Top Seven Reasons to Love Oscar Wilde

Heather Matthews

文學(xué)史上有兩種類型的作品：一種是作家用筆創(chuàng)作出來(lái)的，另一種則是作家用生命創(chuàng)作的。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，王爾德屬于后者。王爾德的作品，如他的《詩(shī)集》、《道林·格雷的畫像》、《快樂(lè)王子》等，我們?nèi)栽诮蚪蛴形兜仄纷x。但真正讓讀者為之傾倒的卻是王爾德過(guò)人的天賦和自信、浮華絢麗的外表、悲傷的唯美主義、敢于對(duì)抗社會(huì)傳統(tǒng)的出格行為，這些品質(zhì)將他從倫敦的社交桌上送進(jìn)了雷丁監(jiān)獄，也讓他在歷史上名垂千古。

Few literary stars have burned as bright as the late Oscar Wilde, whose unique, paradoxical and intriguing blend of boldness and grace dazzled in the flesh, as well as on the printed page.1. 絕少有文學(xué)明星像已逝的王爾德那樣光芒閃耀。王爾德本人和他的作品集獨(dú)一無(wú)二、充滿矛盾、神秘魅力于一身，混合著大膽無(wú)畏與高貴優(yōu)雅，讓人眼花繚亂。late: 已故的；paradoxical: 自相矛盾的； intriguing:（由于奇特、神秘或出人意料而）非常有趣的，迷人的；blend:（不同事物的）融合；dazzle: （強(qiáng)光）使目眩，使眼花。While Wilde remains a controversial figure—his calculated flamboyancy inspired many, yet irritated his detractors—few dispute the talent, in fluence and singularity of the man and his work.2. controversial: 有爭(zhēng)議的，引起爭(zhēng)論的；calculated: 蓄意的，精心策劃的；flamboyancy: 浮華，炫耀；irritate: 激怒；detractor: 抨擊者，貶低者；singularity: 非凡，突出。

1. Heart

At Wilde’s core, passions simmered.3. core: 核心；simmer: 內(nèi)心充滿（某種強(qiáng)烈情感）。Although he tried to live conventionally by marrying Constance Lloyd, as time passed, he found it more dif ficult to repress his sexual preferences.4. conventionally: 遵從習(xí)俗地，傳統(tǒng)地；repress: 壓抑，抑制；sexual preference:性傾向。One young and handsome lover stole Wilde’s heart.Nicknamed “Bosie”, this delicate, blond creature (Lord Alfred Douglas), displayed caprices and quirks which were certainly a match for the Irish-born Wilde’s own idiosyncrasies.5. nickname: 取綽號(hào)；delicate: 優(yōu)雅嬌弱的；display: 顯露，顯示；caprice: 任性，反復(fù)無(wú)常；quirk: 怪癖，古怪；idiosyncrasy:（個(gè)人特有的）癖好，嗜好。While Wilde was often perceived as the blithe, above-it-all, cold aesthete, his feelings for his beloved Bosie, who, in the end betrayed him terribly,6. perceive: （以某種方式）看待，理解；blithe: 不在意的，漠視的；above-it-all: 自命不凡的，自高自大的；aesthete: 唯美主義者，審美家；betray: 背叛，出賣。ran very hot.

Until the end of his life, Oscar wrestled with his tortured passion for Lord Alfred Douglas—in moments of clarity, such as those experienced during his souldestroying and health-destroying stay in Reading Gaol,he saw his true love for who he really was—a shallow and childish man who was motivated almost entirely by self-interest.7. 直到他生命的最后一刻，奧斯卡對(duì)阿爾弗萊德·道格拉斯男爵的愛(ài)仍在折磨著他——在奧斯卡神志清醒的時(shí)刻，例如他在雷丁監(jiān)獄所經(jīng)歷的那段摧毀靈魂和健康的時(shí)期，他終于看清了他的真愛(ài)究竟是一個(gè)怎樣的人——幼稚而膚淺，所做的事情完全是出于一己之私。wrestle with: 努力解決某事，為某事絞盡腦汁；tortured: 使（精神上）受到折磨的，使痛苦的；clarity: 清醒，清晰；Reading Gaol: 雷丁監(jiān)獄，位于英國(guó)雷丁的一所著名監(jiān)獄，于2013年關(guān)閉；shallow: 膚淺的，淺薄的。Yet, even then, Wilde’s heart would sometimes soften towards the often cruel and always beautiful man who was once his primary muse.8. soften: （態(tài)度）軟化，（心）軟；muse:靈感，創(chuàng)作沖動(dòng)的源泉。It’s certainly possible that Bosie had sincerely returned his ardor9. ardor: 〈文〉強(qiáng)烈的愛(ài)。, back in the old days.

