The Picture of Dorian Gray — Page 2
In the centre of the room, clamped to an upright easel, stood the full-length portrait of a young man of extraordinary personal beauty, and in front of it, some little distance away, was sitting the artist himself, Basil Hallward, whose sudden disappearance some years ago caused, at the time, such public excitement and gave rise to so many strange conjectures.
In der Mitte des Zimmers, an eine aufrechte Staffelei geklemmt, stand das lebensgroße Porträt eines jungen Mannes von außerordentlicher persönlicher Schönheit, und davor, etwas entfernt, saß der Künstler selbst, Basil Hallward, dessen plötzliches Verschwinden vor einigen Jahren seinerzeit so große öffentliche Aufregung verursacht und Anlass zu so vielen seltsamen Mutmaßungen gegeben hatte.
As the painter looked at the gracious and comely form he had so skilfully mirrored in his art, a smile of pleasure passed across his face, and seemed about to linger there.
Als der Maler die anmutige und wohlgestaltete Form betrachtete, die er so geschickt in seiner Kunst gespiegelt hatte, glitt ein Lächeln des Vergnügens über sein Gesicht und schien dort verweilen zu wollen.
But he suddenly started up, and closing his eyes, placed his fingers upon the lids, as though he sought to imprison within his brain some curious dream from which he feared he might awake.
Aber er schrak plötzlich auf und schloss die Augen, legte seine Finger auf die Lider, als ob er in seinem Geist irgendeinen seltsamen Traum gefangen halten wollte, aus dem er fürchtete erwachen zu müssen.
"You must certainly send it next year to the Grosvenor.
„Sie müssen es nächstes Jahr unbedingt in den Grosvenor schicken.
The Academy is too large and too vulgar.
Die Akademie ist zu groß und zu vulgär.
Whenever I have gone there, there have been either so many people that I have not been able to see the pictures, which was dreadful, or so many pictures that I have not been able to see the people, which was worse.
Immer wenn ich dort war, waren entweder so viele Menschen da, dass ich die Bilder nicht sehen konnte, was schrecklich war, oder so viele Bilder, dass ich die Menschen nicht sehen konnte, was noch schlimmer war.
"No, I won't send it anywhere.
„Nein, ich werde es nirgendwohin schicken.
Vocabulary
- Mitte
- The center or middle of a space
- Zimmers
- Of the room; genitive form of Zimmer
- aufrechte
- Upright or erect in position or posture
- Staffelei
- An easel used by painters to hold canvas
- geklemmt
- Clamped or fastened tightly in place
- lebensgroße
- Life-sized; equal in size to a real person
- Porträt
- A portrait or painted likeness of a person
- Mannes
- Of the man; genitive form of Mann
- außerordentlicher
- Extraordinary or exceptional in degree or quality
- persönlicher
- Personal; relating to an individual's own character
- Schönheit
- Beauty; the quality of being attractive or pleasing
- davor
- In front of it; before that thing
- entfernt
- Distant or removed by some space or distance
- saß
- Past tense of sitzen: sat or was sitting
- Künstler
- An artist, especially a visual or creative one
- dessen
- Relative pronoun: whose (masculine/neuter genitive)
- plötzliches
- Sudden; happening without warning or expectation
- Verschwinden
- Disappearance; the act of vanishing from sight
- einigen
- Some; a few (inflected form of einige)
- seinerzeit
- At the time; in those days back then
- öffentliche
- Public; relating to or involving the general community
- Aufregung
- Excitement or agitation; a state of public stir
- verursacht
- Caused or brought about a particular result or effect
- Anlass
- Occasion or reason; a cause prompting something further
- seltsamen
- Strange or odd; peculiar in nature or character
- Mutmaßungen
- Speculations or conjectures; guesses without certain proof
- Maler
- Painter; a person who paints pictures or walls
- anmutige
- Graceful; elegant and pleasing in appearance or movement
- wohlgestaltete
- Well-formed; having a fine or pleasing physical shape
- Form
- Form or shape; the physical outline of something
- betrachtete
- Observed or contemplated; past tense of betrachten
- geschickt
- Skillfully; with dexterity or clever ability
- Kunst
- Art; creative skill expressed in visual or performing form
- gespiegelt
- Reflected or mirrored; shown as in a mirror
- glitt
- Past tense of gleiten: glided or slid smoothly
- Lächeln
- A smile; the act or expression of smiling
- Vergnügens
- Of pleasure; genitive form of Vergnügen (pleasure, delight)
- Gesicht
- Face; the front part of a person's head
- schien
- Past tense of scheinen: seemed or appeared to be
- verweilen
- To linger or stay for a while in a place
- schrak
- Past tense of schrecken: was startled or frightened suddenly
- schloss
- Past tense of schließen: closed or shut something
- Augen
- Eyes; plural of Auge (the organ of sight)
- legte
- Past tense of legen: placed or laid something down
- Finger
- Fingers; the digits of the human hand
- Lider
- Eyelids; the folds of skin covering the eyes
- ob
- Whether or as if; used in indirect questions
- Geist
- Mind or spirit; intellect or ghostly presence
- irgendeinen
- Some; any one (accusative masculine); vague reference
- Traum
- A dream; an experience during sleep or a wish
- gefangen
- Captured or held; past participle of fangen (catch)
- halten
- To hold or keep something in a position or state
- fürchtete
- Past tense of fürchten: feared or was afraid of
- erwachen
- To wake up or awaken from sleep or a dream
- nächstes
- Next; the one immediately following in time or order
- Jahr
- Year; a period of twelve calendar months
- unbedingt
- Absolutely or definitely; without any condition or doubt
- schicken
- To send something or someone to a destination
- Akademie
- Academy; an institution for art or scholarly study
- vulgär
- Vulgar; lacking refinement or in poor taste
- entweder
- Either; used in either…or constructions
- Menschen
- People or humans; plural of Mensch (person)
- Bilder
- Pictures or paintings; plural of Bild (image)
- schrecklich
- Terrible or dreadful; causing fear or strong displeasure
- schlimmer
- Worse; comparative form of schlimm (bad)
- nirgendwohin
- Nowhere; to no place at all (directional)
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