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The Picture of Dorian Gray | Progressive Translation Books for French A1 Students

The Picture of Dorian Gray | Progressive Translation Books for French A1 Students

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

THEPREFACE
Theartistis
le
thecreatorofbeautifulthings.
Torevealart
et
andconcealtheartistisart’saim.
Le
Thecriticishewho
peut
cantranslateintoanothermanner
ou
oranewmaterialhisimpressionofbeautifulthings.
La
Thehighestasthelowestformofcriticismis
un
amodeofautobiography.
Those
qui
whofinduglymeaningsinbeautifulthingsarecorrupt
sans
withoutbeingcharming.
Thisis
une
afault.
Thosewhofindbeautifulmeaningsinbeautifulthingsare
les
thecultivated.
Forthesethereishope.
Theyaretheelecttowhombeautifulthings
signifient
meanonlybeauty.
Thereis
pas
nosuchthingasamoral
ou
oranimmoralbook.
Booksare
bien
wellwritten,orbadlywritten.
Que
Thatisall.
ThenineteenthcenturydislikeofrealismistherageofCaliban
voyant
seeinghisownfacein
un
aglass.
ThenineteenthcenturydislikeofromanticismistherageofCalibannot
voir
seeinghisownfacein
un
aglass.
Themorallifeofmanforms
partie
partofthesubject-matterof
la
theartist,butthemoralityofartconsistsin
la
theperfectuseofanimperfectmedium.
Aucun
Noartistdesirestoproveanything.
Même
Eventhingsthataretrue
peuvent
canbeproved.
Noartisthasethicalsympathies.
Anethicalsympathyinanartistisanunpardonablemannerismofstyle.
Aucun
Noartistisevermorbid.
Theartist
peut
canexpresseverything.
Thoughtandlanguagearetotheartistinstrumentsofanart.
Vice
et
andvirtuearetotheartistmaterialsfor
un
anart.
Fromthepointofviewofform,thetypeof
tous
alltheartsistheartofthemusician.
From
le
thepointofviewoffeeling,
le
theactor’scraftisthetype.
Tout
Allartisatoncesurface
et
andsymbol.
Thosewhogobeneaththesurface
font
dosoattheirperil.
Ceux
Thosewhoreadthesymbol
font
dosoattheirperil.
Itisthespectator,
et
andnotlife,thatart
vraiment
reallymirrors.
Diversityofopinion
sur
aboutaworkofart
montre
showsthattheworkisnew,complex,
et
andvital.
Whencriticsdisagree,
les
theartistisinaccord
avec
withhimself.
Wecanforgivea
homme
manformakingauseful
chose
thingaslongashe
faire
doesnotadmireit.
The
seule
onlyexcuseformakingauseless
chose
thingisthatoneadmiresitintensely.
Tout
Allartisquiteuseless.
CHAPTERI.
Thestudiowasfilledwiththerichodourofroses,
et
andwhenthelightsummerwindstirredamidstthetreesofthegarden,therecamethroughtheopen
porte
doortheheavyscentofthelilac,
ou
orthemoredelicateperfumeofthepink-floweringthorn.
FromthecornerofthedivanofPersiansaddle-bagson
dont
whichhewaslying,smoking,aswashiscustom,innumerablecigarettes,LordHenryWotton
pouvait
couldjustcatchthegleamofthehoney-sweet
et
andhoney-colouredblossomsofalaburnum,whosetremulousbranchesseemedhardlyabletobeartheburdenofabeautysoflamelikeastheirs;
et
andnowandthenthefantasticshadowsofbirdsinflightflittedacrossthe
temps
longtussore-silkcurtainsthatwerestretchedin
devant
frontofthehugewindow,producinga
sorte
kindofmomentaryJapaneseeffect,
et
andmakinghimthinkof
ces
thosepallid,jade-facedpaintersofTokyowho,throughthemediumofanartthatisnecessarilyimmobile,seektoconveythesenseofswiftness
et
andmotion.