It may be argued that Wilde’s enduring love for Bosie was a central element in his eventual loss of reputation, poverty and early death. On the flip side,however, his adoration of the spoiled English aristocrat and poet (who coined the famous phrase, “I am the love that dare not speak its name”) undoubtedly added signi ficant fire and eloquence to his work.10. flip side: 反面，另外一面；adoration:愛(ài)慕，敬慕；spoiled: 慣壞的，被寵壞的；aristocrat: 貴族；coin: 創(chuàng)造，杜撰（新詞或短語(yǔ)）；eloquence: 文采，生動(dòng)的文辭。

Wilde did know how to love. He did have a heart. While he was as imperfect as any other lover, he demonstrated loyalty to Bosie in tangible and poignant ways,11. demonstrate: 展示，表露出（某種感情、品質(zhì)或能力）；tangible: 可觸摸到的，可感到的；poignant: 令人心酸的，令人傷心的。over and over again, until he simply could not do so anymore.

2. In fluence

While Wilde had Bosie as his muse, as well as other muses, such as his own mother, who was quite eccentric12. eccentric: 古怪的，怪異的。, and the popular stage actress (and great beauty) of the day, Lillie Langtry, he also served(and continues to serve) as the muse for other artists. For example, back in his time, he was the subject of a pen-and-ink drawing which was created by the acclaimed artist, Aubrey Beardsley, whose work is, in equal measures, elegant and grotesque.13. pen-and-ink: 鋼筆畫的；acclaimed: 備受推崇的，廣受歡迎的；Aubrey Beardsley:奧伯利·比亞茲萊（1872—1898），是19世紀(jì)末英國(guó)最偉大的插畫藝術(shù)家之一；elegant: 高雅的 ，優(yōu)美的；grotesque:怪誕的，荒唐的。In addition, Beardsley illustrated scenes from Wilde’s controversial play,Salome, which Oscar wrote while inhabiting Paris.14. illustrate: 給……作插圖；Salome:《莎樂(lè)美》，是王爾德根據(jù)《圣經(jīng)》中的一個(gè)故事改編成的戲??；inhabit: 居住于。

In our time, Wilde continues to inspire. One key example of Wilde’s modern in fluence is director Todd Hayne’s cinematic effort,Velvet Goldmine.15. Todd Haynes: 陶德·海恩斯（1961— ），美國(guó)導(dǎo)演、編劇，代表電影作品包括此處提到的《天鵝絨金礦》（Velvet Goldmine）和《毒藥》（Poison）；cinematic: 銀幕電影的。This film tells the story of a famous glam-rock star who fakes his own death, and whose androgynous,flamboyant ways are inspired by the spirit of Wilde,whose gemstone brooch the glam-rock star (played by actor, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) wore.16. glam-rock: 華麗搖滾，又稱迷幻搖滾，是搖滾樂(lè)和流行音樂(lè)的一個(gè)流派，起源于20世紀(jì)70年代初，其特點(diǎn)是主唱及樂(lè)手都擁有性別模糊的裝扮和華麗戲劇化的臺(tái)風(fēng)；fake: 偽造，假冒；androgynous: 兼具兩性的，男女不分的；gemstone brooch: 鑲有寶石的胸針。

Of course, these examples merely scratch the surface, as Wilde’s in fluence is so far-reaching.17. scratch the surface: 觸及表面，蜻蜓點(diǎn)水；far-reaching: 影響深遠(yuǎn)的，意義重大的。

3. The Picture of Dorian Gray18. The Picture of Dorian Gray: 《道林·格雷的畫像》，是王爾德唯一一部小說(shuō)，也是他美學(xué)思想的全面體現(xiàn)，被認(rèn)為是唯美主義小說(shuō)中的力作。

Oscar Wilde penned only one novel—The Picture of Dorian Gray. However, this relatively slim volume left an indelible impression upon its readers.19. slim: 不厚的，薄的；indelible: 難以去掉的，難以忘記的。Published in the summer of 1890, the novel outraged certain critics of the time, due to its “innovative”approach to morality.20. outrage: 激起（某人的）憤慨，使（某人）震怒；morality: 道德，倫理。In fact, the editors of the novel culled certain passages from the work, without telling the author, in an attempt to tone down the book’s“indecency” before its publication.21. cull: 剔除，挑出；tone down: 使溫和，使收斂；indecency: 粗鄙，有傷風(fēng)化。In time, Wilde himself stepped in and altered his work, by writing extra chapters and adding a now-infamous Preface.22. step in: 介入，插手；infamous: 臭名昭著的；preface: 序言。

1945年同名電影中道林·格雷和其畫像

In the story, the protagonist23. protagonist:（戲劇的）主角，（故事的）主人公。, Dorian Gray, is painted by an artist named Basil. Basil becomes obsessed with his handsome subject. Dorian then meets an aristocrat, Lord Henry, who in fluences his behavior and beliefs. Celebrating beauty and sensual pleasures above all else, Lord Henry becomes the catalyst for pronounced changes in Dorian’s personality.24. celebrate: 贊美，歌頌；sensual pleasure:感官享受；catalyst: 催化劑，觸發(fā)因素；pronounced: 明顯的，顯著的。Gray becomes fearful of losing his youth and allure, and lightheartedly relates a wish to sell his soul in return for never-ending youth.25. allure: 魅力，誘惑力；lightheartedly: 隨便地，漫不經(jīng)心地；relate: 講述。In other words,he wants his portrait to grow old, while he remains exactly as he is now. Magically, the request is granted26. grant: 準(zhǔn)許，允許。.

