absorbedbyhisreflection withthedigestiveslownessofcarnivorousplants, becomesinvisible. Thereremainsofhimonly thehallucinatinglywhiteovalofhishead, hisheadagainmoretender, hishead,chrysalisofhiddenbiologicaldesigns, hisheadheldupbythetipsofthewatersfingers, 4

atthetipsofthefingers oftheinsensatehand, oftheterriblehand, oftheexcrementeatinghand, ofthemortalhand ofhisownreflection. Whenthatheadslits whenthatheadsplits whenthatheadbursts, itwillbetheflower, ThenewNarcissus, Gala mynarcissus.
AugustdatedayinAugust,consideredasasubstance. FedericoGarcaLorca
1

EnglishtranslationbyFrancisScarpe SalvadorDal,FundaciGalaSalvadorDal,Figueres,2008