Thesullenmurmurofthebeesshoulderingtheir
chemin
waythroughthelongunmowngrass,
ou
orcirclingwithmonotonousinsistenceroundthedustygilthornsofthestragglingwoodbine,seemedto
rendre
makethestillnessmoreoppressive.
ThedimroarofLondonwas
comme
likethebourdonnoteofadistantorgan.
Inthecentreoftheroom,clampedtoanuprighteasel,stoodthefull-lengthportraitofa
jeune
youngmanofextraordinarypersonalbeauty,
et
andinfrontofit,somelittledistanceaway,was
assis
sittingtheartisthimself,BasilHallward,whosesuddendisappearancesomeyearsago
provoqua
caused,atthetime,suchpublicexcitement
et
andgaverisetosomanystrangeconjectures.
Asthepainter
regardait
lookedatthegraciousandcomelyformhehadsoskilfullymirroredinhisart,
un
asmileofpleasurepassedacrosshis
visage
face,andseemedabouttolingerthere.
Mais
Buthesuddenlystartedup,
et
andclosinghiseyes,placedhisfingersupon
les
thelids,asthoughhesoughttoimprisonwithinhisbrainsomecurious
rêve
dreamfromwhichhefearedhe
pourrait
mightawake.
“Itisyour
meilleur
bestwork,Basil,thebest
chose
thingyouhaveeverdone,”
dit
saidLordHenrylanguidly.
“You
devez
mustcertainlysenditnextyeartotheGrosvenor.
TheAcademyis
trop
toolargeandtoovulgar.
WheneverI
eu
havegonethere,therehavebeen
soit
eithersomanypeoplethatI
eu
havenotbeenableto
voir
seethepictures,whichwasdreadful,
ou
orsomanypicturesthatI
eu
havenotbeenableto
voir
seethepeople,whichwasworse.
Le
TheGrosvenorisreallytheonlyplace.”
“Idon’t
pense
thinkIshallsenditanywhere,”he
répondu
answered,tossinghisheadbackinthatodd
façon
waythatusedtomakehisfriendslaughathimatOxford.
“No,Iwon’tsenditanywhere.”
LordHenryelevatedhiseyebrows
et
andlookedathiminamazement
travers
throughthethinbluewreathsofsmoke
qui
thatcurledupinsuchfancifulwhorlsfromhisheavy,opium-taintedcigarette.
“Notsenditanywhere?
My
cher
dearfellow,why?
Haveyouanyreason?
Whatoddchapsyoupaintersare!
You
faites
doanythingintheworldtogain
une
areputation.
Assoonasyouhave
un
one,youseemtowanttothrowitaway.
Itissillyofyou,forthereis
seule
onlyonethinginthe
monde
worldworsethanbeingtalkedabout,
et
andthatisnotbeing
parlé
talkedabout.
Aportraitlikethiswouldsetyoufarabove
tous
alltheyoungmeninEngland,
et
andmaketheoldmenquitejealous,
si
ifoldmenareevercapableofanyemotion.”
“I
sais
knowyouwilllaughatme,”hereplied,“butI
vraiment
reallycan’texhibitit.
Ihave
mis
puttoomuchofmyselfintoit.”
LordHenrystretchedhimselfouton
le
thedivanandlaughed.
“Yes,I
savais
knewyouwould;
butitis
tout à fait
quitetrue,allthesame.”
“Toomuchofyourselfin
il
it!
Uponmyword,Basil,Ididn’t
savais
knowyouweresovain;
et
andIreallycan’tseeanyresemblance
entre
betweenyou,withyourruggedstrong
visage
faceandyourcoal-blackhair,
et
andthisyoungAdonis,wholooksasifhewas
fait
madeoutofivoryandrose-leaves.
Why,my
cher
dearBasil,heisaNarcissus,
et
andyou—well,ofcourseyouhaveanintellectualexpression
et
andallthat.
Butbeauty,realbeauty,ends
où
whereanintellectualexpressionbegins.
