The Artist, by Oscar Wilde 🌿🖋📖

Oscar Wilde, celebrated for his wit and aesthetic sensibility, is best known for The Picture of Dorian Gray and his brilliant plays, yet his Poems in Prose reveal a deeper, more contemplative facet of his artistry. Written in the 1890s, these short, symbolist-inflected parables blend biblical cadence with allegorical sharpness, exploring themes of beauty, morality, compassion, and judgment. Though less known than his epigrams or dramas, Poems in Prose offers essential insight into Wilde’s moral imagination during a time of personal and social upheaval. Stories like “The House of Judgment” and “The Artist” distill Wilde’s dual fascination with beauty and suffering into haunting, compact meditations. These prose poems are stylistically rich, borrowing from religious language and mythic structure, and stand as a crucial link between Wilde’s flamboyant public voice and the tragic introspection of his later prison writings. As such, they are indispensable for understanding the full range of Wilde’s literary and philosophical depth.

Oscar Wilde – The Artist – Poems in prose – 1894 – translated from English into Spanish 🇪🇸 and Italian 🇮🇹 by Enzo Martinelli

🇬🇧 The Artist, by Oscar Wilde

One evening there came into his soul the desire to fashion an image of The Pleasure that Abideth for a Moment. And he went forth into the world to look for bronze. For he could think only in bronze.

But all the bronze of the whole world had disappeared, nor anywhere in the whole world was there any bronze to be found, save only the bronze of the image of The Sorrow that Endureth For Ever.

Now this image he had himself, and with his own hands, fashioned, and had set it on the tomb of the one thing he had loved in life. On the tomb of the dead thing he had most loved had he set this image of his own fashioning, that it might serve as a sign of the love of man that dieth not, and a symbol of the sorrow of man that endureth for ever. And in the whole world there was no other bronze save the bronze of this image.

And he took the image he had fashioned, and set it in a great furnace, and gave it to the fire.

And out of the bronze of the image of The Sorrow that Endureth For Ever he fashioned an image of The Pleasure that Abideth for a Moment.

🇪🇸 El artista, de Oscar Wilde

Una noche llegó a su alma el deseo de crear una imagen de El placer que permanece por un momento. Y salió al mundo a buscar bronce. Porque solo podía pensar en bronce.

Pero todo el bronce de todo el mundo había desaparecido, ni en ningún lugar del mundo se encontraba ningún bronce, excepto solo el bronce de la imagen de La pena que aguanta para siempre.

Ahora esta imagen la tenía él mismo, y con sus propias manos, cosida, y la había puesto en la tumba de la única cosa que había amado en la vida. En la tumba de lo muerto que más había amado si hubiera puesto esta imagen de su propia moda, para que pudiera servir como un signo del amor del hombre que no muere, y un símbolo del dolor del hombre que perdura para siempre. Y en todo el mundo no había otro bronce que el bronce de esta imagen.

Y tomó la imagen que había creado, y la puso en un gran horno, y se la dio al fuego.

Y del bronce de la imagen de El dolor que dura para siempre, creó una imagen de El placer que permanece por un momento.

🇮🇹 L’artista, di Oscar Wilde

Una sera arrivò nella sua anima il desiderio di modellare un’immagine del Piacere che rimane per un momento. E andò in tutto per cercare il bronzo. Perché poteva pensare solo in bronzo.

Ma tutto il bronzo di tutto il mondo era scomparso, né in tutto il mondo c’era bronzo, tranne solo il bronzo dell’immagine di Il dolore che sopporta per sempre.

Ora questa immagine aveva se stesso, e con le sue mani, modellato, e l’aveva messo sulla tomba dell’unica cosa che aveva amato nella vita. Sulla tomba della cosa morta che aveva amato di più se avesse messo questa immagine della sua stessa moda, affinché potesse servire come segno dell’amore dell’uomo che non muore, e un simbolo del dolore dell’uomo che dura per sempre. E in tutto il mondo non c’era altro bronzo se non il bronzo di questa immagine.

E prese l’immagine che aveva modellato, la mise in una grande fornace, e la diede al fuoco.

E dal bronzo dell’immagine di Il dolore che dura per sempre ha modellato un’immagine del piacere che rimane per un momento.