The Picture of Dorian Gray — Page 2

En el centro de la habitación, sujeto a un caballete vertical, estaba el retrato de cuerpo entero de un joven de extraordinaria belleza personal,

In the centre of the room, clamped to an upright easel, stood the full-length portrait of a young man of extraordinary personal beauty,

y frente a él, a cierta distancia, estaba sentado el propio artista, Basil Hallward,

and in front of it, some little distance away, was sitting the artist himself, Basil Hallward,

cuya repentina desaparición ocurrida algunos años atrás causó, en su momento, tal agitación pública y dio lugar a tantas extrañas conjeturas.

whose sudden disappearance some years ago caused, at the time, such public excitement and gave rise to so many strange conjectures.

Mientras el pintor contemplaba la forma graciosa y hermosa que había reflejado con tanta habilidad en su arte, una sonrisa de placer cruzó su rostro y pareció querer quedarse allí.

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.

Pero de repente se incorporó y, cerrando los ojos, posó los dedos sobre los párpados, como si buscara apresar dentro de su mente algún sueño extraño del que temía despertar.

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.

«Es tu mejor obra, Basil, lo mejor que has hecho jamás», dijo Lord Henry con languidez.

"It is your best work, Basil, the best thing you have ever done," said Lord Henry languidly.

«Debes enviarlo sin falta el año que viene a la Grosvenor. La Academia es demasiado grande y demasiado vulgar.

"You must certainly send it next year to the Grosvenor. The Academy is too large and too vulgar.

Cada vez que he ido allí, o había tanta gente que no podía ver los cuadros, lo cual era horrible,

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,

o tantos cuadros que no podía ver a la gente, lo cual era peor. La Grosvenor es realmente el único lugar».

or so many pictures that I have not been able to see the people, which was worse. The Grosvenor is really the only place."

«No creo que lo envíe a ningún sitio», respondió él, echando la cabeza hacia atrás de ese modo peculiar que solía hacer reír a sus amigos en Oxford.

"I don't think I shall send it anywhere," he answered, tossing his head back in that odd way that used to make his friends laugh at him at Oxford.

«No, no lo enviaré a ningún sitio.

"No, I won't send it anywhere.