The Picture of Dorian Gray — Page 6
It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one's life.
C'est une habitude stupide, j'ose dire, mais d'une façon ou d'une autre elle semble apporter beaucoup de romantisme dans la vie.
I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?"
Je suppose que vous me trouvez terriblement sot à ce sujet ?"
"Not at all," answered Lord Henry, "not at all, my dear Basil.
« Pas du tout, » répondit Lord Henry, « pas du tout, mon cher Basil.
You seem to forget that I am married, and the one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception absolutely necessary for both parties.
Vous semblez oublier que je suis marié, et que le seul charme du mariage est qu'il rend une vie de tromperie absolument nécessaire pour les deux parties.
I never know where my wife is, and my wife never knows what I am doing.
Je ne sais jamais où se trouve ma femme, et ma femme ne sait jamais ce que je fais.
When we meet—we do meet occasionally, when we dine out together, or go down to the Duke's—we tell each other the most absurd stories with the most serious faces.
Quand nous nous rencontrons — nous nous rencontrons de temps en temps, quand nous dînons ensemble dehors, ou que nous allons chez le Duc — nous nous racontons les histoires les plus absurdes avec les visages les plus sérieux.
My wife is very good at it—much better, in fact, than I am.
Ma femme est très douée pour cela — bien meilleure, en fait, que moi.
She never gets confused over her dates, and I always do.
Elle ne se trompe jamais dans ses dates, et moi, je le fais toujours.
But when she does find me out, she makes no row at all.
Mais quand elle me démasque, elle ne fait aucune scène.
I sometimes wish she would; but she merely laughs at me."
Je le souhaiterais parfois ; mais elle se contente de rire de moi. »
"I hate the way you talk about your married life, Harry," said Basil Hallward, strolling towards the door that led into the garden.
« Je déteste la façon dont vous parlez de votre vie conjugale, Harry, » dit Basil Hallward, se dirigeant tranquillement vers la porte qui menait au jardin.
"I believe that you are really a very good husband, but that you are thoroughly ashamed of your own virtues.
« Je crois que vous êtes vraiment un très bon mari, mais que vous avez profondément honte de vos propres vertus.
You are an extraordinary fellow.
Vous êtes un homme extraordinaire.
You never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing.
Vous ne dites jamais rien de moral, et vous ne faites jamais rien de mal.
Your cynicism is simply a pose.
Votre cynisme n'est qu'une pose.
Vocabulary
- habitude
- A habit or regular practice
- stupide
- Foolish or lacking intelligence
- ose
- To dare or venture to do something
- dire
- To say or to tell something
- façon
- A manner, way, or style of doing something
- semble
- To seem or appear to be a certain way
- apporter
- To bring or carry something to a place
- romantisme
- Romanticism or a romantic quality in life
- vie
- Life, the state or experience of living
- suppose
- To suppose or assume something to be true
- trouvez
- To find or consider someone or something a certain way
- terriblement
- Terribly or extremely, intensifying an adjective
- sot
- Foolish or silly person lacking good judgment
- sujet
- A subject, topic, or matter being discussed
- répondit
- Past tense of 'répondre', meaning 'replied'
- cher
- Meaning 'dear' as a term of affection or address
- semblez
- Second person plural of 'sembler', meaning 'you seem'
- oublier
- To forget something or someone entirely
- marié
- Married, the state of being wed to someone
- seul
- Meaning 'only', 'sole', or 'alone'
- charme
- Charm or an attractive, pleasing quality
- mariage
- Marriage, the union between two people
- rend
- To make or render something a certain way
- tromperie
- Deception or the act of deceiving someone
- absolument
- Absolutely or completely, without any doubt
- nécessaire
- Necessary or essential for a particular purpose
- parties
- Parties or sides involved in an agreement
- jamais
- Meaning 'never' or 'ever' in French
- trouve
- To be located or found in a place
- femme
- Wife or woman in general usage
- rencontrons
- To meet or encounter someone by arrangement or chance
- temps
- Time or weather, depending on context
- dînons
- To dine or eat dinner together
- ensemble
- Together, as a group or pair
- dehors
- Outside or out of a building or place
- chez
- Preposition meaning 'at the home of' someone
- Duc
- Duke, a high-ranking title of nobility
- racontons
- To tell or recount stories to one another
- histoires
- Stories, tales, or accounts of events
- absurdes
- Absurd or wildly unreasonable and ridiculous
- visages
- Faces, the front part of a person's head
- sérieux
- Serious or grave in manner or expression
- douée
- Gifted or talented at something natural
- meilleure
- Better or best, feminine comparative of 'bon'
- trompe
- To deceive, trick, or be unfaithful to someone
- dates
- Dates, specific days or times of events
- toujours
- Always or still, indicating continuity
- démasque
- To unmask or expose someone's true nature
- aucune
- No or none, feminine form of negation
- scène
- A scene or dramatic confrontation between people
- souhaiterais
- Conditional of 'souhaiter', meaning 'would wish'
- parfois
- Sometimes or occasionally, not always happening
- contente
- Happy, pleased, or satisfied with something
- rire
- To laugh or the act of laughing
- déteste
- To detest or strongly dislike someone or something
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'of which', 'whose', or 'about which'
- parlez
- To speak or talk, second person plural form
- conjugale
- Conjugal or relating to marriage and married life
- dirigeant
- Present participle of 'diriger', meaning 'directing' or 'heading'
- tranquillement
- Calmly or quietly, in a peaceful manner
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'
- porte
- A door or gate, an entry to a space
- menait
- Imperfect of 'mener', meaning 'led' or 'was leading'
- jardin
- A garden or outdoor cultivated space
- crois
- To believe or think something to be true
- vraiment
- Truly or really, used for emphasis
- mari
- Husband, a male spouse in a marriage
- profondément
- Deeply or profoundly, to a great degree
- honte
- Shame or embarrassment felt about something
- propres
- Own or one's own, emphasizing possession
- vertus
- Virtues or moral qualities considered admirable
- homme
- A man or human being in general
- extraordinaire
- Extraordinary or remarkably unusual and impressive
- dites
- Second person plural of 'dire', meaning 'you say'
- rien
- Nothing or not anything, a total absence
- moral
- Moral or relating to ethics and right conduct
- mal
- Harm, evil, or wrongdoing done to someone
- cynisme
- Cynicism, a distrustful attitude toward others' motives
- pose
- To pose or present a question or problem
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