I give you my word of honour, there's no one painting to-day in whose talent I am more convinced.
“我拿名誉向你担保，在所有这些画家里，再没有谁比他更有天才了。
Take my word for it, you are missing a good affair.
你相信我的话吧，一笔赚钱的买卖叫你白白糟蹋了。
Some day those pictures will be worth more than all you have in your shop.
迟早有一天他的这几张画会比你铺子里所有的画加在一起还值钱。
Remember Monet, who could not get anyone to buy his pictures for a hundred francs.
你还记得莫奈吗？当时他的一张画一百法郎都没人要。
What are they worth now?
现在值多少钱了？”
True. But there were a hundred as good painters as Monet who couldn't sell their pictures at that time,
“不错。但是当时还有一百个画家，一点也不次于莫奈，同样也卖不掉自己的画。
and their pictures are worth nothing still.
现在这些人的画还是不值钱。
How can one tell?
谁知道这是怎么回事？
Is merit enough to bring success?
是不是画家只要画得好就能成名呢？
Don't believe it.
千万别相信这个。
Du reste, it has still to be proved that this friend of yours has merit.
再说，你的这位朋友究竟画得好不好也还没有证实。
No one claims it for him but Monsieur Stroeve.
只有你施特略夫先生一个人夸奖他，我还没听见别人说他好呢。”
And how, then, will you recognise merit? asked Dirk, red in the face with anger.
“那么你说说，怎样才知道一个人画得好不好？”戴尔克问道，脸都气红了。
There is only one way—by success.
“只有一个办法——出了名画得就好。”
Philistine, cried Dirk.
“市侩，”戴尔克喊道。
But think of the great artists of the past—Raphael, Michael Angelo, Ingres, Delacroix—they were all successful.
“不妨想想过去的大艺术家——拉斐尔，米开朗基罗，安格尔，德拉克罗瓦，都是出了名的。”
Let us go, said Stroeve to me, "or I shall kill this man."
“咱们走吧，”施特略夫对我说，“再不走的话我非把这个人宰了不可。”