The Picture of Dorian Gray — Page 4
Why, my dear Basil, he is a Narcissus, and you—well, of course you have an intellectual expression and all that.
Nun, mein lieber Basil, er ist ein Narziss, und Sie — nun ja, natürlich haben Sie einen intellektuellen Ausdruck und all das.
But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins.
Aber Schönheit, wahre Schönheit, endet dort, wo ein intellektueller Ausdruck beginnt.
Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face.
Der Intellekt ist an sich eine Form der Übertreibung und zerstört die Harmonie eines jeden Gesichts.
The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid.
In dem Moment, in dem man sich hinsetzt und nachdenkt, wird man ganz zur Nase, oder ganz zur Stirn, oder zu irgendetwas Schrecklichem.
Look at the successful men in any of the learned professions.
Schauen Sie sich die erfolgreichen Männer in den gelehrten Berufen an.
How perfectly hideous they are!
Wie vollkommen abscheulich sie sind!
Except, of course, in the Church.
Außer natürlich in der Kirche.
But then in the Church they don't think.
Aber in der Kirche denken sie ja nicht.
A bishop keeps on saying at the age of eighty what he was told to say when he was a boy of eighteen, and as a natural consequence he always looks absolutely delightful.
Ein Bischof sagt im Alter von achtzig Jahren noch immer das, was man ihm zu sagen aufgetragen hat, als er ein Junge von achtzehn Jahren war, und als natürliche Folge sieht er stets absolut entzückend aus.
Your mysterious young friend, whose name you have never told me, but whose picture really fascinates me, never thinks.
Ihr geheimnisvoller junger Freund, dessen Namen Sie mir nie verraten haben, dessen Bild mich aber wirklich fasziniert, denkt niemals nach.
I feel quite sure of that.
Davon bin ich völlig überzeugt.
He is some brainless beautiful creature who should be always here in winter when we have no flowers to look at, and always here in summer when we want something to chill our intelligence.
Er ist ein hirnloses schönes Geschöpf, das immer hier sein sollte im Winter, wenn wir keine Blumen zu betrachten haben, und immer hier im Sommer, wenn wir etwas brauchen, das unseren Verstand abkühlt.
Don't flatter yourself, Basil: you are not in the least like him."
Schmeicheln Sie sich nicht, Basil: Sie ähneln ihm nicht im Geringsten."
"Of course I am not like him.
„Natürlich bin ich nicht wie er.
I know that perfectly well.
Das weiß ich sehr wohl.
Indeed, I should be sorry to look like him.
Ja, es täte mir leid, so auszusehen wie er.
You shrug your shoulders?
Sie zucken mit den Schultern?
I am telling you the truth.
Ich sage Ihnen die Wahrheit.
Vocabulary
- Nun
- Now; used to introduce or transition a statement
- mein
- My; first-person singular possessive pronoun
- lieber
- Dear; beloved, affectionate form of address
- er
- He; third-person singular masculine pronoun
- ist
- Is; third-person singular present of sein
- ein
- A, an; indefinite article masculine/neuter
- Narziss
- Narcissus; a vain, self-absorbed person
- und
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- Sie
- You (formal); polite second-person pronoun
- nun
- Now, well; discourse particle signaling transition
- ja
- Yes; affirmative particle or interjection
- natürlich
- Naturally, of course; indicating something obvious
- haben
- To have; auxiliary and main verb
- einen
- A, an; indefinite article masculine accusative
- intellektuellen
- Intellectual; relating to the intellect, adjective inflected
- Ausdruck
- Expression; look or appearance on a face
- all
- All; referring to the totality of something
- das
- That, the; definite article or demonstrative pronoun
- Aber
- But; coordinating conjunction indicating contrast
- Schönheit
- Beauty; the quality of being beautiful
- wahre
- True, genuine; inflected adjective form of wahr
- endet
- Ends; third-person singular of enden
- dort
- There; indicates a location away from speaker
- wo
- Where; relative or interrogative adverb of place
- intellektueller
- Intellectual; adjective in comparative or strong inflection
- beginnt
- Begins; third-person singular present of beginnen
- Der
- The; definite article masculine nominative
- Intellekt
- Intellect; the faculty of reasoning and understanding
- an
- At, on; preposition indicating position or relation
- sich
- Itself, oneself; reflexive pronoun third person
- eine
- A, an; indefinite article feminine nominative
- Form
- Form, type; shape or kind of something
- der
- The, of the; definite article various cases
- Übertreibung
- Exaggeration; the act of overstating something
- zerstört
- Destroys; third-person singular of zerstören
- die
- The; definite article feminine or plural
- Harmonie
- Harmony; pleasing arrangement or agreement of elements
- eines
- Of a; indefinite article genitive masculine/neuter
- jeden
- Every, each; indefinite pronoun masculine accusative
- Gesichts
- Face; genitive form of Gesicht
- In
- In; preposition indicating location or time
- dem
- The; definite article dative masculine/neuter
- Moment
- Moment; a brief, specific point in time
- in
- In, into; common preposition of place or time
- man
- One, you; impersonal pronoun for general statements
- hinsetzt
- Sits down; third-person of sich hinsetzen
- nachdenkt
- Thinks, reflects; third-person singular of nachdenken
- wird
- Becomes, will; third-person singular of werden
- ganz
- Completely, entirely; adverb of totality
- zur
- To the; contraction of zu and der (feminine)
- Nase
- Nose; the facial organ for smelling and breathing
- oder
- Or; coordinating conjunction presenting alternatives
- Stirn
- Forehead; the part of the face above the eyes
- zu
- To, too; preposition or particle of direction
- irgendetwas
- Something, anything; indefinite pronoun for unspecified things
- Schrecklichem
- Something terrible; dative inflection of schrecklich
