Short story about a man who, stranded on a strange planet, slowly changes into an alien life form

I read this short story many years ago and forgot the name, I am hoping people can help me remember it!

An astronaut is stranded on a strange planet. Something terminal happened to his teammates and he’s lost them on the planet or they’ve died - either way he is alone for most of the story. As he explores the planet for signs of life he begins to notice strange signs of civilization. He hears odd painful noises in the air, he finds a strange abandoned village, and finds disgusting slop that’s completely inedible.

As time goes on he thinks he finds new discoveries or actively engineers changes to his own environment. Slowly over time, the painful noises become beautiful music and the disgusting slop becomes incredibly appetizing and delicious.

It’s revealed at the very end of the story that despite the narrators own perspective that he has been the engineer of these ingenious changes, it turns out that the planet has changed him into a native of its own terrain, and he himself has become an alien life form adapted to the conditions of the planet. He sprouts a tail or something like that and he has physical changes that are briefly mentioned at the end.

Any ideas?!

Comments

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