The Picture of Dorian Gray | Progressive Translation Books for German A1 Learners

The Picture of Dorian Gray | Progressive Translation Books for German A1 Learners

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THEPREFACE
Theartistis
der
the
creatorofbeautifulthings.
Torevealart
und
and
concealtheartistisart’saim.
Der
The
criticishewho
kann
can
translateintoanothermanneroranewmaterialhisimpressionofbeautifulthings.
Thehighestasthelowestformofcriticismis
eine
a
modeofautobiography.
Thosewho
finden
find
uglymeaningsinbeautifulthingsarecorrupt
ohne
without
beingcharming.
Thisis
ein
a
fault.
Thosewhofind
schöne
beautiful
meaningsinbeautifulthingsare
die
the
cultivated.
Forthesethereis
hoffnung
hope
.
Theyaretheelecttowhom
schöne
beautiful
thingsmeanonlybeauty.
Thereis
kein
no
suchthingasamoraloranimmoral
buch
book
.
Booksarewellwritten,orbadlywritten.
Thatisall.
ThenineteenthcenturydislikeofrealismistherageofCaliban
sieht
seeing
hisownfaceinaglass.
ThenineteenthcenturydislikeofromanticismistherageofCalibannot
sieht
seeing
hisownfaceinaglass.
Themoral
leben
life
ofmanformspartofthesubject-matteroftheartist,
aber
but
themoralityofartconsistsintheperfectuseofanimperfectmedium.
Kein
No
artistdesirestoprove
etwas
anything
.
Eventhingsthatare
wahr
true
canbeproved.
Noartisthasethicalsympathies.
Anethicalsympathyinanartistisanunpardonablemannerismofstyle.
Kein
No
artistisevermorbid.
Der
The
artistcanexpresseverything.
Denken
Thought
andlanguageareto
den
the
artistinstrumentsofanart.
Vice
und
and
virtuearetotheartistmaterialsfor
eine
an
art.
Fromthepointofviewofform,thetypeof
aller
all
theartsistheartofthemusician.
Fromthepointofviewoffeeling,theactor’scraftisthetype.
Alle
All
artisatoncesurface
und
and
symbol.
Thosewhogobeneath
die
the
surfacedosoattheirperil.
Thosewho
lesen
read
thesymboldosoattheirperil.
Itisthespectator,
und
and
notlife,thatart
wirklich
really
mirrors.
Diversityofopinion
über
about
aworkofartshows
dass
that
theworkisnew,complex,
und
and
vital.
Whencriticsdisagree,
der
the
artistisinaccordwithhimself.
We
können
can
forgiveamanformaking
eine
a
usefulthingaslongashe
machen
does
notadmireit.
The
einzige
only
excuseformakingauseless
sache
thing
isthatoneadmiresitintensely.
Alle
All
artisquiteuseless.
CHAPTERI.
Thestudiowasfilledwiththerichodourofroses,
und
and
whenthelightsummerwindstirredamidstthetreesofthegarden,there
kam
came
throughtheopendoortheheavyscentofthelilac,orthemoredelicateperfumeofthepink-floweringthorn.
FromthecornerofthedivanofPersiansaddle-bagsonwhichhewas
lag
lying
,smoking,aswashiscustom,innumerablecigarettes,
Lord
Lord
HenryWottoncouldjustcatchthegleamofthehoney-sweet
und
and
honey-colouredblossomsofalaburnum,whosetremulousbranchesseemedhardly
in der lage
able
tobeartheburdenofabeautysoflamelikeastheirs;
und
and
nowandthenthefantasticshadowsofbirdsinflightflittedacrossthelongtussore-silkcurtainsthatwerestretchedinfrontofthehugewindow,producinga
art
kind
ofmomentaryJapaneseeffect,
und
and
makinghimthinkofthosepallid,jade-facedpaintersofTokyowho,
durch
through
themediumofanartthatisnecessarilyimmobile,seektoconveythesenseofswiftness
und
and
motion.