- Schauen
- Look; imperative or noun form of schauen
- erfolgreichen
- Successful; inflected adjective from erfolgreich
- Männer
- Men; plural of Mann
- den
- The; definite article accusative masculine or dative plural
- gelehrten
- Learned, scholarly; inflected adjective from gelehrt
- Berufen
- Professions; dative plural of Beruf
- Wie
- How; interrogative or exclamatory adverb
- vollkommen
- Perfectly, completely; adverb of totality
- abscheulich
- Hideous, disgusting; extremely unpleasant or repulsive
- sie
- They, she; third-person pronoun singular or plural
- sind
- Are; third-person plural present of sein
- Außer
- Except, besides; preposition meaning other than
- Kirche
- Church; a Christian place of worship
- denken
- To think; to use one's mind, reflect
- nicht
- Not; negation particle in German sentences
- Ein
- A, an; indefinite article masculine nominative
- Bischof
- Bishop; senior clergyman in Christian church hierarchy
- sagt
- Says; third-person singular present of sagen
- im
- In the; contraction of in and dem
- Alter
- Age; the number of years one has lived
- von
- From, of; preposition indicating origin or relation
- achtzig
- Eighty; the number 80
- Jahren
- Years; dative plural of Jahr
- noch
- Still, yet; adverb indicating continuation
- immer
- Always; at all times, continuously
- was
- What; interrogative or relative pronoun
- ihm
- Him; dative form of third-person masculine pronoun
- sagen
- To say; to express something in words
- aufgetragen
- Assigned, instructed; past participle of auftragen
- hat
- Has; third-person singular present of haben
- als
- As, when; conjunction for comparisons or time clauses
- Junge
- Boy; a young male person
- achtzehn
- Eighteen; the number 18
- war
- Was; third-person singular past of sein
- natürliche
- Natural; inflected adjective from natürlich
- Folge
- Consequence; a result or outcome of something
- sieht
- Looks, sees; third-person singular of sehen
- stets
- Always, constantly; at every time without exception
- absolut
- Absolutely; completely, without qualification or restriction
- entzückend
- Delightful, charming; extremely pleasing or attractive
- aus
- Out of, from; preposition indicating origin or direction
- Ihr
- Your (formal); possessive pronoun formal second person
- geheimnisvoller
- Mysterious; full of mystery, secretive
- junger
- Young; inflected adjective from jung
- Freund
- Friend; a person one has a close bond with
- dessen
- Whose; genitive relative pronoun masculine/neuter
- Namen
- Name; the word by which someone is known
- mir
- Me; dative form of first-person singular pronoun
- nie
- Never; at no time, not ever
- verraten
- Revealed, betrayed; to disclose a secret
- Bild
- Picture, painting; a visual image or artwork
- mich
- Me; accusative form of first-person singular pronoun
- aber
- But; conjunction indicating contrast or concession
- wirklich
- Really, truly; adverb emphasizing truth or sincerity
- fasziniert
- Fascinates; third-person singular of faszinieren
- denkt
- Thinks; third-person singular present of denken
- niemals
- Never; emphatic form of nie, at no time
- nach
- After, toward; preposition of direction or time
- Davon
- Of that, about that; prepositional adverb
- bin
- Am; first-person singular present of sein
- ich
- I; first-person singular nominative pronoun
- völlig
- Completely, totally; adverb of full extent
- überzeugt
- Convinced; certain about something, past participle
- Er
- He; third-person singular masculine nominative pronoun
- hirnloses
- Brainless; mindless, lacking intellectual capacity
- schönes
- Beautiful; inflected adjective from schön
- Geschöpf
- Creature; a living being or created entity
- hier
- Here; indicating the speaker's current location
- sein
- To be; infinitive of the verb sein
- sollte
- Should; past subjunctive of sollen, expressing obligation
- Winter
- Winter; the coldest season of the year
- wenn
- When, if; conjunction for conditional or temporal clauses
- wir
- We; first-person plural nominative pronoun
- keine
- No, none; negating article feminine or plural
- Blumen
- Flowers; plural of Blume, flowering plants
- betrachten
- To look at, observe; to view attentively
- Sommer
- Summer; the warmest season of the year
- etwas
- Something, somewhat; indefinite pronoun or adverb
- brauchen
- To need; to require something for a purpose
- unseren
- Our; inflected possessive pronoun first-person plural
- Verstand
- Mind, reason; the faculty of rational thought
- abkühlt
- Cools down; third-person singular of abkühlen
- Schmeicheln
- Flattering; noun or infinitive of schmeicheln
- ähneln
- To resemble; to be similar to something
- Geringsten
- Least; superlative of gering, smallest degree
- Natürlich
- Of course, naturally; adverb confirming the obvious
- wie
- How, as, like; adverb or conjunction of comparison
- Das
- That, the; demonstrative pronoun or neuter article
- weiß
- Knows; first/third-person singular of wissen
- sehr
- Very; adverb intensifying adjectives or adverbs
- wohl
- Well, indeed; particle of certainty or wellbeing
- Ja
- Yes; affirmative response or emphatic particle
- es
- It; third-person singular neuter pronoun
- täte
- Would do; subjunctive II form of tun
- leid
- Sorry; used in leidtun meaning to feel regret
- so
- So, such; adverb of degree or manner
- auszusehen
- To look like; infinitive of aussehen with zu
- zucken
- To shrug; to make a quick involuntary movement
- mit
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- Schultern
- Shoulders; plural of Schulter, upper body joints
- Ich
- I; first-person singular nominative pronoun
- sage
- Say, tell; first-person singular of sagen
- Ihnen
- You (formal dative); indirect object formal address
- Wahrheit
- Truth; the quality of being true or accurate
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