Intellectisinitself
un
amodeofexaggeration,anddestroystheharmonyof
n'importe quel
anyface.
Themomentonesitsdownto
penser
think,onebecomesallnose,
ou
orallforehead,orsomethinghorrid.
Regardez
Lookatthesuccessfulmeninanyof
les
thelearnedprofessions.
Howperfectlyhideousthey
sont
are!
Except,ofcourse,intheChurch.
Mais
ButthenintheChurchtheydon’t
pensent
think.
Abishopkeepsonsayingattheageofeightywhathewastoldto
dire
saywhenhewasa
garçon
boyofeighteen,andas
un
anaturalconsequencehealwayslooksabsolutelydelightful.
Yourmysterious
jeune
youngfriend,whosenameyouhave
jamais
nevertoldme,butwhosepicture
vraiment
reallyfascinatesme,neverthinks.
Ifeel
tout à fait
quitesureofthat.
Heissomebrainless
belle
beautifulcreaturewhoshouldbe
toujours
alwayshereinwinterwhenwe
devrait
havenoflowerstolookat,
et
andalwayshereinsummer
quand
whenwewantsomethingtochillourintelligence.
Don’tflatteryourself,Basil:
youarenotintheleast
comme
likehim.”
“Youdon’tunderstand
me
me,Harry,”answeredtheartist.
“Of
sûr
courseIamnotlike
lui
him.
Iknowthatperfectly
bien
well.
Indeed,Ishouldbesorryto
ressembler
looklikehim.
Youshrugyourshoulders?
Iam
dis
tellingyouthetruth.
Thereis
une
afatalityaboutallphysical
et
andintellectualdistinction,thesortoffatality
qui
thatseemstodogthroughhistorythefalteringstepsofkings.
Itis
mieux
betternottobedifferentfromone’sfellows.
Theugly
et
andthestupidhavethe
meilleur
bestofitinthis
monde
world.
Theycansitattheirease
et
andgapeattheplay.
Ifthey
savent
knownothingofvictory,theyareat
moins
leastsparedtheknowledgeofdefeat.
They
vivre
liveasweallshouldlive—undisturbed,indifferent,
et
andwithoutdisquiet.
Theyneitherbringruinuponothers,noreverreceiveitfromalienhands.
Yourrank
et
andwealth,Harry;
mybrains,
tel
suchastheyare—myart,whateveritmaybeworth;
DorianGray’sgoodlooks—weshall
tous
allsufferforwhatthegods
ont
havegivenus,sufferterribly.”
“DorianGray?
Isthathisname?”
demandé
askedLordHenry,walkingacross
le
thestudiotowardsBasilHallward.
“Yes,thatishis
nom
name.
Ididn’tintendto
dire
tellittoyou.”
“But
pourquoi
whynot?”
“Oh,Ican’texplain.
Quand
WhenIlikepeopleimmensely,I
jamais
nevertelltheirnamestoanyone.
Itis
comme
likesurrenderingapartofthem.
Ihavegrownto
aimer
lovesecrecy.
Itseemstobe
la
theonethingthatcan
rendre
makemodernlifemysteriousormarvellousto
nous
us.
Thecommonestthingisdelightful
si
ifoneonlyhidesit.
Quand
WhenIleavetownnowI
jamais
nevertellmypeoplewhereIam
vais
going.
IfIdid,Iwould
perdrais
loseallmypleasure.
Itis
une
asillyhabit,Idare
dire
say,butsomehowitseemsto
apporter
bringagreatdealofromanceintoone’s
vie
life.
Isupposeyouthinkmeawfullyfoolishaboutit?”
“Notatall,”
répondit
answeredLordHenry,“notat
tout
all,mydearBasil.
Youseemto
oublier
forgetthatIammarried,
et
andtheonecharmofmarriageis
que
thatitmakesalifeofdeceptionabsolutelynecessaryfor
deux
bothparties.