Thesullenmurmurofthebeesshoulderingtheir
weg
way
throughthelongunmowngrass,orcirclingwithmonotonousinsistenceroundthedustygilthornsofthestragglingwoodbine,seemedto
machen
make
thestillnessmoreoppressive.
ThedimroarofLondonwaslikethebourdonnoteofadistantorgan.
Inthecentreoftheroom,clampedtoanuprighteasel,stoodthefull-lengthportraitofayoungmanofextraordinarypersonalbeauty,
und
and
infrontofit,somelittledistanceaway,wassittingtheartisthimself,BasilHallward,whosesuddendisappearancesomeyears
vor
ago
caused,atthetime,
solche
such
publicexcitementandgaverisetosomanystrangeconjectures.
Asthepainterlookedatthegracious
und
and
comelyformhehadsoskilfullymirroredinhisart,
ein
a
smileofpleasurepassedacrosshis
gesicht
face
,andseemedabouttolinger
dort
there
.
Buthesuddenlystartedup,
und
and
closinghiseyes,placedhisfingersupon
die
the
lids,asthoughhesoughttoimprisonwithinhisbrainsomecurious
traum
dream
fromwhichhefearedhe
könnte
might
awake.
“Itisyour
beste
best
work,Basil,thebestthingyouhaveeverdone,”said
Lord
Lord
Henrylanguidly.
“Youmustcertainly
schicken
send
itnextyearto
den
the
Grosvenor.
TheAcademyistoolarge
und
and
toovulgar.
WheneverIhave
gegangen
gone
there,therehavebeen
entweder
either
somanypeoplethatIhavenotbeenableto
sehen
see
thepictures,whichwasdreadful,orso
viele
many
picturesthatIhavenotbeenableto
sehen
see
thepeople,whichwasworse.
TheGrosvenoris
wirklich
really
theonlyplace.”
“Idon’t
glaube
think
Ishallsenditanywhere,”heanswered,tossinghis
kopf
head
backinthatodd
weise
way
thatusedtomakehisfriendslaughathimatOxford.
“No,Iwon’t
schicken
send
itanywhere.”
LordHenryelevatedhiseyebrows
und
and
lookedathiminamazement
durch
through
thethinbluewreathsofsmokethatcurledupinsuchfancifulwhorlsfromhisheavy,opium-taintedcigarette.
“Not
schicken
send
itanywhere?
Mydearfellow,
warum
why
?
Haveyouanyreason?
Whatoddchapsyoupaintersare!
You
tut
do
anythingintheworldtogainareputation.
Assoonasyouhaveone,youseemto
wollen
want
tothrowitaway.
Itissillyofyou,forthereis
nur
only
onethinginthe
welt
world
worsethanbeingtalkedabout,
und
and
thatisnotbeingtalkedabout.
Ein
A
portraitlikethiswouldsetyoufarabovealltheyoungmeninEngland,
und
and
maketheoldmen
ganz
quite
jealous,ifoldmenareevercapableofanyemotion.”
“Iknowyou
wirst
will
laughatme,”hereplied,“butI
wirklich
really
can’texhibitit.
Ihaveputtoo
viel
much
ofmyselfintoit.”
Lord
Lord
Henrystretchedhimselfoutonthedivan
und
and
laughed.
“Yes,Iknewyou
würdest
would
;
butitisquite
wahr
true
,allthesame.”
“Too
viel
much
ofyourselfinit!
Uponmy
wort
word
,Basil,Ididn’tknowyouweresovain;
und
and
Ireallycan’tseeanyresemblance
zwischen
between
you,withyourruggedstrong
gesicht
face
andyourcoal-blackhair,
und
and
thisyoungAdonis,wholooksasifhewasmade
aus
out
ofivoryandrose-leaves.
Warum
Why
,mydearBasil,heisaNarcissus,
und
and
you—well,ofcourseyouhaveanintellectualexpression
und
and
allthat.
