Death, the Maiden, and the Mirror: Ausonius's Water World

A series of ekphrastic passages from Ausonius's Mosella famously describe the picturesque river and its inhabitants: human, animal, and divine. The crux of their meaning, it is argued, lies in a simile comparing those who play on the river's surface to a young girl who, Narcissus-like, has mistaken her reflection for a real companion. The mirror, and the reflective river itself, are understood as a dual metaphor for the poem, which may be read in either of two directions: toward mundane satisfaction with sensory appearance (surface), or toward understanding (depth), which promises greater rewards but also greater dangers.