Ineverknow
où
wheremywifeis,andmy
femme
wifeneverknowswhatIam
fais
doing.
Whenwemeet—wedo
rencontrons
meetoccasionally,whenwedineout
ensemble
together,orgodowntotheDuke’s—we
racontons
telleachotherthemostabsurdstories
avec
withthemostseriousfaces.
My
femme
wifeisverygoodatit—much
mieux
better,infact,thanIam.
She
jamais
nevergetsconfusedoverherdates,
et
andIalwaysdo.
But
quand
whenshedoesfindmeout,she
fait
makesnorowatall.
I
parfois
sometimeswishshewould;
butshemerelylaughsatme.”
“I
déteste
hatethewayyoutalkaboutyour
marié
marriedlife,Harry,”saidBasilHallward,strollingtowards
la
thedoorthatledinto
la
thegarden.
“Ibelievethatyouare
vraiment
reallyaverygoodhusband,
mais
butthatyouarethoroughlyashamedofyourownvirtues.
Youare
un
anextraordinaryfellow.
Younever
dis
sayamoralthing,andyou
jamais
neverdoawrongthing.
Yourcynicismissimply
une
apose.”
“Beingnaturalissimply
une
apose,andthemostirritatingposeIknow,”criedLordHenry,laughing;
et
andthetwoyoungmenwentoutintothegarden
ensemble
togetherandensconcedthemselveson
un
alongbambooseatthat
tenait
stoodintheshadeof
un
atalllaurelbush.
Thesunlightslipped
sur
overthepolishedleaves.
In
les
thegrass,whitedaisiesweretremulous.
Après
Afterapause,LordHenrypulledouthis
montre
watch.
“IamafraidI
doive
mustbegoing,Basil,”hemurmured,“and
avant
beforeIgo,Iinsistonyour
répondiez
answeringaquestionIputtoyousometimeago.”
“Whatisthat?”
dit
saidthepainter,keepinghiseyesfixedontheground.
“You
savez
knowquitewell.”
“Idonot,Harry.”
“Well,I
vais
willtellyouwhatitis.
I
veux
wantyoutoexplaintome
pourquoi
whyyouwon’texhibitDorianGray’spicture.
I
veux
wanttherealreason.”
“I
dit
toldyoutherealreason.”
“No,you
fait
didnot.
Yousaiditwasbecause
y
therewastoomuchofyourselfin
elle
it.
Now,thatischildish.”
“Harry,”
dit
saidBasilHallward,lookinghimstraightintheface,“everyportraitthatispainted
avec
withfeelingisaportraitoftheartist,notofthesitter.
La
Thesitterismerelytheaccident,
la
theoccasion.
Itisnothe
qui
whoisrevealedbythepainter;
itisratherthepainter
qui
who,onthecolouredcanvas,revealshimself.
ThereasonI
vais
willnotexhibitthispictureis
que
thatIamafraidthatI
avoir
haveshowninitthesecretofmy
propre
ownsoul.”
LordHenrylaughed.
“Andwhatisthat?”
he
demandé
asked.
“Iwilltellyou,”
dit
saidHallward;
butanexpressionofperplexity
venue
cameoverhisface.
“Iam
tout
allexpectation,Basil,”continuedhiscompanion,glancingat
le
him.
“Oh,thereisreally
très
verylittletotell,Harry,”
répondit
answeredthepainter;
“andIamafraidyouwillhardly
compreniez
understandit.
Perhapsyouwillhardly
croire
believeit.”
LordHenrysmiled,
et
andleaningdown,pluckedapink-petalleddaisyfrom
le
thegrassandexaminedit.
“Iam
tout à fait
quitesureIshallunderstandit,”hereplied,gazingintentlyatthe
petit
littlegolden,white-feathereddisk,“andasfor
croire
believingthings,Icanbelieve
tout
anything,providedthatitis
tout à fait
quiteincredible.”
Thewindshook
quelques
someblossomsfromthetrees,
et
andtheheavylilac-blooms,withtheirclusteringstars,
déplaçaient
movedtoandfrointhelanguidair.