Butbeauty,realbeauty,ends
wo
where
anintellectualexpressionbegins.
Intellectisinitself
eine
a
modeofexaggeration,anddestroystheharmonyofanyface.
The
moment
moment
onesitsdownto
denken
think
,onebecomesallnose,orallforehead,or
etwas
something
horrid.
Lookatthesuccessfulmeninanyof
die
the
learnedprofessions.
Howperfectlyhideoustheyare!
Except,ofcourse,in
der
the
Church.
Butthenin
der
the
Churchtheydon’tthink.
Ein
A
bishopkeepsonsayingat
das
the
ageofeightywhathewastoldtosaywhenhewas
ein
a
boyofeighteen,andas
ein
a
naturalconsequencehealwayslooksabsolutelydelightful.
Yourmysteriousyoung
freund
friend
,whosenameyouhave
nie
never
toldme,butwhosepicture
wirklich
really
fascinatesme,neverthinks.
Ifeel
ganz
quite
sureofthat.
Heissomebrainlessbeautifulcreaturewho
sollte
should
bealwayshereinwinter
wenn
when
wehavenoflowerstolookat,
und
and
alwayshereinsummer
wenn
when
wewantsomethingtochillourintelligence.
Don’tflatteryourself,Basil:
youarenotintheleastlikehim.”
“Youdon’tunderstand
mich
me
,Harry,”answeredtheartist.
“OfcourseIamnotlikehim.
Iknowthatperfectlywell.
Indeed,Ishouldbe
leid tun
sorry
tolooklikehim.
Youshrugyourshoulders?
Iam
sage
telling
youthetruth.
Thereis
eine
a
fatalityaboutallphysical
und
and
intellectualdistinction,thesortoffatalitythatseemstodog
durch
through
historythefalteringstepsofkings.
Itis
besser
better
nottobedifferentfromone’sfellows.
Theugly
und
and
thestupidhavethe
beste
best
ofitinthis
welt
world
.
Theycansitattheirease
und
and
gapeattheplay.
Wenn
If
theyknownothingofvictory,theyareatleastspared
der
the
knowledgeofdefeat.
They
leben
live
asweallshouldlive—undisturbed,indifferent,
und
and
withoutdisquiet.
Theyneither
bringen
bring
ruinuponothers,noreverreceiveitfromalienhands.
Yourrank
und
and
wealth,Harry;
mybrains,suchastheyare—myart,whateveritmaybeworth;
DorianGray’sgoodlooks—weshall
alle
all
sufferforwhatthegods
haben
have
givenus,sufferterribly.”
“DorianGray?
Isthathisname?”
fragte
asked
LordHenry,walkingacross
das
the
studiotowardsBasilHallward.
“Yes,thatishis
name
name
.
Ididn’tintendto
sagen
tell
ittoyou.”
“But
warum
why
not?”
“Oh,Ican’texplain.
Wenn
When
Ilikepeopleimmensely,Inever
sage
tell
theirnamestoanyone.
Itislikesurrenderinga
teil
part
ofthem.
Ihavegrowntolovesecrecy.
Itseemstobe
das
the
onethingthatcan
machen
make
modernlifemysteriousormarvelloustous.
Das
The
commonestthingisdelightful
wenn
if
oneonlyhidesit.
Wenn
When
IleavetownnowI
nie
never
tellmypeoplewhereIam
gehe
going
.
IfIdid,I
würde
would
loseallmypleasure.
Itis
eine
a
sillyhabit,Idare
sagen
say
,butsomehowitseemsto
bringen
bring
agreatdealofromanceintoone’s
leben
life
.
Isupposeyouthinkmeawfullyfoolishaboutit?”
“Notatall,”answered
Lord
Lord
Henry,“notatall,mydearBasil.
Youseemto
vergessen
forget
thatIammarried,
und
and
theonecharmofmarriageis
dass
that
itmakesalifeofdeceptionabsolutelynecessaryfor
beide
both
parties.