As Dorian falls further into a hedonistic27. hedonistic: 享樂(lè)主義的。lifestyle,his painting shows the march of time—and the fearful effects of sin.

4. Poetry

Oscar Wilde wrote many beautiful poems.However, one of them is utterly devastating in terms of its emotional honesty.28. utterly: 完全地，徹底地；devastating:極其引人注目的，令人印象深刻的。Written in memory of his sister, Isola, who had died at the tender age of nine, due to an effusion of the brain, “Requiescat”will likely move anyone who has lost someone that they loved deeply.29.《安魂曲》（“Requiescat”）是王爾德為了紀(jì)念他九歲死于腦積水的妹妹伊索拉而創(chuàng)作的，任何曾經(jīng)失去摯愛(ài)的人都會(huì)被這首詩(shī)所感動(dòng)。effusion: 積水，滲水。

(Excerpt from “Requiescat”)

Peace, Peace, she cannot hear

Lyre or sonnet,

All my life’s buried here,

Heap earth upon it30. lyre: 抒情詩(shī)；sonnet: 十四行詩(shī)；heap: 大量，許多。

5. Style

The role of aesthete came naturally to Wilde,who ardently believed in the value of the style and the super ficial.31. ardently: 熱情地，熱烈地；super ficial: 表面的，外表的。While there was clearly much more to Wilde than surface appearances, he was nonetheless devoted to appearances and made no secret of the fact.

From his long, dark hair, which his jailers forced him to cut off to his rakish chapeaus to his sweeping capes and velvet and silk suiting (these separates were always accented with luxurious ties and stockings which complemented Wilde’s coloring to perfection), it was abundantly clear that Oscar cared about his out fits.32. 從他那曾被獄卒強(qiáng)行剪掉的深色長(zhǎng)發(fā)，到他那瀟灑張揚(yáng)的帽子，到他的長(zhǎng)披肩、天鵝絨和絲織衣物（王爾德總會(huì)用奢侈的領(lǐng)結(jié)和長(zhǎng)襪搭配，襯托出這些單品的特色，使他渾身的色彩搭配趨于完美），這些都非常清楚地表明王爾德注重他的服飾。rakish: 不拘俗套的，瀟灑得意的；chapeau: 帽子；sweeping:（形狀）大幅度彎曲的；cape: 披肩；separate:（非覆蓋全身的）單件衣服；accent: 強(qiáng)調(diào)，關(guān)注；complement:補(bǔ)充，與……搭配；abundantly: 非常清楚地，充分地。In addition, he believed that everyone should be able to wear whatever they wished.

6. Wit

The glittering bon mots of Wilde are de finitely a great reason to love him.33. glittering: 閃閃發(fā)光的，輝煌的；bon mot: 珠璣妙語(yǔ)，機(jī)智詼諧的言辭。Since Wilde is quoted so extensively, even today, I won’t detail all of his most classic lines here. Chances are, you’ve read them all before. Suf fice it to say that a gem, such as “It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious” will always resonate with many of us.34. suf fice it to say: 無(wú)須多說(shuō)，只需說(shuō)……就夠了；gem: 佳作，精品；tedious:枯燥的，乏味的；resonate: 引起共鳴。

Amusing, exuberant35. exuberant: 熱情洋溢的，煥發(fā)活力的。, rebellious, pitiless. Wilde’s exceptional intelligence and unique mindset brought magic to every quip and chance remark that he uttered,36. mindset: 思維模式，觀念；quip: 俏皮話，妙語(yǔ)；chance remark: 無(wú)心之語(yǔ)，偶發(fā)之語(yǔ)。and the world is better for it.

7. Bravery

Who is braver than Wilde? Who suffered more in order to be who he truly was? By facing his oppressors,in court and out in the world, Wilde displayed the magni ficent courage of a lion.

王爾德經(jīng)典裝束

To imagine Wilde’s suffering in Reading Gaol is painful, and it’s something that I’ve done often.To think that one of the great minds of the age was locked up and relentlessly persecuted,37. relentlessly: 殘酷地，無(wú)情地；persecute: 迫害，殘害。although he hurt no one, is heartbreaking. How many others who love (or loved) have also suffered for it, although they hurt no one? So many.

This great visionary38. visionary: 有遠(yuǎn)見(jiàn)的人。gave countless gifts to the world. Sadly, in the end, most of his friends were of the fair-weather variety.39. fair-weather friend: 同甘不共苦的朋友；variety:（人或物的）類型。In other words, they chose to shun him when he was penniless and in disgrace.40. shun: 刻意避開(kāi)，有意回避；disgrace: 失勢(shì)，名譽(yù)掃地。However, in his bravery and honesty, he distinguished himself as an authentic41. authentic: 真正的。human being.He moved beyond the super ficial. In addition, with his body of work alone, he immortalized42. immortalize: 使不朽，使名垂千古。himself.