Agrasshopperbegantochirrupbythewall,
et
andlikeabluethreada
longue
longthindragon-flyfloatedpastonitsbrowngauzewings.
LordHenry
sentait
feltasifhecould
entendre
hearBasilHallward’sheartbeating,
et
andwonderedwhatwascoming.
“Thestoryissimplythis,”
dit
saidthepainteraftersome
temps
time.
“TwomonthsagoIwenttoacrushatLadyBrandon’s.
You
savez
knowwepoorartistshaveto
montrer
showourselvesinsocietyfrom
temps
timetotime,justtoremind
la
thepublicthatwearenotsavages.
Avec
Withaneveningcoatandawhitetie,asyou
dit
toldmeonce,anybody,evenastock-broker,
peut
cangainareputationforbeingcivilized.
Well,
après
afterIhadbeenin
la
theroomabouttenminutes,
parlant
talkingtohugeoverdresseddowagers
et
andtediousacademicians,Isuddenlybecameconscious
que
thatsomeonewaslookingat
me
me.
Iturnedhalf-wayround
et
andsawDorianGrayfor
la
thefirsttime.
Whenoureyesmet,I
senti
feltthatIwasgrowingpale.
Une
Acurioussensationofterrorcameoverme.
I
savais
knewthatIhadcomefacetoface
avec
withsomeonewhosemerepersonalitywassofascinating
que
that,ifIalloweditto
faire
doso,itwouldabsorbmy
toute
wholenature,mywholesoul,myveryartitself.
Ididnot
voulais
wantanyexternalinfluenceinmy
vie
life.
Youknowyourself,Harry,howindependentIambynature.
Ihave
toujours
alwaysbeenmyownmaster;
hadatleast
toujours
alwaysbeenso,tillI
rencontre
metDorianGray.
Then—butIdon’t
sais
knowhowtoexplainittoyou.
Quelque chose
Somethingseemedtotellme
que
thatIwasonthevergeofaterriblecrisisinmy
vie
life.
Ihadastrangefeeling
que
thatfatehadinstoreformeexquisitejoys
et
andexquisitesorrows.
Igrew
peur
afraidandturnedtoquit
la
theroom.
Itwasnotconscience
qui
thatmademedoso:
itwas
une
asortofcowardice.
Itake
pas
nocredittomyselffor
essayé
tryingtoescape.”
“Conscienceandcowardiceare
vraiment
reallythesamethings,Basil.
Conscienceisthetrade-nameofthefirm.
Thatisall.”
“Idon’t
crois
believethat,Harry,andIdon’t
crois
believeyoudoeither.
However,whateverwasmymotive—andit
pouvait
mayhavebeenpride,forIusedtobe
très
veryproud—Icertainlystruggledto
la
thedoor.
There,ofcourse,IstumbledagainstLadyBrandon.
‘Youarenotgoingtorunawayso
vite
soon,Mr.Hallward?’shescreamedout.
You
connaissez
knowhercuriouslyshrillvoice?”
“Yes;
sheis
un
apeacockineverythingbutbeauty,”
dit
saidLordHenry,pullingthedaisytobits
avec
withhislongnervousfingers.
“I
pouvais
couldnotgetridofher.
Shebroughtmeuptoroyalties,
et
andpeoplewithstarsandgarters,
et
andelderlyladieswithgigantictiaras
et
andparrotnoses.
Shespokeofmeasherdearestfriend.
Ihadonlymether
fois
oncebefore,butshetookitintoherheadtolionize
me
me.
Ibelievesomepictureofminehadmade
un
agreatsuccessatthetime,at
moins
leasthadbeenchatteredaboutinthepennynewspapers,
qui
whichisthenineteenth-centurystandardofimmortality.
SuddenlyI
retrouvé
foundmyselffacetoface
avec
withtheyoungmanwhosepersonalityhadsostrangelystirred
me
me.