Ineverknow
wo
where
mywifeis,andmy
frau
wife
neverknowswhatIam
tue
doing
.
Whenwemeet—wedo
treffen
meet
occasionally,whenwedineout
zusammen
together
,orgodowntotheDuke’s—we
erzählen
tell
eachotherthemostabsurdstorieswiththemostseriousfaces.
My
frau
wife
isverygoodatit—much
besser
better
,infact,thanIam.
She
nie
never
getsconfusedoverherdates,
und
and
Ialwaysdo.
But
wenn
when
shedoesfindmeout,shemakesnorowatall.
I
manchmal
sometimes
wishshewould;
butshemerelylaughsatme.”
“I
hasse
hate
thewayyoutalk
über
about
yourmarriedlife,Harry,”saidBasilHallward,strollingtowardsthedoorthatledintothegarden.
“I
glaube
believe
thatyouarereally
ein
a
verygoodhusband,but
dass
that
youarethoroughlyashamedofyourownvirtues.
Youare
ein
an
extraordinaryfellow.
Youneversayamoralthing,
und
and
youneverdoawrongthing.
Yourcynicismissimply
eine
a
pose.”
“Beingnaturalissimply
eine
a
pose,andthemostirritatingposeIknow,”cried
Lord
Lord
Henry,laughing;
andthetwoyoungmen
gingen
went
outintothegarden
zusammen
together
andensconcedthemselvesonalongbambooseatthatstoodintheshadeofatalllaurelbush.
Thesunlightslipped
über
over
thepolishedleaves.
Inthegrass,whitedaisiesweretremulous.
Nach
After
apause,LordHenrypulledouthis
uhr
watch
.
“IamafraidI
muss
must
begoing,Basil,”hemurmured,“andbeforeI
gehen
go
,Iinsistonyouranswering
eine
a
questionIputtoyousome
zeit
time
ago.”
“Whatisthat?”
said
der
the
painter,keepinghiseyesfixedon
der
the
ground.
“Youknowquitewell.”
“I
tue
do
not,Harry.”
“Well,I
werde
will
tellyouwhatitis.
I
wollen
want
youtoexplaintome
warum
why
youwon’texhibitDorianGray’spicture.
Iwant
den
the
realreason.”
“Itoldyou
den
the
realreason.”
“No,youdidnot.
Yousaiditwas
weil
because
therewastoomuchofyourselfin
es
it
.
Now,thatischildish.”
“Harry,”saidBasilHallward,lookinghimstraightin
das
the
face,“everyportraitthatispaintedwithfeelingis
ein
a
portraitoftheartist,notof
das
the
sitter.
Thesitterismerely
der
the
accident,theoccasion.
Itisnothewhoisrevealedby
der
the
painter;
itisrather
der
the
painterwho,onthecolouredcanvas,revealshimself.
The
grund
reason
Iwillnotexhibit
dieses
this
pictureisthatIamafraid
dass
that
Ihaveshowninitthesecretofmyownsoul.”
Lord
Lord
Henrylaughed.
“Andwhatisthat?”
he
gefragt
asked
.
“Iwilltellyou,”saidHallward;
aber
but
anexpressionofperplexity
kam
came
overhisface.
“Iamallexpectation,Basil,”continuedhiscompanion,glancingat
ihn
him
.
“Oh,thereisreally
sehr
very
littletotell,Harry,”answered
der
the
painter;
“andIamafraidyou
werden
will
hardlyunderstandit.
Perhapsyou
werden
will
hardlybelieveit.”
LordHenrysmiled,
und
and
leaningdown,pluckedapink-petalleddaisyfromthegrass
und
and
examinedit.
“Iamquite
sicher
sure
Ishallunderstandit,”hereplied,gazingintentlyatthelittlegolden,white-feathereddisk,“andasfor
glauben
believing
things,Icanbelieve
alles
anything
,providedthatitisquiteincredible.”
Thewindshook
einige
some
blossomsfromthetrees,
und
and
theheavylilac-blooms,withtheirclusteringstars,
bewegten
moved
toandfrointhelanguid
luft
air
.
