道林.格雷的画像 英文版 The Picture of Dorian Gray
奥斯卡.王尔德 Oscar Wilde
CHAPTER I Page 2
"Basil, this is quite wonderful! I must see Dorian Gray. " Hallwardgot up from the seat, and walked up and down the garden. Aftersome time he came back. "You don't understand, Harry, " he said."Dorian Gray is merely to me a motive in art. He is never morepresent in my work than when no image of him is there. He is simplya suggestion, as I have said, of a new manner. I see him in thecurves of certain lines, in the loveliness and the subtleties ofcertain colors. That is all. "
"Then why won't you exhibit his portrait?"
Remembered what, Harry?"I don't want you to meet.
"Because I have put into it all the extraordinary romance of which,of course, I have never dared to speak to him. He knows nothingabout it. He will never know anything about it. But the world mightguess it; and I will not bare my soul to their shallow, prying eyes.My heart shall never be put under their microscope. There is toomuch of myself in the thing, Harry, --too much of myself!"
"Poets are not so scrupulous as you are. They know how usefulpassion is for publication. Nowadays a broken heart will run to manyeditions. "
"I hate them for it. An artist should create beautiful things, butshould put nothing of his own life into them. We live in an age whenmen treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography. Wehave lost the abstract sense of beauty. If I live, I will show theworld what it is; and for that reason the world shall never see myportrait of Dorian Gray. "
"I think you are wrong, Basil, but I won't argue with you. It isonly the intellectually lost who ever argue. Tell me, is Dorian Grayvery fond of you?"
Hallward considered for a few moments. "He likes me, " he answered,after a pause; "I know he likes me. Of course I flatter himdreadfully. I find a strange pleasure in saying things to him that Iknow I shall be sorry for having said. I give myself away. As arule, he is charming to me, and we walk home together from the clubarm in arm, or sit in the studio and talk of a thousand things. Nowand then, however, he is horribly thoughtless, and seems to take areal delight in giving me pain. Then I feel, Harry, that I havegiven away my whole soul to some one who treats it as if it were aflower to put in his coat, a bit of decoration to charm his vanity,an ornament for a summer's day. "
"Days in summer, Basil, are apt to linger. Perhaps you will tiresooner than he will. It is a sad thing to think of, but there is nodoubt that Genius lasts longer than Beauty. That accounts for thefact that we all take such pains to over-educate ourselves. In thewild struggle for existence, we want to have something that endures,and so we fill our minds with rubbish and facts, in the silly hope ofkeeping our place. The thoroughly well informed man, --that is themodern ideal. And the mind of the thoroughly well informed man is adreadful thing. It is like a bric-?brac shop, all monsters anddust, and everything priced above its proper value. I think you willtire first, all the same. Some day you will look at Gray, and hewill seem to you to be a little out of drawing, or you won't like histone of color, or something. You will bitterly reproach him in yourown heart, and seriously think that he has behaved very badly to you.The next time he calls, you will be perfectly cold andindifferent. It will be a great pity, for it will alter you. Theworst of having a romance is that it leaves one so unromantic. "
"Harry, don't talk like that. As long as I live, the personality ofDorian Gray will dominate me. You can't feel what I feel. Youchange too often. "
"Ah, my dear Basil, that is exactly why I can feel it. Those who arefaithful know only the pleasures of love: it is the faithless whoknow love's tragedies. " And Lord Henry struck a light on a daintysilver case, and began to smoke a cigarette with a self-conscious andself-satisfied air, as if he had summed up life in a phrase. Therewas a rustle of chirruping sparrows in the ivy, and the blue cloud-shadows chased themselves across the grass like swallows. Howpleasant it was in the garden! And how delightful other people'semotions were!--much more delightful than their ideas, it seemed tohim. One's own soul, and the passions of one's friends, --those werethe fascinating things in life. He thought with pleasure of thetedious luncheon that he had missed by staying so long with BasilHallward. Had he gone to his aunt's, he would have been sure to meetLord Goodbody there, and the whole conversation would have been aboutthe housing of the poor, and the necessity for model lodging-houses.It was charming to have escaped all that! As he thought of his aunt,an idea seemed to strike him. He turned to Hallward, and said, "Mydear fellow, I have just remembered. "
"Remembered what, Harry?"
"Where I heard the name of Dorian Gray. "
"Where was it?" asked Hallward, with a slight frown.
"Don't look so angry, Basil. It was at my aunt's, Lady Agatha's.She told me she had discovered a wonderful young man, who was goingto help her in the East End, and that his name was Dorian Gray. I ambound to state that she never told me he was good-looking. Womenhave no appreciation of good looks. At least, good women have not.She said that he was very earnest, and had a beautiful nature. I atonce pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair,horridly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet. I wish I hadknown it was your friend. "
"I am very glad you didn't, Harry. "
"Why?"
"I don't want you to meet him. "
"Mr. Dorian Gray is in the studio, sir, " said the butler, coming intothe garden.
"You must introduce me now, " cried Lord Henry, laughing.
Basil Hallward turned to the servant, who stood blinking in thesunlight. "Ask Mr. Gray to wait, Parker: I will be in in a fewmoments. " The man bowed, and went up the walk.
Then he looked at Lord Henry. "Dorian Gray is my dearest friend, " hesaid. "He has a simple and a beautiful nature. Your aunt was quiteright in what she said of him. Don't spoil him for me. Don't try toinfluence him. Your influence would be bad. The world is wide, andhas many marvellous people in it. Don't take away from me theone person that makes life absolutely lovely to me, and that gives tomy art whatever wonder or charm it possesses. Mind, Harry, I trustyou. " He spoke very slowly, and the words seemed wrung out of himalmost against his will.
"What nonsense you talk!" said Lord Henry, smiling, and, takingHallward by the arm, he almost led him into the house.