The Happy PrinceThe statue of the Happy Prince stood high above the city where everyone could see him. It was covered all over with thin leaves of gold. For the eyes it had two bright jewels, and there was a large red ruby on the top - of its sword.
Everyone thought that it was very beautiful.
"Why can't you be like the Happy Prince?" mothers said to their children, if they cried.
"I am glad there is someone in the world who is quite happy," said a sad old man, as he looked at the wonderful statue. )
"He looks just like an angel," said the school children as they came out of church.
The statue was indeed very beautiful.
One night a little Swallow flew over the city. His friends had gone to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind. When he arrived at the city the Swallow thought, "Where shall I stay ? I hope there is some place where I can stay tonight."
Then he saw the statue standing high above the city.
"I will stay there," he said. "It is high up, with plenty of fresh air." So he flew down and landed between the feet of the Happy Prince.
"I have a golden bedroom!" he said to himself as he looked around and prepared to go to sleep. Just as he put his head under his wing, a large drop of water fell on him.
"That's very strange," he said. "There's not a cloud in the sky, and the stars are clear and bright, and yet it is raining! Then another drop fell. "What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?" he said. "I must find some other place."
Just at that moment another drop fell. He looked up and saw something very strange.
He saw that the eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears. Tears were running down his golden face; and the face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the Swallow felt very sorry for him.
"Who are you?" asked the Swallow.
"I am the Happy Prince."
"Then why are you weeping? You have made me quite wet with your tears."
"When I was alive," said the Prince, "I had a human heart, but I did not know what sorrow was. I lived in a beautiful palace where there was no sadness. In the daytime I played with my friends in the garden, and in the evening I danced in the great hall. There was a high wall round the palace garden, and I never asked what lay on the other side, because everything on this side was so beautiful. So they called me the Happy Prince, and I was happy. Then I died, and people put me up here, so that I could see all the ugliness and unhappiness of my city. And although my heart is made of lead, I cannot help crying."
"Oh," said the Swallow to himself, "he isn't all made of gold; he is only gold on the outside."
The statue began to speak again.
"Far away from here," said the Prince, "there is a poor house in a little street. One of the windows is open, and through the window I can see a woman. sitting at a table. Her face is thin and she looks worried. In a bed in a corner of the room, her little boy is lying ill. He is asking for oranges. His mother has nothing to give him but river water; so he is crying. Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, will you take her the ruby from the top of the sword?"
"My friends are waiting for me in Egypt", said the Swallow," and I must go to them."
"Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow," said the Prince, "will you not stay with me for one night and do this for me? The boy is crying and the mother is sad."
"I do not like boys," replied the Swallow. "Last summer two boys threw stones at me when I was flying over the river."
The Prince looked so sad that the Swallow was sorry for him.
"It is very cold here," said the bird, "but I will stay with you for one night and be your messenger." "Thank you, little bird," said the Prince.
So the Swallow took the red jewel from the Prince's sword and flew away with it over the roofs of the town.
He flew by the palace and heard the sound of dancing. He flew over the river and saw all the ships ready to sail away. He flew over crowded shops, and saw people buying and selling. At last he came to the poor house and looked in. The boy was lying ill on his bed, and the mother had fallen asleep. He flew in and put the big red jewel on the table beside the woman's hand. Then he flew round the bed, cooling the boy's face with his wings.
"Oh," said the boy, "my face does not feel so hot. I think I am getting better," and he went to sleep.
Then the Swallow flew back to the Happy Prince and told him what he had done. "It is strange," he said, "I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold."
"That is because you have done a good thing," said the Prince. The little bird soon fell asleep.
Early next morning the bird flew down to the river and had a bath. A man saw him. "How strange!" he said, "A swallow in winter! That is very unusual."
"I shall go to Egypt tonight," said the Swallow, and he felt very happy as he flew over all the great buildings in the town.
When the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince.
"I have come to say good-bye to you," he cried. "Is there anything you want me to do for you in Egypt? I am just starting to fly there."
"Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow," said the Prince, "will you not stay with me for one more night?"
"My friends are waiting for me in Egypt", said the bird." The sun is shining and the air is warm. I must go." "Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow", said the Prince,
"Far away across the city I see a young man in a small room. He is sitting at a table covered with papers. In a glass by his side there are some dead flowers. He is trying to finish a play for the theatre, but he is too cold to write any more. There is no fire in the room, and he is weak with hunger."
"I will wait with you for one more night," said the Swallow. "Shall I take another ruby to him?"
"I have no ruby now," said the Prince. "My eyes are all that I have left. They are beautiful blue stones brought from India a thousand years ago. Take one of them to him. He will sell it, and buy firewood and food, and finish his story."
"Dear Prince", said the bird, "I cannot do that," and he began to weep.
"Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow," said the Prince, "do as I ask you!"
