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第3章

道林格雷的画像_奥斯卡·王尔德-第3章

小说: 道林格雷的画像_奥斯卡·王尔德 字数: 每页3500字

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〃poor lady brandon! you are hard on her; harry!〃 said hallward listlessly。

〃my dear fellow; she tried to found a salon; and only succeeded in opening a restaurant。 how could i admire her? but tell me; what did she say about mr。 dorian gray?〃

〃oh; something like; charming boypoor dear mother and i absolutely inseparable。 quite forget what he doesafraid he doesnt do anythingoh; yes; plays the pianoor is it the violin; dear mr。 gray? neither of us could help laughing; and we became friends at once。〃

〃laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship; and it is far the best ending for one;〃 said the young lord; plucking another daisy。

hallward shook his head。 〃you dont understand what friendship is; harry;〃 he murmured〃or what enmity is; for that matter。 you like every one; that is to say; you are indifferent to every one。〃

〃how horribly unjust of you!〃 cried lord henry; tilting his hat back and looking up at the little clouds that; like ravelled skeins of glossy white silk; were drifting across the hollowed turquoise of the summer sky。 〃yes; horribly unjust of you。 i make a great difference between people。 i choose my friends for their good looks; my acquaintances for their good characters; and my enemies for their good intellects。 a man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies。 i have not got one who is a fool。 they are all men of some intellectual power; and consequently they all appreciate me。 is that very vain of me? i think it is rather vain。〃

〃i should think it was; harry。 but according to your category i must be merely an acquaintance。〃

〃my dear old basil; you are much more than an acquaintance。〃

〃and much less than a friend。 a sort of brother; i suppose?〃

〃oh; brothers! i dont care for brothers。 my elder brother wont die; and my younger brothers seem never to do anything else。〃

〃harry!〃 exclaimed hallward; frowning。

〃my dear fellow; i am not quite serious。 but i cant help detesting my relations。 i suppose it es from the fact that none of us can stand other people having the same faults as ourselves。 i quite sympathize with the rage of the english democracy against what they call the vices of the upper orders。 the masses feel that drunkenness; stupidity; and immorality should be their own special property; and that if any one of us makes an ass of himself; he is poaching on their preserves。 when poor southwark got into the divorce court; their indignation was quite magnificent。 and yet i dont suppose that ten per cent of the proletariat live correctly。〃

〃i dont agree with a single word that you have said; and; what is more; harry; i feel sure you dont either。〃

lord henry stroked his pointed brown beard and tapped the toe of his patent…leather boot with a tasselled ebony cane。 〃how english you are basil! that is the second time you have made that observation。 if one puts forward an idea to a true englishmanalways a rash thing to dohe never dreams of considering whether the idea is right or wrong。 the only thing he considers of any importance is whether one believes it oneself。 now; the value of an idea has nothing whatsoever to do with the sincerity of the man who expresses it。 indeed; the probabilities are that the more insincere the man is; the more purely intellectual will the idea be; as in that case it will not be coloured by either his wants; his desires; or his prejudices。 however; i dont propose to discuss politics; sociology; or metaphysics with you。 i like persons better than principles; and i like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world。 tell me more about mr。 dorian gray。 how often do you see him?〃

〃every day。 i couldnt be happy if i didnt see him every day。 he is absolutely necessary to me。〃

〃how extraordinary! i thought you would never care for anything but your art。〃

〃he is all my art to me now;〃 said the painter gravely。 〃i sometimes think; harry; that there are only two eras of any importance in the worlds history。 the first is the appearance of a new medium for art; and the second is the appearance of a new personality for art also。 what the invention of oil…painting was to the venetians; the face of antinous was to late greek sculpture; and the face of dorian gray will some day be to me。 it is not merely that i paint from him; draw from him; sketch from him。 of course; i have done all that。 but he is much more to me than a model or a sitter。 i wont tell you that i am dissatisfied with what i have done of him; or that his beauty is such that art cannot express it。 there is nothing that art cannot express; and i know that the work i have done; since i met dorian gray; is good work; is the best work of my life。 but in some curious wayi wonder will you understand me?his personality has suggested to me an entirely new manner in art; an entirely new mode of style。 i see things differently; i think of them differently。 i can now recreate life in a way that was hidden from me before。 a dream of form in days of thoughtwho is it who says that? i forget; but it is what dorian gray has been to me。 the merely visible presence of this ladfor he seems to me little more than a lad; though he is really over twenty his merely visible presenceah! i wonder can you realize all that that means? unconsciously he defines for me the lines of a fresh school; a school that is to have in it all the passion of the romantic spirit; all the perfection of the spirit that is greek。 the harmony of soul and body how much that is! we in our madness have separated the two; and have invented a realism that is vulgar; an ideality that is void。 harry! if you only knew what dorian gray is to me! you remember that landscape of mine; for which agnew offered me such a huge price but which i would not part with? it is one of the best things i have ever done。 and why is it so? because; while i was painting it; dorian gray sat beside me。 some subtle influence passed from him to me; and for the first time in my life i saw in the plain woodland the wonder i had always looked for and always missed。〃

〃basil; this is extraordinary! i must see dorian gray。〃

hallward got up from the seat and walked up and down the garden。 after some time he came back。 〃harry;〃 he said; 〃dorian gray is to me simply a motive in art。 you might see nothing in him。 i see everything in him。 he is never more present in my work than when no image of him is there。 he is a suggestion; as i have said; of a new manner。 i find him in the curves of certain lines; in the loveliness and subtleties of certain colours。 that is all。〃

〃then why wont you exhibit his portrait?〃 asked lord henry。

〃because; without intending it; i have put into it some expression of all this curious artistic idolatry; of which; of course; i have never cared to speak to him。 he knows nothing about it。 he shall never know anything about it。 but the world might guess it; and i will not bare my soul to their shallow prying eyes。 my heart shall never be put under their microscope。 there is too much of myself in the thing; harrytoo much of myself!〃

〃poets are not so scrupulous as you are。 they know how useful passion is for publication。 nowadays a broken heart will run to many editions。〃

〃i hate them for it;〃 cried hallward。 〃an artist should create beautiful things; but should put nothing of his own life into them。 we live in an age when men treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography。 we have lost the abstract sense of beauty。 some day i will show the world what it is; and for that reason the world shall never see my portrait of dorian gray。〃

〃i think you are wrong; basil; but i wont argue with you。 it is only the intellectually lost who ever argue。 tell me; is dorian gray very fond of you?〃

the painter considered for a few moments。 〃he likes me;〃 he answered after a pause; 〃i know he likes me。 of course i flatter him dreadfully。 i find a strange pleasure in saying things to him that i know i shall be sorry for having said。 as a rule; he is charming to me; and we sit in the studio and talk of a thousand things。 now and then; however; he is horribly thoughtless; and seems to take a real delight in giving me pain。 then i feel; harry; that i have given away my whole soul to some one who treats it as 

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