The Picture of Dorian Gray — Page 7
"
«
Being natural is simply a pose, and the most irritating pose I know," cried Lord Henry, laughing; and the two young men went out into the garden together and ensconced themselves on a long bamboo seat that stood in the shade of a tall laurel bush.
« Être naturel n'est qu'une pose, et la pose la plus irritante que je connaisse », s'écria Lord Henry en riant ; et les deux jeunes gens sortirent ensemble dans le jardin et s'installèrent sur un long siège en bambou qui se trouvait à l'ombre d'un grand laurier.
The sunlight slipped over the polished leaves.
La lumière du soleil glissait sur les feuilles luisantes.
In the grass, white daisies were tremulous.
Dans l'herbe, de blanches marguerites frémissaient.
After a pause, Lord Henry pulled out his watch.
Après un silence, Lord Henry sortit sa montre.
"I am afraid I must be going, Basil," he murmured, "and before I go, I insist on your answering a question I put to you some time ago."
« Je crains de devoir partir, Basil », murmura-t-il, « et avant de partir, j'insiste pour que vous répondiez à une question que je vous ai posée il y a quelque temps. »
"What is that?" said the painter, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground.
« Laquelle ? » dit le peintre, les yeux fixés sur le sol.
"You know quite well."
« Vous le savez très bien. »
"I do not, Harry."
« Non, Harry. »
"Well, I will tell you what it is.
« Eh bien, je vais vous le dire.
I want you to explain to me why you won't exhibit Dorian Gray's picture.
Je veux que vous m'expliquiez pourquoi vous refusez d'exposer le portrait de Dorian Gray.
I want the real reason."
Je veux la vraie raison. »
"I told you the real reason."
« Je vous ai dit la vraie raison. »
"No, you did not.
« Non, vous ne l'avez pas fait.
You said it was because there was too much of yourself in it.
Vous avez dit que c'était parce qu'il y avait trop de vous-même dedans.
Now, that is childish."
Or, c'est puéril. »
"Harry," said Basil Hallward, looking him straight in the face, "every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.
« Harry », dit Basil Hallward en le regardant droit dans les yeux, « tout portrait peint avec sentiment est un portrait de l'artiste, et non du modèle.
The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion.
Le modèle n'est que l'accident, l'occasion.
It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself.
Ce n'est pas lui qui est révélé par le peintre ; c'est plutôt le peintre qui, sur la toile colorée, se révèle lui-même.
Vocabulary
- Être
- To be; fundamental verb expressing existence or state.
- naturel
- Natural; occurring in nature without human intervention.
- est
- Is; third person singular present of être.
- une
- A, an; feminine singular indefinite article.
- pose
- Pose; position or attitude for effect or display.
- et
- And; basic conjunction joining words or clauses.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- plus
- Most; superlative marker or comparative indicating greater degree.
- irritante
- Irritating; causing annoyance or frustration.
- je
- I; first person singular pronoun.
- connaisse
- Know; subjunctive form of connaître.
- écria
- Cried out; past tense of s'écrier.
- en
- In, on; preposition or pronoun indicating location.
- riant
- Laughing; present participle of rire.
- les
- The; plural definite article for masculine or feminine.
- deux
- Two; the number 2.
- jeunes
- Young; adjective describing persons of little age.
- gens
- People; plural noun referring to persons collectively.
- sortirent
- Went out; past tense of sortir.
- ensemble
- Together; adverb indicating joint action or togetherness.
- dans
- In, into; preposition indicating location or movement.
- le
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- jardin
- Garden; cultivated plot of land for growing plants.
- installèrent
- Installed, settled; past tense of s'installer.
- sur
- On, upon; preposition indicating position or placement.
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article.
- long
- Long; adjective describing great extent or length.
- siège
- Seat, bench; object for sitting on.
- bambou
- Bamboo; tall woody grass plant used for construction.
- qui
- Which, that; relative pronoun introducing clauses.
- se
- Himself, herself; reflexive pronoun for third person.
- trouvait
- Was located; past tense of se trouver.
- ombre
- Shadow, shade; darkness caused by blocking light.
- grand
- Great, large; adjective describing considerable size.
- laurier
- Laurel; evergreen shrub with aromatic leaves.
- La
- The; feminine singular definite article capitalized.
- lumière
- Light; electromagnetic radiation visible to the eye.
- du
- Of the; contraction of de + le.
- soleil
- Sun; celestial body providing light and heat.
- glissait
- Glided, slid; past tense of glisser.
- feuilles
- Leaves; plural of feuille, plant organs for photosynthesis.
- luisantes
- Shining, lustrous; adjective describing glossy appearance.
- Dans
- In; preposition indicating location within something.
- herbe
- Grass; low-growing green vegetation covering ground.
- de
- Of, from; preposition indicating origin or possession.
- blanches
- White; plural adjective describing pale color.
- marguerites
- Daisies; white and yellow flowering plants.
- frémissaient
- Trembled, quivered; past tense of frémir.
- Après
- After; preposition indicating time or sequence.
- silence
- Silence; absence of sound or noise.
- sortit
- Took out; past tense of sortir.
- sa
- His, her; feminine singular possessive adjective.
- montre
- Watch, timepiece; device for measuring time.
- Je
- I; first person singular pronoun capitalized.
- crains
- Fear; present tense of craindre.
- devoir
- Must, have to; modal verb expressing obligation.
- partir
- To leave, depart; verb of motion.
- murmura
- Murmured; past tense of murmurer.
- avant
- Before; preposition indicating precedence in time.
- insiste
- Insists; present tense of insister.
- pour
- For; preposition indicating purpose or destination.
- vous
- You; second person plural or formal pronoun.
- répondiez
- Answered; past subjunctive of répondre.
- question
- Question; query seeking information or clarification.
- ai
- Have; first person singular present of avoir.
- posée
- Asked; past participle of poser.
- il
- He, it; third person singular masculine pronoun.
- quelque
- Some, any; indefinite adjective or pronoun.
- temps
- Time, weather; noun indicating duration or period.
- Laquelle
- Which; feminine singular relative pronoun.
- dit
- Said; past tense of dire.
- peintre
- Painter; artist who paints on canvas.
- yeux
- Eyes; plural of oeil, organs of sight.
- fixés
- Fixed; past participle indicating focused direction.
- sol
- Ground, soil; earth surface or floor.
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