Agrasshopperbegantochirrupby
der
the
wall,andlikeabluethreada
lange
long
thindragon-flyfloatedpastonitsbrowngauzewings.
Lord
Lord
Henryfeltasifhe
könnte
could
hearBasilHallward’sheartbeating,
und
and
wonderedwhatwascoming.
“The
geschichte
story
issimplythis,”said
der
the
painteraftersometime.
“Twomonths
vor
ago
Iwenttoacrushat
Lady
Lady
Brandon’s.
Youknowwepoorartistshaveto
zeigen
show
ourselvesinsocietyfrom
zeit
time
totime,justtoremindthepublic
dass
that
wearenotsavages.
Withaneveningcoat
und
and
awhitetie,asyou
sagten
told
meonce,anybody,evenastock-broker,
kann
can
gainareputationforbeingcivilized.
Nun
Well
,afterIhadbeeninthe
raum
room
abouttenminutes,talkingtohugeoverdresseddowagers
und
and
tediousacademicians,Isuddenlybecameconscious
dass
that
someonewaslookingatme.
Iturnedhalf-wayround
und
and
sawDorianGrayforthefirsttime.
Als
When
oureyesmet,IfeltthatIwasgrowingpale.
Ein
A
curioussensationofterrorcameover
mich
me
.
IknewthatIhadcomefacetofacewithsomeonewhosemerepersonalitywassofascinatingthat,
wenn
if
Iallowedittodoso,it
würde
would
absorbmywholenature,my
ganze
whole
soul,myveryartitself.
Ididnotwantanyexternalinfluenceinmy
leben
life
.
Youknowyourself,Harry,howindependentIambynature.
Ihavealwaysbeenmyownmaster;
hadatleastalwaysbeenso,tillImetDorianGray.
Then—butIdon’tknowhowtoexplainittoyou.
Etwas
Something
seemedtotellme
dass
that
Iwasonthevergeofaterriblecrisisinmy
leben
life
.
Ihadastrangefeeling
dass
that
fatehadinstoreformeexquisitejoys
und
and
exquisitesorrows.
Igrewafraid
und
and
turnedtoquitthe
raum
room
.
Itwasnotconsciencethatmademedoso:
itwas
eine
a
sortofcowardice.
Itakenocredittomyselffor
versucht
trying
toescape.”
“Conscienceandcowardiceare
wirklich
really
thesamethings,Basil.
Conscienceis
der
the
trade-nameofthefirm.
Thatisall.”
“Idon’t
glaube
believe
that,Harry,andIdon’t
glaube
believe
youdoeither.
However,whateverwasmymotive—anditmay
sein
have
beenpride,forIusedtobe
sehr
very
proud—Icertainlystruggledtothedoor.
Dort
There
,ofcourse,Istumbledagainst
Lady
Lady
Brandon.
‘Youarenotgoingtorunawayso
bald
soon
,Mr.Hallward?’shescreamedout.
You
kennen
know
hercuriouslyshrillvoice?”
“Yes;
sheis
ein
a
peacockineverythingbutbeauty,”said
Lord
Lord
Henry,pullingthedaisytobitswithhislongnervousfingers.
“I
konnte
could
notgetridofher.
Shebroughtmeuptoroyalties,
und
and
peoplewithstarsandgarters,
und
and
elderlyladieswithgigantictiaras
und
and
parrotnoses.
Shespokeofmeasherdearestfriend.
Ihad
nur
only
metheroncebefore,
aber
but
shetookitintoher
kopf
head
tolionizeme.
I
glaube
believe
somepictureofminehadmade
ein
a
greatsuccessatthe
zeit
time
,atleasthadbeenchatteredaboutinthepennynewspapers,whichisthenineteenth-centurystandardofimmortality.
SuddenlyIfoundmyselffacetofacewiththeyoung
mann
man
whosepersonalityhadsostrangelystirred
mich
me
.