So the Swallow took out the Prince's eye and flew away to the room where the young man lived at the top of the house. It was easy to get in because there was a hole in the roof. The young man was sitting with his head buried in his hands, so he did not see the bird. When he looked up he found a beautiful diamond lying on the dead flowers.
"This has come from someone who likes my plays," he said. "Now I can finish the one I am writing," and he looked very happy.
The next day the Swallow flew down to the harbour. He watched a large ship sail away, and heard the sailors shouting to one another.
"I am going to Egypt," cried the bird, but nobody cared.
When the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince.
"I have come to say good-bye to you," he cried. "Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow," said the Prince, "will you not stay one more night with me?"
"It will be winter," answered the Swallow. It will be very cold, and snow will soon be here. In Egypt the sun is warm on the green trees. Dear Prince, I must leave you, but I will never forget you. Next spring I will bring you back two beautiful jewels in place of those you have given away. The ruby will be redder than a red rose, and the diamond will be as white as snow."
"In the street below us," said the Happy Prince," a little girl is selling match boxes. She has dropped all her matches in the dirty street and they are all spoilt. Her father will beat her, if she does not bring home some money. Take out my other eye and give it to her. Then her father will not beat her."
"I will stay with you for one more night," said the Swallow, "but I cannot take out your other eye. You would be completely blind then."
"Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow", said the Prince. "Do as I ask you."
So he took out the Prince's other eye and flew down with it. He flew past the match-girl and slipped the diamond into her hand.
"What a lovely piece of glass", cried the girl, and she ran home laughing.
Then the Swallow came back to the Prince.
"You are blind now," he said, "so I will stay with you".
"No, little Swallow," said the Prince, "you must go away to Egypt."
"I will stay with you always," said the bird and he slept at the Prince's feet.
The next day he stayed with the Prince and he told him stories of what he had seen in strange lands. He told him about the strange red birds of Egypt who stand on the banks of the Nile and catch fish. He told him about the Sphinx. He told him about the merchants who walked slowly across the desert with their camels. He told him about the great snake that slept in a palm tree. He told him about the graves in which the dead kings lay with their gold and silver and jewels.
"Dear little Swallow," said the Prince, "you tell me about strange and wonderful things, but the suffering of men and women is stranger than anything. Fly over my city, little Swallow, and tell me what you see there."
So the Swallow flew over the great city and saw the rich eating and drinking in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gate. He flew into the dark lanes and saw the white faces of hungry children looking out with sad eyes at the black streets. Two little boys were lying under a bridge - lying in each other's arms to try to keep themselves warm. "How hungry we are!" they said.
"You must not lie here," shouted the Watchman, and they wandered out into the rain.
Then he flew back and told the Prince what he had seen.
"I am covered with fine gold," said the Prince. "You must take it off, leaf by leaf, and give it to my poor people".
The Swallow pulled off leaf after leaf, till the Happy Prince looked dull and grey. He brought leaf after leaf to the poor and the children's faces became brighter and they played games in the street.
"We have bread now!" they cried.
Then the snow came and the air was very cold. The streets shone like silver. Ice hung down from the houses and everybody wore warm fur coats.
The poor little bird grew colder and colder, but he would not leave the Prince. At last he knew he was going to die. He had just enough strength left to fly up to the Prince's shoulder once more.
"Good-bye, dear Prince," he said. "Will you let me kiss your hand?"
"I am glad you are going to Egypt at last", said the Prince. "You have stayed here too long. But you must give me a good-bye kiss, for I love you."
"I am not going to Egypt," said the bird. "I am going to the House of Death."
Then he kissed the Prince and fell down dead at his feet.
At that moment a strange crack sounded inside the statue as if something had broken. It was the lead heart of the statue. It had broken in two pieces.
Early next morning the Mayor was walking in the street below with two town councillors. As they passed the statue, he looked up at it.
"Oh dear, how old and dirty the Happy Prince looks."
he said.
"Oh, yes!" said the town councillors. They always agreed with the Mayor. They went up to look at it.
"The ruby has fallen out of his sword. His eyes are gone and he is no longer golden," said the Mayor. "He is no better than a beggar."
"Yes, more like a beggar than a Prince," said the councillors.
"And there is a dead bird at his feet. We really must not allow that to happen in future."
So they pulled down the statue of the Happy Prince. "He is no longer beautiful, so he is no longer useful," they said.
Then they melted the statue in a fire, and the Mayor held a meeting to decide what was to be done with the metal.
"What a strange thing!" they said, when the statue of the Happy Prince was being melted. "This broken lead heart will not melt in the fire. We must throw it away." So they threw it on a dust-heap where the dead Swallow was also lying.
"Bring me the two most precious things in the city," said God to one of his angels.
The angel brought Him the lead heart and the dead bird.
"You have chosen rightly," said God. "This little bird shall sing for ever in my garden in Heaven, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall live for ever."
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