The Picture of Dorian Gray Bilingual EPUB
Oscar Wilde’s only novel combines lush sensory descriptions with razor-sharp dialogue at the CEFR B2 level. Read the opening of chapters 1 and 2 below and download the bilingual EPUB.
- Original language
- English · Oscar Wilde
- First published
- 1890
- CEFR Level
- B2
- Public Domain & Translation Note
- Full original EPUB on Project Gutenberg
Free Downloads & Online Reader
Download the two-chapter bilingual preview EPUB or the core vocabulary list for Anki right away, or open the LangBox EPUB reader to read and save words across the full book.
Chapter 1 & 2 Bilingual Preview
Double-click any word in the excerpt to hear its pronunciation and see its dictionary meaning.
Chapter ICapítulo I
Original · English
The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.
Parallel translation
El estudio estaba lleno del rico aroma de las rosas y, cuando la ligera brisa estival se agitaba entre los árboles del jardín, entraba por la puerta abierta el denso perfume de las lilas o la fragancia más delicada del espino de flores rosadas.
Original · English
From the corner of the divan of Persian saddle-bags on which he was lying, smoking, as was his custom, innumerable cigarettes, Lord Henry Wotton could just catch the gleam of the honey-sweet and honey-coloured blossoms of a laburnum.
Parallel translation
Desde el rincón del diván de alforjas persas en el que yacía fumando, como tenía por costumbre, innumerables cigarrillos, lord Henry Wotton alcanzaba a divisar el destello de las flores dulces y doradas como la miel de un codeso.
Chapter IICapítulo II
Original · English
As they entered they saw Dorian Gray. He was seated at the piano, with his back to them, turning over the pages of a volume of Schumann’s “Forest Scenes.” “You must lend me these, Basil,” he cried. “I want to learn them. They are perfectly charming.”
Parallel translation
Al entrar vieron a Dorian Gray. Estaba sentado al piano, de espaldas a ellos, pasando las páginas de un volumen de las «Escenas del bosque» de Schumann. «Tienes que prestármelas, Basil —exclamó—. Quiero aprenderlas. Son absolutamente encantadoras».
Original · English
“That entirely depends on how you sit to-day, Dorian.” “Oh, I am tired of sitting, and I don’t want a life-sized portrait of myself,” answered the lad, swinging round on the music-stool, in a wilful, petulant manner.
Parallel translation
«Eso depende por completo de cómo poses hoy, Dorian». «¡Oh, estoy cansado de posar, y no quiero un retrato mío de tamaño natural!», respondió el muchacho, girando en el taburete del piano con gesto voluntarioso y malhumorado.
Core Vocabulary from Chapters 1 & 2
Key words and phrases in context from the opening chapters, ready to review or import into Anki.
| Word & Pronunciation | Meaning in Context | Sentence in Book |
|---|---|---|
| stir/stɜːr/v. | to move slightly or rustle gently in the wind | When the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came the heavy scent of the lilac. |
| delicate/ˈdelɪkət/adj. | subtle, fine, and pleasantly light | The heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn. |
| innumerable/ɪˈnjuːmərəbəl/adj. | too many to be counted; countless | Lying, smoking, as was his custom, innumerable cigarettes. |
| gleam/ɡliːm/n. | a soft, bright flash or reflection of light | Lord Henry Wotton could just catch the gleam of the honey-coloured blossoms. |
| wilful/ˈwɪlfəl/adj. | stubbornly determined to do what one wants | Swinging round on the music-stool, in a wilful, petulant manner. |
| petulant/ˈpetjʊlənt/adj. | childishly sulky, impatient, or bad-tempered | Swinging round on the music-stool, in a wilful, petulant manner. |